What If Justin Brierly Wrote A Book

And some of his favorite non-believers wrote a response...

Justin Brierly, host of Unbelievable, has just written a book titled
Unbelievable?: Why after ten years of talking with atheists, I'm still a Christian. It's quite good, though it contains little we haven't heard on the radio program (or the podcast).  So of course me and some of the other non-believers who hang out at the Unbelievable forum are having a crack at a "Justin Response Book" in a manner inverse to the Christian response to Bart Ehrmann's How Jesus Became God: Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee. First, I had to read the book. Now comes the writing...

So, There I Was, Minding My Own Business

In Peregrine Books...oops!

I went in planning to purchase one book for my friend and I come home with five of my own. Well, I guess there are more dangerous addictions...

What Abject Cruelty!

Who puts a used book section in the museum gift shop?!!

Visited the Smoki Museum in Prescott this afternoon.  In many ways the Smoki People - white people performing in red face - were to Native America what the Rosicrucians are to ancient Egypt.  Still, they have a fine little museum featuring extensive displays of weaving, pottery, and lithics.  Best of all, on several shelves in the gift shop there are used books at garage sale prices.  The five I chose cost me all of $17.50.

More Grist For The Mill

You may have heard I have a reading disorder...

I have an irresistible weakness for books on sale at National Park, National Monument, and Heritage Site visitor centers.

We visited V Bar V and Palatki Heritage Sites in the Coconino National Forest today.  Their bookshelves are well-stocked.  I came away with:

• Guide to the Heritage Sites: Coconino National Forest Red Rock District
• Ancient Ruins and Rock Art of the Southwest, by David Grant Noble
• A Geological and Archeological Study of the Solar Gnomons at the V Bar V Heritage Site, by Todd Bostwick, Paul Limdberg, and Kenneth Zoll
• Journal of Arizona Archeology, Volume 3, Numbers 1 and 2, Fall 2015

Time for some reading...

Monsoon III

Watch this...

...and all of Mike Olbinski's marvelous short films.

Monsoon III is very much like what living in Arizona during the monsoon season is like, only faster.

As a bonus Kerry Muzzey's music accompanies and compliments the visuals.

More Books Than I'll Have Time To Read

There are worse problems I suppose...

So, there I was driving through downtown Prescott on my way home after working 20 hours of the last 24, none of them for good reasons. Suddenly I remembered I needed a patch kit for my Thermarest mattress in anticipation of my trip to Colorado to visit son Erik! Granite Mountain Outfitters was closed but, hey, there's The Book Nook! In I went because, well, I've been looking for a copy of The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality, by André Comte-Sponville (seriously, I really have). No joy searching for that slim book in the just barely shoulder width stacks. But look, here were four other volumes begging to be taken home!

The Art of Living, by Epictetus (because Massimo Pigliucci said so)

The Phenomenon of Man, by Teilhard de Chardin (because I read it in my undergrad years, but haven't seen my copy since)

Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse (because Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse)

The Courage to Be, by Paul Tillich (because I like Tillich)

Being about a dozen steps from Rosa's, it seemed only sensible to step in for an antipasto salad and a tall beer. I walked past the tattoo parlor (focus!). After my late lunch I walked to the courthouse square on the chance The Hike Shack was open. It was. Remember that patch kit? It cost $10.00. The Thermarest Slacker Hammock and its tree-friendly suspension kit ran me another $110.00.

There, just like I planned it...

Now This Is A Used Bookstore

The Book Nook delivers...

I have theory about the best used bookstores, such as I've encountered in Portland, New Orleans, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and now Prescott. They ought be cozy, or what some might regard as a little cramped. They should have lots of books, as in crammed into every possible nook and cranny. They ought to smell like old paper, not musty so much as ancient.  The Book Nook, a 42 year old labor of love, operated by second generation owner, Marilyn Unruh, is all of these things and more.

Self-described as Prescott's Largest Used Bookstore, I'll note that it occupies half the space (or less) than some others in the quad cities. Cozy? Check! Marylin has 40,000 to 50,000 titles at any one time. Crammed to the gunnels? Check! The comforting presence of old books - printed on genuine cellulose, as in the days before books arrived on apps for viewing on computer tablets - envelopes you in an comforting embrace as you walk through the door. Bookish odors? Check!

The Book Nook is located at 324 W. Gurley, just a few feet east of Rosa's Pizzeria, one of my other favorite places in Prescott. Ms. Marilyn can be reached at booknook@northlink.com

or by calling (928) 778-2130.

I love it! If you don't, I'm afraid you're not my kind of people. Sorry, had to be said.

Someone Stop Me

Before I buy again...

I only half needed to go to the grocery store, which is across the parking lot from The Purple Cat used book store. The lure is usually irresistible, but I rarely get there before the 5:00 pm closing time.  I alway enter looking only for a paperback copy of The Keep, by F. Paul Wilson.  I always leave without it and, on average, three to five other volumes I didn't know I needed until I saw them.  This time the haul was as follows:

Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941-1945, by Von Hardesty

Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan, by Clay Blair, Jr. [UPDATE: Oops, only the 2nd of two volumes...]

The Outline of History, Volume I, by H.G. Wells, which I already had a copy of.

The Outline of History, Volume II, by H.G. Wells, which I did not. Now I own matched set, and a spare copy of Volume I.

Did I Mention My Eclectic Tastes?

I keep adding to the shelf books I won't have time to read...

Stopped to visit the Book Haven in Prescott Valley, AZ, after a visit to the doctor's office.

The Living Thoughts of Confucius, by Alfred Doeblin

Utopia, by Sir Thomas More

Stalkers and Shooters: A History of Snipers, by Kevin Dockery

Our Inner Ape: A Leading Primatologist Why We Are Who We Are, by Frans De Waal

I am so glad I'm not drawn to bars the way I am to used book stores.

More Books

For the "To Read" list...

I took my daughter Cassandra to Peregrine Book Company to choose a going away present. She's a fan of Mary Roach so she rounded out her collection with a copy of Spook.

Of course being in a book store meant I couldn't leave without a handful myself, so I added three volumes to my collection as well...

Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity by James O'Donnell

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond

So many books, so little time.

Whence Orthodoxy?

An Unbelievable episode got a little unbelievable...

Two nice young Christian fellas were debating whether or not the God of the Christian bible (or Hebrew scriptures) is a God of Wrath (which is apparently pronounced wroth in the UK). Never mind that bible contains the following passages on the topic:

Psalms 7:11 - God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry [with the wicked] every day.

Ezekiel 25:17 - And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.

Nahum 1:2-6 - God [is] jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and [is] furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [WRATH] for his enemies

Romans 1:18 - For the WRATH of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Luke 12:5 - But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 

John 15:6 - If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.

John 3:36 - He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the WRATH of God abideth on him.

Revelation 20:15 - And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Hebrews 9:22 - And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 

Thank you KJV Online!  Emphasis ADDED   

So, according to the Christian's own bible (the KJV, no less) God has wrath, exhibits wrath and anger, and appears also to be big on casting into fire, wreaking vengeance, taking revenge, rebuking furiously, being jealous, shedding blood, and destroying bodies and souls in hell.  

Seems the bible can mean whatever you want it to mean and even not mean what it clearly says...Hmmm.

So I wrote the following post for under the show notes:

Whence Orthodoxy? 

No wonder Christianity has some 30,000 denominations, sects, cults, and spin-offs! Every last one of you sit at your very own private mixing board fitted with dozens, if not hundreds, of sliders with which to match what you choose to believe. From Zero to Ten (and sometimes Eleven) you dial in your feelings, surmises, and conjectures about the following topics (and others) to arrive at your sure and certain faith: 

Epistomology

Revelation

Orthodoxy

Orthopraxy

Number of gods

The attributes of God

The nature of Creation

Predestination to open theism

God as the author of Evil

The nature (and failure) of Omniscience

The power of Satan

Angelology

Definition of Sin

The effects of The Fall

Total depravity to blank slate

Details of the Incarnation

Attributes of the Christ

Virgin birth

Immaculate conception

Humanity of Jesus

Deity of Jesus

The death of God

The significance of The Cross

Adoptionism to Docetism

Theories of the Atonement

Meaning of the Resurrection

The power of the Holy Spirit

Efficacy of prayer

Importance of the Sacraments

Baptism

Nature of the Eucharist

Transubstantiation

Consumption of alcohol

Nature of The Trinity

The existence of Hell

The duration of Divine punishment

The nature of Heaven

The means of Salvation

How many paths to God?

Veneration of Mary

Praying to the Saints

Eschatology

Details of the Rapture

Millennialism

Inerrancy

Inspiration

Infallibility

Idolatry

Election

Justification

Perseverance of faith

Apostasy

Bible: Curated collection to God Breathed Master Plan

Creationism vs Science

Slavery

The role of women

Intimate partner violence

Corporal punishment to the death penalty

From color blind to anti-miscegenation

The impact of LGBTQ issues on The Church

Certitude

If your version of the bible says it you can quote it, harmonize it, or insist on a metaphorical interpretation. If your bible doesn't say it you can infer it, assemble a cumulative case, or please ignorance as needed. You pick, choose, listen, follow, agree, disagree, harmonize, conflate, and confabulate from five millennia of folk wisdom, traditions, the text of your holy book, and the writings of your favorite apologists to arrive at your very own custom version of Christianity, certain in your bones of your correctness and some of you quite comfortable calling those in the congregation across the street heretics. Rather than steering you toward the One True Faith The Church, the Good Book, and The Holy Spirit are offering a self-serve à la carte smorgasbord...

You Are Not So Smart

Not an insult, just the name of a podcast...

While working in the yard I've been binging my way through the back catalogue of the You Are Not So Smart podcast. Just finished Episode 019 – Placebo sleep and other new discoveries in placebo research. Host and interviewer David McRaney has an engaging style, does careful research, and selects interesting speakers. Mr. McRaney is also the author of two books:

• You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself

• You Are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Ou tsmart Yourself.  

McRaney eats a cookie - made from a listener's recipe, some of which sound quite tasty - at the end of each show, a schtick which may be skipped without risk, especially if you're trying to stick to a careful diet.

If I Die I'm Going To Be So Pissed At You!

This is a must see...

Wish I Were Here is gentle and kind and forgiving and funny and sad and heartfelt.  Treat yourself to it.

I Have A Reading Problem

I can't resist buying more books than I'll have time to read, that is...

Erik and I had supper at The Raven Cafe in Prescott.  Erik had the pulled pork sandwich.  I had the Riverhouse salad.  Then we went to Peregrine Book Company just to have a look see.  Erik got a new graphic novel out of the deal.  I left with four new books I didn't know I needed before entering the store.  That's how it works.

So, I'll be reading, eventually, some day...

The Case for God, by Karen Armstrong

The Brother Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Works of Mencius, by James Legge

The Book of Job, by Stephen Mitchell

So many books, so little time.

UPDATE: When I got home I found a nice copy of The Brothers Karamazov on the shelf already. Not being a book I'll have time to read twice, it was returned the next day...

NASA 811

Our very own F-104N...

Folks who don't work with me here at Embry-Riddle - Prescott may not know we have our very own F-104N on static display. Specially rebuilt to serve as NASA chase planes, only three were so typed. One them was lost in the midair collision that also destroyed an XB-70 Valkyrie 8 June 1966. The other is on display at the Lockheed-Martin "Skunkworks" in Palmdale, California. Neil Armstrong flew ours.

The Podcasts

I'm listening to these days...

Distraction, With Dr. Ned Hallowell - Psychology

Monster Talk - Monsters in the popular imagination 

The Deconstructionists Podcast - Religion, mostly Christianity

Spark My Muse - Spirituality, mostly Christianity

Point of Inquiry - Critical thinking

The Classic Tales Podcast - Classic tales; I listen for the horror

Skeptoid - Critical thinking

Rationally Speaking - Critical thinking

On the Media - News media coverage of current events

Ideas, With Chris Kennedy, From CBC Radio - Currents events from a Canadian perspective

On Being, With Krista Tippett - Spirituality

Quack Cast - Critical thinking applied to medicine

Reasonable Faith Podcast - Evangelical Christianity as interpreted by Molonist theologian, philosopher, and apologist William Lane Craig

Escape Pod - Science Fiction

Astronomy Cast - Astronomy 

Please recommend others...

The Purple Cat

Used books stores are such fun...

There's a new used book store at the Willow Crossroads in Prescott, Arizona.

I finally visited The Purple Cat used book store this afternoon. Owned and operated by Shari Graham, this tidy little shop has small but growing Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror sections in the back left corner. Ms. Graham has a deep supply of military SF by the likes of David Weber. The titles are varied and the aisles are well lit. I went in looking for a copy of The Keep, by F. Paul Wilson. Didn't find it, but I left with six other volumes instead; that's how used book stores work.  Give The Purple Cat a visit next time you come to Prescott.

The Purple Cat
3180 Willow Creek Rd. #A4
Prescott, AZ 86301
928-776-0116
thepurplecataz.com

My 2016 Goodreads Challenge

Is 26 books in 52 weeks...

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. In progress [36]

An Atheist and a Christian Walk into a Bar: Talking about God, the Universe, and Everything, by Randal Rauser and Justin Schieber. In progress [35]

Hiking the Southwest's Geology: Four Corners Region, by Ralph Lee Hopkins. In progress [34]

New Year's Eve.  Time to call it...

Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest, by Stephen Plog. [33]

Themes in Southwest Prehistory, edited by George R. Gumerman. [32]

Christmas Eve...

Stories of Your Life and Others, by Ted Chiang. [31]

Only a couple weeks left...

Neanderthal: Neanderthal Man and the Story of Human Origins, by Paul Jordan [30]

Arrowheads and Projectile Points: Identification and Values, by Lar Hothem. [29]

2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson. [28]

Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior, by Bart Ehrman. [27]

There. Met the goal.  Still, almost two months to go...

Best Easy Day Hikes: Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, by Erik Molvar and Tamara Martin [26]

Zion National Park: Impressions, James Randklev and Tom Til [25]

Bryce Canyon National Park: Impressions, by James Ranklev and Greer K. Chesher [24]

Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson. [23]

Looking For Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain, by Antonio Domazio. [22]

The Keep, by F. Paul Wilson. [20]

Stalkers and Shooters: A History of Snipers, by Kevin Dockery [19]

The Collector's Illustrated Guide to Firearms, by Martin Miller [18]

Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941-1945, by Von Hardesty [17]

Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity by James O'Donnell [16]

Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan, by Clay Blair, Jr. [15]

The New AR-15 Complete Owner's Guide, by Walt Kuleck (with Greg King) [14] 

Brassey's Air Combat Reader, edited by Walter J. Boyne and Philip Handleman [13]

The Book of Job, by Stephen Mitchell [12]

Water-wise Plants for the Southwest, by Nan Sterman, Mary, Irish, Judith Philllips, and Joe Lampl; edited by Diana Maranhao [11]

Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic, by Frank Moore Cross [10]

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari [9]

The Dark Forest, by Cixin Liu [8]

Breaking the Mishap Chain, by Peter Merlin, Gregg Kendrick, and Dwight Holland [7]

Doubt: A History, by Jennifer Michael Hecht [6]

SMLE (No. 1) Rifles Mk I and Mk III, by Charles Stratton [5]

Know Your M1 Garand Rifles, by E. J. Hoffschmidt [4]

Forty Years With .45/70, by Paul A. Matthews [3]

Is Space The Place? Yes, No, by Various [2]

The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, by Bart D. Ehrman [1]

I have some catching up to do.