People sometimes ask me why I am a vegetarian. To be sure, I am not a strict vegetarian, or vegan. I eat fish. I eat eggs and dairy products. Most people who know me know that I am a rather health-conscious individual, so they assume that I quit eating red meat for health reasons. That actually had nothing to do with my decision. Continue reading this post…

Have you ever wondered why Jesus and Buddha each had 12 disciples? It has been said that the number 12 was chosen by writers because it is symbolic of the zodiac, and each disciple can be thought of as having been born under a different astrological sign. Thus  having 12 disciples is symbolic of being all-inclusive. Everyone from any walk of life can be a disciple. I think this is a rather facile interpretation, however it does satisfy the needs of exoteric religion. Continue reading this post…

The word “myth” is used in the vernacular in various ways, but usually people take it to mean something that is commonly believed, but not true. This is the intended meaning of the word when people speak of urban myths. The word also is taken to mean religious stories that have little or no basis in fact. For those who take a keener look into the religious stories of the world, the word “myth” takes on a deeper and broader meaning. For those of us who possess a deeper understanding of religion, a myth is a story with hidden meaning. It is an allegorical story that uses symbolism and metaphor to describe something that cannot be adequately described any other way.

The myths of the various religions were never meant to be taken literally. The scribes and redactors who collected various myths and created the Old Testament were most certainly not expecting readers to interpret these stories as literally true historical events. The fact that the bible contains two creation myths that contradict each other down to the last little detail should be proof enough that those bible scribes were not intending to put together a book that is supposed to be a factual account of anything. In the myth of Genesis, chapter one, originally of Babylonian origin, God creates the world in six days and rests on the seventh day. He creates plants first, then animals, then man and woman. The second creation myth, which is far older than the first one,  is of Sumerian origin and begins in the second paragraph of chapter two of the Book of Genesis. In this myth God creates the world in one day, and creates plants first, then a man, then animals, and then a woman.  Continue reading this post…

Christianity has been a dominant force in the shaping of western culture. How is it that this one religion became so dominant? What happened to the plethora of religions that had existed in the western world before Christianity became so widespread? Continue reading this post…

People have asked me from time to time to explain to them what is meant by the term chamber music. I shall endeavor in this essay to explain the meaning of the term and describe some of the different kinds of chamber music.  Continue reading this post…

I recently listened to Mozart’s famous motet, “Exultate Jubilate” for the umpteenth time. It’s probably been a few years since I last heard it and it sounds as fresh and lovely as ever to my ears. Though perhaps not considered one of Mozart’s greatest masterpieces, this is a beautiful motet. Continue reading this post…

An asteroid, say, about 5 miles in diameter impacts with the Earth at say, the modest speed of 20 miles per second. Let’s say it hits in the middle of the ocean (Atlantic or Pacific, take your pick). If I remember right, 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere is contained within 10 miles of the surface so this object doesn’t spend but about a half of a second in our atmosphere. When it hits the deep ocean water it will create a fleeting “crater” in the water. This “crater” will last a matter of seconds as the water comes rushing back inward. This sloshing back and forth will create a tsunami about 2.5 miles high. When this wave gets to the continental shelf it will pile up on itself and become even higher.
Continue reading this post…

Of all the controversial subjects that engage the attention of people, none is more popular than the UFO phenomenon. In the following, I will be using the term UFO, not in its literal meaning as unidentified flying object. Instead, when I use the term I will mean an object that is intelligently controlled, but not built by humans, and is seen in the air.

On the internet, UFOs are second in popularity only to pornography. There are an incredible number of websites on the topic, some of them quite good, some ridiculous. The vast number of ‘hits’ these sites gets, attests to the popularity of the subject. The number of books on UFOs is staggering. The number of good ones is a much smaller  number. Continue reading this post…