My mother-in-law is flying in from New York City on Thursday for a visit. We live in Seattle but the New York metro area has 28 confirmed swine-flu cases, Washington State so far none. I’ve actually found myself wondering if she’ll bring the fabled swine flu pandemic with her. Among swine flu symptoms, I wonder…

A.N. Wilson goes into more fascinating detail about his return to religious faith from atheism in an essay in the New Statesman. Now isn’t this interesting: the literary critic, biographer and historian credits his gradual re-conversion in no small part to a counter-reaction to the “superstitious” materialism of Darwinian evolution and, yes, the dreaded Darwin-Hitler…

So you still think Judaism doesn’t seek to influence the spiritual path that non-Jews are on? That Jews have no plan of “conversion” in mind for the rest of the world? That Judaism has no “mission” to humanity? This week’s Torah reading (Acharei-Kedoshim, Leviticus 16:1-20:27) begins with the description of the high priest’s service on Yom…

I may have been harsh on David Plotz and his book, The Good Book, about reading the Bible, in which case I apologize. Plotz himself fights back spiritedly in the comment box. When I’ve read his writing in the past, it’s always been charming and interesting. I’m sure the book is similarly well done, given…

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