Opinion  on Religion and Other Matters T. Buckingham Thomas physics Oberlin WOBC Richwood Tom Thomas Chyron Infinit Pittsburgh Here are essays on a number of topics. To search for specific names or events that might be listed elsewhere, click the icon to bring up a Google search box.  Replace ql in the search box with the word or words you seek. An altar bursts into flame?  Somebody set it on fire.  A lame man takes a few steps?  He already had that ability.  A woman who has been unable to conceive finally does so?  This sort of thing happens every day. When Biblical writers tell these stories, they attribute the “miracles” to divine intervention.  However, I tend to suspect that there may be other explanations that rely less on the supernatural.  So I decided to retell the stories my way — usually in the fictional first person.  Sometimes I let “Brother Billy” interview my characters. Dozens of these non-supernatural stories are listed on my Poetry page. °For a Reason Og finds an arrow and suffers the consequences.  Does everything happen for a reason? New Way of Life Og discovers that another tribe no longer hunts but keeps animals and plants in pens, leading to Civilization. Sixteen Tuns   Debt bondage among brickmakers in ancient Egypt and in present-day south Asia. Biblical Lie Detector Tell the truth, woman.  Is that someone else's baby you're carrying?  If so, God's potion will abort it. °True Prayer:  God In Us "In spirit and in truth." °Bible Quiz With 28 Bible questions — and 61 Bible answers. 1790 Washington's Mother "All I am I owe to my mother," said George.  Except he didn't.  What about other quotable notables? 1880 Be Happy Now — Wait Not for Heaven Historic sites in central New York including the birthplace of Robert Ingersoll, whom I quote at length. . 1950 The Intercontinental Web Discovering an ancient TV show through on-line research. °The Three-Cornered Field Teasing the sheep, and some reflections on seeing the big picture. . 1960 °Miss Pete and Juno Musings on memory, with a parakeet and a song that I "composed" in Latin. Barry Virtues and vices in the acceptance speech of the 1964 Republican candidate for President, who was no moderate. °The Melting Pot A long-term solution for America's racial tensions. Modern Times Multiple activities overtake the simple life. The Great State of the Islands of Columbia A crackpot idea. Thrice Weekly A double president's regrets; preventing cheating; doing your own thing. Bill Doodle Why would anyone volunteer for military servitude? Need It Be Said? A song for a character who cannot believe. Expunging Their Beliefs? Anti-war activists who don't want their activism on their permanent records. Protest and Viet Nam Others were protesting; I observed the scene. °Smiles We Gave to One Another Once the world seemed a friendlier place. 1970 °Banachek! Be skeptical of the mentalist with a balloon. 1980 Table for Six I observe a dignified black family being denied service at a hotel restaurant. . 1990 °Kevorkian and the Bible Can scripture justify suicide? . 2000 °Santa Is An Elf On belatedly realizing what some familiar words clearly say. °Fear Not Don't let terror kill you many times before your death. °C-Notes (parts 1 through 10) 100 words or less on assorted topics. °The Other Mask A delicate drama dilemma:  in a comedy, how can villains be punished? °We Are Monarchs We command musicians and actors, and take what we want from great treasure houses. °The Pledge Question Should we force our children to take a daily loyalty oath proclaiming our nation is under God? °The Case Against Children What I'm doing to save the environment. °Dog Thoughts A golden retriever defends capitalism. °What Speed Limit? Americans no longer respect the law. °Stopping Communication Sometimes we don't want to let a message go through. °The Steady-State Theory Shouldn't life be stable and comfortable?  No, we must always be growing. °Gray Don't assume there's always a simple choice between black and white.  Often, gray is beautiful. °Hating Your House On employees who callously sabatoge the operations of the company that pays them. °The Egg.  It Depends.  Why Ask Why? I venture my answers to three classic conundrums. °No Amnesty! Forgive prodigal borrowers?  To us good people, that would be a slap in the face! When Peas Fly Whatever happened to split pea soup, anyway? 2010 On Representative Democracy Should Congressmen please the constituents of their districts, or should they use their own best judgment to benefit the whole nation? Local Campaigning We may not always be best served by choosing our own decision-makers. Regrets about the Governor My state's leader is reluctant to fund roads and buses but eager to fund sectarian schools. It Ain't Us, Babe Congressman, it ain't me you're workin' for, babe. Give to the Rich Should we fund a top-performing school because they've earned it, or a bottom-performing school because they need it? °The Crusade Against Education Conservatives want to shield their kids from ideas they might discover in public school or college. Breath of Life Brother Billy believes life begins at conception.  Better-informed scholars disagree. Problem Solved It takes two years, but the state finally approves a plan to fund bridges and buses. Snidely Tweeting 1,  2,  3 Eric D. Snider's remarks, gathered from Twitter. Paying Our Dues Why taxes are good. Hate Speech Why a government of all the people shouldn't promote the Ten Commandments. Retweets Comments I've gathered from the Internet, mainly about folks I consider misguided and uninformed. You're Cut Off! Does being excommunicated mean you're banished from the Church? Resisting Anti-Intellectuals Some uninformed folks favor their own feelings over the conclusions of “intelligent, educated” experts. Over-Coddling Exposure to small doses of allergens or disturbing thoughts may improve one's ability to cope with them. Oft May Ye Waive Perhaps you should waive your right to be tried by a jury of your conscripted, uninformed non-peers. 2020 The Future Human selfishness leaves me pessimistic about containing overpopulation and global warming. Sluggish Georgia Spending nearly a billion while waiting two months for Senate runoff elections?  RCV could be a better way. The Roundtable Assorted opinions on important topics, gathered from 112 Tweets and other Internet postings. Dangerous Questions   Oberlin alumni ask about the Palestinian situation.   This website's home page and the "C-Notes" articles express brief opinions on many topics.  Click the boxes for lists in the following categories: Language Politics Religion Other