In the book of Leviticus, the Lord commanded from Sinai that when the children of Israel came to the promised land they should keep every seventh year as a Sabbatical year (Shmita) for the land. They were not to sow the fields or harvest (except that anyone could pick the fruit for personal use). Shmita … Read more
A virus is a small collection of genetic code, either DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone. Viruses must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of themselves. Often, they kill the host cell in the process, and cause damage to the host organism. … Read more
One of the worst forms of human bondage is financial debt. Indeed, throughout most of history, debt could literally land one in prison. During the 1700’s and 1800’s in England, ten thousand people were imprisoned for debt each year. However, the prison term did not count as paying the debt. Instead, an inmate was typically … Read more
Let me tell you what I think you already know, but you have to say it out loud. Inequality is by design.From those who colonized us 400 years ago, systems were built around people in power, by people in power, to keep their power. And 400 years ago, who were those people in power? White, … Read more
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy … Read more
An important way to understand Trump and Trumpism is as an assault on reality. At issue is the attempt to control, to own, immediate truth along with any part of history that feeds such truth. Robert J. Lifton The desire to control reality is typical of authoritarianism, religious zealotry, and cultism. If you control a … Read more
I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters. Donald Trump, Iowa, January 23, 2016 Donald Trump’s approval rating among Americans has always been between 37 and 45 percent. Just over a third of our citizens seem to support him no matter what he says or … Read more
We never hear the word “usury” anymore. The early Christian Fathers taught that usury was a sin for which one could be damned to Hell. It was considered to be equivalent to robbery. Usury, of course, is the lending of money for interest. The charging of interest is basic to modern capitalism. Capitalists refer to … Read more