Yes, I admit this is an exaggeration. We are not a fascist police state, at least not yet. But try convincing an undocumented immigrant who was beaten and arrested by masked ICE police on his way to work and then ends up in one of the 225 so-called “detention camps” holding some 70,000 immigrants and operated by private, for-profit prison companies mostly in remote locations. Many more are in the pipeline including massive warehouses. According to the Washington Post, 80 percent of the detainees in these detention camps do not have a criminal record. The detainee’s only “crime’ is living and working in the United States without proper papers. Chances are most of the immigrants were doing work Americans did not want to do.

A story appeared yesterday in many newspapers about “Camp East Montana” located in a remote part of Texas.

Here is the description of the camp from Wikipedia:
Camp East Montana is an ICE detention facility located at Fort Blis, Texas. The camp is a tent encampment, reported to be run by a company called Acquisition Logistics LLC, with a contract value of around $1.2 billion. The facility has a planned capacity of up to 5,000 detainees.[3] The ACLU has described it as the largest internment facility in the United States.
Camp East Montana was opened on August 17, 2025. During its first 50 days, conditions at the camp violated at least 60 federal standards, according to ICE’s own detention oversight unit. The ACLU and other human-rights organizations called for its closure after interviewed detainees reported “physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, and intimidation to self-deport”.

Two inmates have reported having their testicles crushed by guards as a form of punishment.

As of January 2026, three detainees have died there in a period of 44 days.] An autopsy ruled the death of a 55-year old Cuban as a homicide caused by asphyxia. ICE officials stated that his death was a suicide, but witnesses told the press that he had been handcuffed and choked by guards before his death. Campos had previously been arrested for sexual contact with an 11-year-old minor and illegal possession of a weapon leading to his detention by ICE. After the El Paso medical examiner ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, El Paso mayor Renard Johnson called for an independent investigation. Individuals attempting to visit detainees from Minneapolis where Lunas Campos had been detained, were told those inmates were no longer allowed to have visitors.

On January 14, another immigrant, Victor Manuel Diaz, died while detained at Camp East Montana, said by ICE to be due to “presumed suicide.”

At the end of January 2026, Victor Manuel Diaz’s family questioned the information provided by ICE, pointing out that the agency had not sent them detailed information about Victor’s death and describing the procedures as “suspicious” and irregular, leading them to launch an independent investigation to clarify the case.

Widespread disease occurred within the facilities, including two cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19. Alarms about poor healthcare for immigrants were raised by Democrat Veronica Escobar, who said that one-third of detainees have a chronic illness and around 200 to 300 need daily insulin, citing that conditions at Camp East Montana are deteriorating to the point of violating basic human rights.

Escobar pointed out that Camp East Montana had many immigrants in poor health, citing cases of pregnant women who had lost a lot of weight due to malnutrition while in ICE custody. She also noted that some immigrants had collapsed during her visit on January 29. On March 3, 2026, Camp East Montana was closed to visitors due to a measles outbreak with the center reporting 14 active measles cases.

Another notorious camp is “Alligator Alcatraz” near the swamps in South Florida.

Also from Wikipedia:
In the report “Torture and Enforced Disappearances in the Sunshine State: Human Rights Violations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Krome in Florida” published by Amnesty International concluded that the camp’s conditions, including routine and prolonged use of shackles and retention in a “box” described as a 2×2 foot cage-like structure “constitutes torture”.

While these two camps are probably the most notorious, it is probable that similar conditions are prevalent in most if not all of these prisons. Good heavens! Think about what if this happened to you or to a loved one. No one without a criminal record should be arrested, let alone tortured. Period. And yet that this is happening right now is bad enough, but it is just the beginning. There are 14 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. How many does Trump plan to arrest and lock up? And think of the cost to the taxpayer and the impact on the deficit if this madness continues. This is cruel and insane.

So, I will concede that it is an exaggeration to label us a fascist police state. And it is perhaps too early to panic. We American are not evil people. When it becomes obvious that we are on the wrong path, maybe there will be an outcry and these camps will quietly disappear.

But don’t bet on it. And reform will not happen if we don’t speak out.

 

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On Saturday on the way back from visiting a friend in Baltimore, our GPS took Embry and me through the heart of what used to be strong working class neighborhoods in the city. My career was in the field of developing affordable housing and seniors housing, and years ago I did a lot of work in Baltimore. My, how things have changed from what I remember!

I was stunned. We drove though block after block of boarded up, dilapidated town homes and apartments, giving the feel of a war zone. I had no idea of how challenging the situation must be in Baltimore today. I checked with AI and learned that in 2022, Baltimore had 16,000 vacant buildings. There are probably more today. In many low income neighborhoods, particularly in West and East Baltimore, vacancy rates are over 30%. In other words, in these “tough neighborhoods,” one out of every three townhomes is vacant and boarded up. Some apartment buildings are totally empty and abandoned. Add to that graffiti on the doors and walls, broken windows, trash on the street, and crime in the neighborhood and you wonder how anyone could be happy living on these troubled blocks and in these neighborhoods.

There is nothing like this in Washington, not even close.

When I started in the housing development field fifty years ago, the Washington and Baltimore metro areas were about the same size, around 3.5 million people in the early 1970s. In 2026, the Washington metropolitan population is more than twice the size of the Baltimore metropolitan area population. The Washington metro area today has a population exceeding 6.3 million, while the Baltimore metro area has lost population, which is estimated to be around 2.4 million in 2026. The median income in Washington is almost $110,000. In Baltimore it is about $60,000. Try living on that if you part of a family of four or more people.

In my thinking the decline of Baltimore is due mainly to three factors–loss of jobs, loss of jobs, and loss of jobs. The union, blue collar jobs have almost vanished in Baltimore, which fifty years ago was driven by a manufacturing economy. The city lost about 75% of its industrial employment between 1950 and 1995. By 1998, Baltimore had lost 90,000 manufacturing jobs compared to 1970 levels. A major factor was Bethlehem Steel, which shrank from 30,000 workers in the 1970s to just 8,000 by the late 1980s before closing entirely. What was left were mainly service jobs, paying much less and with fewer benefits. One could argue whether Baltimore could have done a better job in keeping these jobs, but the loss of higher paying, blue collar jobs affected most older, industrial cities in the United States.

Washington on the other hand has an information-based economy aided by the high growth in federal employment. And over the last 50 years, the Washington metropolitan area has transitioned from a government-centric workforce to a diversified, private-sector-led economy, nearly tripling its total employment. Employment in the metro area grew from roughly 1.2 million jobs in the mid-1970s to over 3.3 million by 2025. The private sector now accounts for approximately 78% of total employment, up from being a minority share 50 years ago. And the region has historically outperformed the nation during recessions, often returning to pre-recession employment levels within five years.

This does not mean that all is well in Washington. The city currently has a substantially larger homeless population than Baltimore, more than twice as many–5,138 in Washington versus 2,024 in Baltimore. And homeless encampments have been prolific in Washington until recently. Trump’s threats to the mayor have resulted in their mysterious disappearance, out of sight out of mind.

Housing affordability is also a huge problem in Washington, but not in Baltimore. In Washington, D.C. average rents are over 50% higher and home listing prices more than double what they are in Baltimore. The median rent in D.C. is $2,600 , compared to Baltimore with a median rent of under $1,500. The median sales price of a home in Baltimore is $210,000 compared to $650,00 in DC. If you want a good deal and are willing to commute a long way for work in Washington, Baltimore is appealing. We know people who have done that.

The experience prompted me to see what I could find on the internet about Baltimore. I was surprised to find a lot of positive initiatives and reasons for optimism.

Baltimore achieved a significant decline in violent crime in 2025, recording its lowest homicide count in nearly 50 years. A lot of progress has been made since the filming of “The Wire.” The city attributes this progress to a “comprehensive, public health-centered” strategy led by the mayor and the police department.

As for housing and urban development, Baltimore is currently undertaking the largest housing redevelopment program in the nation, centered on a massive $6 billion community reinvestment plan. This 15-year initiative, formally coordinated through “Reinvest Baltimore,” aims to revitalize over 65,000 vacant or at-risk properties across the city. The next five years the goal is to demolish 5,000 units. That is a start but still about 60,000 vacant units would remain. Renewal efforts now focus on “whole blocks, and whole neighborhoods.” Small parks will fill in some of the vacant sites. The strategy is to encourage large-scale, private investment rather than scattered rehabilitation. These efforts are targeted to the distressed neighborhoods like the ones we drove through. So, there is hope that in a few years the drive we took would be very different, though it seems to me to be a heavy lift.

My reaction in driving through the Baltimore neighborhoods was similar to my attitude about the homeless encampments in DC– both disbelief and shame that in a country as rich as ours, these stark disparities still exist and in many cities poor and working class people are worse off because the federal government under Trump has retreated in supporting affordable housing and supportive services. In a word, it is outrageous. Will the situation change? Unlikely in my lifetime, but the course we are on now is unsustainable. We have to do better.

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The same cast of characters is assembled to discuss the Iran War and next steps. It is March 3, 2026, four days after the bombings began. Present are Trump, Miller, Hegseth, Rubio, and Vance. Here is the conversation:

Trump: Welcome all and congratulate me. I am kicking the hell out of the Iranians, and any time now they will surrender and I will be acknowledged as the greatest President in the history of America or anywhere else for that matter. It will only be a matter of time before the idiots in Greenland give me the Nobel Peace Prize I so richly deserve.
Miller: “Norway.” Mr. President.
Trump: That is what I meant. “Norway.”
Miller: Mr. President, things are going well and we are destroying Iran, but I am afraid there is some bad news as well. The generals tell us that for us to win, a ground invasion will be necessary and that will cost American Lives.
Hegseth: Kill kill, kill, kill!
Miller: Mr. Secretary. Please. Control yourself.
Trump: What do you mean, Stephen?
Miller: I will let the Secretary of State explain.
Rubio: The generals say that a ground invasion is the only way we will bring these infidels to their knees. American lives will be lost. Perhaps thousands, maybe more. The invasion would take months perhaps longer. At least that is what the generals are telling us. This could get messy.
Hegseth: Kill, kill, kill, kill!
Miller: Please, Mr. Secretary, for God’s sake. But fear not, Mr. President. We have a solution that won’t cost any American lives.
Trump: Tell me more.
Hegseth: I will jump in here. We will use our nuclear weapons. Look, we have the nukes, why not use them? They don’t have them and we do. There is no Mutually Assured Destruction. It does not apply here. There is no “mutual.” We strike, they die. Lots of them and there is not a damn thing they can do about it. So, if you have them like we do, put them to use against an opponent who does not have them. Iran is nuke-less. Plus, this is a chance in a lifetime to get our money’s worth from all we have spent on nuclear weapons up to now and to show Iran and the world who is boss. The bombs are just sitting there gathering dust. Our country has paid a fortune for this arsenal and yet we never use them. What is the point? It is a no-brainer. Not to use them would be a derelict of duty.
Trump: I am all ears. Tell me more.
Miller: I will jump in here. Look, this is exactly the same situation which occurred when we won World War II. Japan did not have an atomic bomb, but we did. We nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki and that was the end of that. Truman ordered the bombing and became a hero. Everyone respected him. He saved countless American lives and probably Japanese lives since the bombing put an end to the war. You can do the same. You will be a hero!
Vance: You already are a hero, Mr. President.
Rubio: I would just say that I am not in agreement on this. Iran might not have nuclear weapons, but a lot of other countries do. An action like this could unleash forces beyond anyone’s control and could result in a nuclear catastrophe beyond anything we can imagine.
Hegseth: Wimp. Forget Marco, Mr. President, he does not know what he is talking about. Go for it. This is your big chance. MAGA will love you for it. You are killing infidels. Remember the Crusades. Wipe out the infidels!
Trump: Just so I understand this. Since we have the nukes and Iran doesn’t, that means that we should use what we have to save American lives and I will be a hero. No country will dare come to the aid of Iran. And this will make me a hero?
Vance: You already are a hero, Mr. President.
Trump: Then I think Stephen has a point. Why would I waste American lives if I could end the whole thing with tapping in the nuclear code and giving an order? This is what Truman did and he got high marks for it. So, Pete, how many nukes will it take and how many Iranian lives will be lost?
Hegseth: 65-70 nukes and perhaps a few more. We plan to hit every city with a population of 100,000 or more and there are 61 cities that meet this threshold. Our military is poised and ready, Mr. President. All you need to do is give the ok. A lot of people will die and that is the way it is. Better them than us. You will make the world a safer place.
Rubio: Don’t do it, Mr. President. You are talking causalities in the millions. There are over 90 million people who live in Iran. Over 70 million would likely not survive. This is morally abhorrent. It could lead to all out nuclear war between the major powers.
Hegseth: You are no one to talk about morals, Marco. And would you prefer that Americans die in a land invasion? Try getting votes in the midterms for this. This is a chance of a lifetime, Mr. President! Besides no one likes Iran. No country will risk nuclear war and come to their aid. This is about as risk free as you can get.
Miller: Agree fully.
Trump: Something to think about. Vance, what do you think?
Vance: I think you are the greatest President of all time and will do the right thing. Plus, you can be sure that the Epstein stuff will pass.
And so the meeting ends.

What do you think the odds are that discussions like this are happening right now in the White House? What are the odds that Trump would follow the advice of Miller and Hegseth?

If there are discussions like this happening right now, we are perilously close to a catastrophe beyond anything we can even comprehend. The planet has already had five mass extinctions each of which knocked out 90% or more of the plant and animal life on the planet. But the Earth rebounded and came back each time. However, the recoveries took millions of years. We have about a billion years left before our sun turns into a red giant, making the planet uninhabitable. Certainly, more mass extinctions and recoveries will happen between now and then. The point is right here, right now we have the capacity to unleash the Sixth Mass Extinction. And we are getting close to our time. The last mass extinction was 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Mass extinctions tend to happen every 50-100 million years.

Pray that it does not happen to us right now.

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It is Thursday evening, February 25, 2026. In the oval office are President Trump, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller.

Stephen Miller, Trump’s most trusted and influential advisor, gives Trump the bad news: the Epstein files are now starting to implicate Trump, and his popularity is reaching historic lows. Something must be done. He recommends starting a war to deflect attention from Epstein. Here is the conversation:

Trump: A War? Never thought of that.
Miller: All you have to do is decide whom you want to attack.
Hegseth: Yes, a war, a war! Show the world who is Number One!
Trump: How about Canada? They don’t like us anyway, and besides it would be a great opportunity to take over the country and expand our boundaries. Plus, it would be a pushover. Their army sucks.
Vance: Great idea, Mr. President!
Hegseth: Yes, yes!
Rubio: No, not a great idea. They are our allies and our friends. This would lose votes for us in the midterms.
Trump: Ok, what about Norway? That way we could pick up Greenland, and they don’t have much of an army, do they?
Vance: Terrific idea, Mr. President!
Hegseth: Wipe ‘em out, the bastards!
Rubio: No, it is not a great idea! Norway is part of the European Union. It would mean a war with Europe.
Trump: Well, what about North Korea?
Vance: Terrific idea , Mr. President!
Rubio: They have nukes. This could start a nuclear holocaust that could mean the end of life on the planet.
Trump: Is there no country that we could attack to show how tough I am and get people to stop talking about Epstein?
Hegseth: What about Iraq?
Miller: Been there done that.
Vance: Cuba?
Miller: Too small. You have got to show the world how powerful you are. Think big. Plus, Putin might object.
Vance: China?
Hegseth: Yes, great idea.
Miller: They also have nukes and a powerful military.
Hegseth: California?
Miller: That is a state, Mr. Secretary. Yes, there is a country, Mr. President– Iran. Most of the world would go along with you, and this would make Bibi happy. Israel might even join us. The Iranians are a bunch of scoundrels, and everyone knows it. You would be a hero!
Trump: Ok, then it is Iran. Get ‘em before they get us.
Rubio: But we are getting close to another agreement on limiting their nuclear capability even further.
Trump: Well then, you tell me what country might be better.

The group huddles together and tries unsuccessfully  to come up with a better alternative. They all agree that Iran is probably the only country that the Unites States could unleash its vast military arsenal on, demonstrate how powerful the United States is, and not suffer serious consequences.

Miller: Don’t worry, Mr. President. This Epstein thing will be a thing of the past.

On Friday, February 26, 2026, the bombing began.

No one knows how the movie will end.

 

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The Last Post in the Lenten Series 2026

I have described religion and religious beliefs as an attempt by us humans to make sense out of the world and our experience in it. Philosophy could also be described this way. We have been at this for some 300,000 years; and as our species has evolved, religious beliefs have become more nuanced and more complex. The fundamental fact that we humans are stuck with is that all life has a beginning and an end. What is that all about? Is there life after death? What is the meaning of the vast universe and our place in it? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are we human beings fundamentally good or bad creatures?

There are more questions than there are answers. The first question is this: if there is a God or a Divine Being, how can this Being be all powerful and all good. Considering the pain and suffering humans endure from time to time, there is a disconnect. What about wars, famine, floods, storms, sickness and the bad things we humans do to one another that happen routinely on this troubled planet? Conclusion: God can’t be all powerful and all good. We have no choice but to live our lives the best we can and to die not knowing the answer.

Various religions have developed over the centuries to try to make sense of understanding and connecting with a spiritual reality. There are a half dozen or so major religions–Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Taoism plus Christianity and Islam, the last two of which now account for the religion of about half the population on the planet. But is Christianity Absolute Truth as many Christians argue? What about the other religions?

I was raised an Episcopalian, received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Seminary in New York City in 1968, and for a time was in line to become a priest in the Episcopal church, though never got ordained (for reasons that are obvious as you read this post). But despite my doubts Embry and I have not given up on church and from the mid 1980s have attended a smallish Episcopal church in Washington near where we used to live. There is something good about being part of a loving and diverse community focused on spiritual concerns that is appealing, and despite its faults, the Episcopal Church worships under a pretty big tent. As the saying goes, Episcopalians tend to check their hat at the door before entering church, not their brain.

The fundamental belief of Christianity is that the Divine became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, a devout Jew, who lived 2,000 years ago and performed miracles, healed the sick and preached a message of love of God and neighbor. For His beliefs and His message, he was considered a threat to the Roman rule of law in Palestine and executed when he was in his early thirties by the leaders of the Roman Empire responsible for governing that area. What made Jesus “God” was that after being crucified, His disciples believed He rose again from the dead to be with God. His disciples and others testified they witnessed the several appearances of Jesus after his death and two or three years later the Apostle Paul, after seeing a vision of the Risen Christ, became an early convert, wrote numerous letters to other early converts in the Roman Empire focusing on the meaning of the resurrection, and made three long missionary journeys to countries in the region to spread the word as to what the resurrection meant and how followers of Jesus, initially called Nazarenes, and later “Christians,” were supposed to live their lives. Paul’s central interpretation of the resurrection was that Jesus was God’s “Son” and his death was a sacrifice by God to “save” the human race, though salvation would be available only to those who accepted the Chrisitan message. A generation later the four Gospels were written over a period of half a century telling the story of the life, crucifixion and resurrection of “Christ,” the name given to Jesus after his resurrection and which is the Greek term for the Hebrew “Messiah.”

From AI:
The original meaning of “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach, meaning “the anointed one,” referring to someone ritually consecrated with oil for a special purpose, like a king, priest, or prophet, as seen in the Old Testament. In Judaism, the Messiah is a future human leader from David’s line who will bring redemption, while in Christianity, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the ultimate anointed one who fulfills these roles and brings spiritual salvation, a concept echoed in the Greek Christos (Christ).

Key components of Paul’s message included:

Humanity is made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works.
Salvation is a free gift (grace), liberating believers from sin and the curse of the law.
The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christian faith and proof of victory over death.
Believers are transferred from a state of being “in Adam” (sin) to being “in Christ,” making them new creations.
The church is the body of Christ, bringing together all believers regardless of background.

The message took hold and the fledging religion started to grow, though not as quickly as is often thought but a couple of centuries later when Constantine converted to Christianity and Christianity became the defacto religion of the Roman Empire.

And the rest is history. I have posted about this in the Advent series so if you have read those this will sound familiar. However, questions remain. Is the Christian story true? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And why has the Christian Church had such a rocky past and why are there so many views within Christianity about what the religion means? I would argue that there is not one Christianity but many, often at war with each other. The Thirty Years War in central Europe, for example, from 1618-1648 between Catholics and Protestants, resulted in some five million deaths though historians point out that there were many other political and social causes of the conflict besides religion. And think about the different types of Christianity–Roman Catholic, Eastern and Russian Orthodox, Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostal and “praise churches.” And what about the MAGA movement among evangelical, fundamentalist Protestants in the United States today where Donald J Tump has been heralded by some as the new Jesus Christ?

But despite its mixed history, according to the Pew Research Center today the number of Christians in the world account for about 25 percent of the world’s population though Muslims are expected to overtake Christians soon.

Why is Christianity so popular on the planet Earth?

There must be something here, right? Certainly, religious belief and faith have meant a lot to the human race in getting us through tough times. But is Christianity the only “true religion”? Certainly not in my thinking. And in terms of values, I feel much closer to people of other faiths than I do to some fundamentalist and evangelical in-your-face Christians. More times than I want to remember, I have been reminded by “true believers” that I and people like me are going to burn in hell. At the same time, I can’t deny that Christianity has had a profound impact on believers and on me. So, I agree that there is a legitimacy to spirituality for the human race.

And there is no question that many human beings in all religions have glimpses of what they believe is the Divine. In my own life I have been touched by what I perceive is a Divine Power, admittedly not all that frequently, but nevertheless experiences that I believe are genuine and real. I can also point to some very close calls that I survived and that I now describe as a miracle that I am still alive and kicking at the ripe old age of 84 (almost). And finally, do not count on human reason or science to figure out the answers to the questions of the meaning of the universe and of life on Earth. Above our pay grade, as they say. And as to an afterlife I have no idea as to what life in eternity would be like or if I would be happy there, having to associate with all the “true believers” and holier-than-thou types. Eternity, after all, is a very long time to spend with company you do not like.

For me, I will latch on to “love your neighbor as yourself” as the major takeaway from the Christian faith and let it go at that. Everyone has to figure this out for themselves.
And that is it for the Lenten Series. Happy Easter (in six weeks)!

From AI: Major Global Religions

• Christianity: The largest religion, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, with significant followers in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
• Islam: The second-largest, focusing on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, with a vast global community, particularly in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
• Hinduism: Often considered the oldest active religion, it is a diverse tradition primarily practiced in India with followers worldwide.
• Buddhism: Originated in India 2,500 years ago, focusing on achieving enlightenment through the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.
• Judaism: A monotheistic religion with deep historical roots as the foundational, parent religion for Christianity and Islam.
Other Significant Religious Traditions
While the top four/five are largest, several other traditions are significant globally or regionally:
• Sikhism: Founded in the Punjab region, focusing on devotion and equality.
• Shinto: The indigenous, nature-focused spirituality of Japan.
• Taoism (Daoism): A Chinese philosophy/religion emphasizing living in harmony with the Tao (the way).
• Confucianism: A Chinese ethical system focusing on social harmony, family, and morality.
• Baha’i Faith: A modern, monotheistic religion promoting the unity of all humanity and faiths.
• Jainism: An ancient Indian religion emphasizing non-violence (ahimsa) and asceticism.
• Zoroastrianism: One of the world’s oldest monotheistic faiths, originating in ancient Persia.

 

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The Third post in the Lenten Series

If the existence of human life is a blip on the screen of the two billion year history of the planet, the existence of religion on this delicate planet is a tiny fraction of a second. It began about three hundred thousand years ago, although the major religions in the world today began only a few thousand years ago. Yet we humans still tend to think that what we believe is Absolute Truth and what others might believe is rubbish if it differs from what we believe.

Anything wrong with this picture?

Here is what AI has to say when asked about the origins of religious belief:

1. Evolutionary Roots (Pre-History)

Before organized religion, there were the biological and social building blocks of faith.
• Agency Detection: Humans evolved to assume “agency” (the idea that something is acting with intent). If a bush rustles, it’s safer to assume it’s a predator than just the wind. This “Hyperactive Agency Detection Device” likely led humans to attribute natural events (thunder, rain) to invisible spirits.
• Social Cohesion: As human groups grew larger, religion acted as a “social glue.” Shared myths and rituals created trust among strangers, allowing for larger, more stable tribes.

2. The Paleolithic Era: Animism and Ritual
The earliest evidence of religious thought dates back to the Middle Paleolithic (approx. 100,000 to 50,000 years ago).
• Burial Practices: Sites like Qafzeh in Israel show intentional burials with grave goods (beads, ochre, animal bones). This suggests a concept of an afterlife or a respect for the dead that transcends biology.
• Animism: Most scholars believe the earliest form of religion was Animism—the belief that animals, plants, and even rocks possess a spiritual essence.
• Cave Art: The paintings at Lascaux and Altamira (c. 30,000 years ago) often depict “Therianthropes” (half-human, half-animal figures), suggesting shamanic practices and a connection to a spirit world.

3. The Neolithic Revolution: From Spirits to Gods
Around 10,000 BCE, humans shifted from hunting and gathering to agriculture. This changed religion fundamentally.
Göbekli Tepe: Located in modern-day Turkey, this 11,000-year-old site is considered the “world’s first temple.” It was built before settled agriculture, suggesting that the desire to worship actually drove people to settle down, rather than the other way around.
The Rise of Hierarchies: As societies became more complex, so did their gods. Local spirits were replaced by powerful Deities who controlled the weather and harvests. This mirrored the new social structures of kings and subjects.

4. The Bronze Age: Organized Mythology
By 3,000 BCE, the invention of writing allowed myths to be standardized.
• Polytheism: In Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley, complex pantheons emerged. Gods became personified (like Ra or Enlil) with specific “jobs” and human-like personalities.
• State Religion: Religion became tied to the state. Pharaohs and Kings claimed they were either gods themselves or the primary intermediaries between the heavens and Earth.

5. The Axial Age (800–200 BCE)
This was a pivotal turning point in human history where “modern” religious thought began to emerge simultaneously across the globe. In India, the Upanishads and the rise of Buddhism and Jainism focusing on karma and the enlightenment. In China, Confucianism and Taoism, focusing on social ethics and the natural order. In the Middle East the shift toward Monotheism (Zoroastrianism and Second Temple Judaism.) And in Greece a more rational philosophy, which questioned traditional myth, leading to a more abstract view of the “Divine.”

I find it particularly interesting that AI does not have anything to say about the origins of the two major faiths that now comprise the belief of about half of the population in the world–Christianity and Islam. Perhaps this has to do with AI’s ego. I remember the story told by a friend when AI answered his question “Is there a God?” with the answer “Now there is.”

The question is where we are headed. What is the next chapter going to be? Christianity in the United States is in a state of turmoil with the decline of the Mainline Protestant churches, the growth of the “spiritual but not religious,” and the rise of the MAGA Movement politicizing many fundamentalist denominations into right wing supporters of Trump. The Catholic Church has been able to hold its own but only because of the growth of the immigrant Catholic population. Will the next chapter to be written decades from now be about the demise of traditional religions or about a spiritual revival?

My hope is that there will be less emphasis on orthodoxy or “correct belief” and more on the values that religions share along with more humility, more love, and more human kindness and the recognition of the Great Mystery that we humans on the planet experience, recognizing that we will never know all the answers.

 

 

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The Second Post in the 2026 Lenten Series

The Bible says that humans were created by God in His likeness on the sixth day of creation. We now know more about how we humans actually came into being.

Here is the description from AI:

Human evolution is a complex process spanning approximately six to seven million years, beginning when the human lineage split from a common ancestor shared with modern chimpanzees in Africa. Rather than a straight line, our history is viewed as a “braided stream” or a tree with many side branches, where multiple human species lived, intermingled, and sometimes interbred.

Major Stages of Evolution

Scientific evidence generally organizes human evolution into four primary stages:

Proto-hominins 7–4 million years ago Earliest evidence of bipedalism (walking on two legs) and smaller canine teeth.

Australopithecines 4–2 million years ago Habitual bipedalism; small brains (similar to chimps); lived in Savannah environments.

Early Homo 2.5–1.4 million years ago First frequent use of stone tools; initial increase in brain size.

Advanced Homo 1.9 million years ago – Present Migration out of Africa; use of fire; significant brain expansion; development of language and art.

Key Evolutionary Milestones

• Bipedalism (c. 6–4 million years ago): Walking upright was one of the earliest defining human traits, freeing the hands for other tasks.

• Tool Use (c. 3.3–2.5 million years ago): The earliest stone tools appear in the record, with Homo habilis being one of the first species to modify stones into tools for tasks like cutting meat.

• Migration Out of Africa (c. 2–1.8 million years ago): Homo erectus was the first human ancestor to migrate in large numbers out of Africa, spreading into Eurasia.

• Brain Expansion & Fire (c. 2 million–400,000 years ago): Increased meat consumption and the invention of cooking provided the energy needed to fuel dramatic brain growth.

• Symbolic Culture (c. 100,000–50,000 years ago): Modern humans began creating art (cave paintings), using complex language, and developing elaborate cultural diversity.

The Rise of Homo sapiens

Anatomically modern humans emerged in Africa approximately 300,000 years ago. While earlier theories suggested we evolved from a single population in East Africa, current evidence suggests we descended from several different populations across the continent that occasionally mixed and swapped genes.

• Interbreeding: As Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa roughly 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, they encountered and interbred with other archaic human species, such as Neanderthals in Europe and Denisovans in Asia.

• Sole Survivors: By roughly 17,000 years ago, Homo sapiens became the only surviving species of the once-diverse human evolutionary tree after other lineages, like H. neanderthalensis and H. floresiensis, became extinct.

• Biological Variation: Modern human physical variations, such as skin color and body structure, are the result of long-range adaptations to differing environments worldwide

Hey, anything worth doing often takes a while, right?

What stands out most for me is how we Homo sapiens are a mere blip on the screen. Does anyone really think that our time in the sun will last forever? Also keep in mind that our planet has been in existence for about two billion years and has a billion more to go before our sun becomes a red giant and eliminates all life on Earth. And also remember that there have already been five mass extinctions in our history. The last one occurred 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs (except for the birds) all got wiped out making the way for us mammals to evolve and flourish.

And finally keep in mind that with nuclear weapons we now have the capacity to wipe out life on the planet as we know it and to facilitate the Sixth Great Mass Extinction. What are the chances that there will be more extinctions before the Earth is wiped out by an expanding sun a billion years from now? I would say 100%. Of course.

And the nukes will probably be the cause of the next one.

Why am I reminding readers of this history as part of the Lenten series?

Because this is where science and religion intersect, rather than collide. It is beyond our ability to comprehend. This dilemma is one of the primary reasons that religion appeared on the planet Earth and religious thought and faith have evolved over thousands of years. True understanding of the absolute meaning, however, remains a mystery. We grasp at straws. Religious faith is one straw.

We Homo sapiens are fundamentally a religious species. We ask questions. We look for answers. And the myths of creation (part of most religious traditions) are one straw we hold onto for answers. But absolute Truth? Who is to say?

A little humility is in order, if you ask me.

Along with thanksgiving that we humans are still here on this magnificent planet and have not done ourselves in yet.

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The First Installment in the Lenten Series

I have been obsessed with the idea of a vast universe in which we on Earth are only a tiny part ever since my 12 year old neighbor in Nashville said he witnessed aliens descending from a flying saucer in his back yard. That was in 1950 when I was eight.

But what are we to make of this vast universe and where does God fit into the picture?

As I described in the Advent series, the Bible tells us that the universe was created in six days, followed by a day of rest, and that we humans are created “in the image of God.” But post Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, Eistein and now the powerful new telescopes, the creation myths are viewed–accurately in my view–as noble though feeble attempts on the part of us humans to describe the indescribable. As they say in Washington, sorry, above our pay grade.

But questions remain. Where does the idea of God fit into the picture? What or who is God? What is the Divine?

Most scientists now believe that the universe was created in a fraction of a second 13.8 billion years ago, spewing off cosmic dust, which over billions of years formed stars, solar systems and galaxies. Did God do this? And the universe is still expanding and governed by gravity and forces we do not fully understand like black holes, dark energy, and dark matter. Our solar system was formed about two billion years ago around a run of the mill star, which we call our sun. We are about halfway through the life of our sun, and in another billion years all life on the planet will be eviscerated when it expands into a red giant before becoming a white dwarf.

What are we to make of this? Atheists would point to these questions about the universe as Exhibit A proving that there is no “God,” defined as a supreme being responsible for initiating all of life. But even if one were to concede that “God” could be described as the creative force which started the universe, atheists would argue that God is distant and removed from everyday life as we humans experience it and therefore irrelevant.

Other questions also remain unanswered. Where might heaven be? Or where is hell? And what is the meaning of “eternal life”? Is living an eternal life really a desirable thing anyway? Frankly, I think that knowing that everything we experience in our lives on the planet Earth has a beginning and an end is reassuring. Life is hard enough as it is, but to think of an eternity of anything remotely like what we experience on our short time here? Not a happy thought.

Scientists also tell us that in several trillion years the entire universe is likely to run out of hydrogen and perish. How can anything–even the universe– exist for eternity?

And what really is the point of such a vast universe? Why does it exist–especially if there is no life anywhere else except on our tiny blue planet? But how could this be? The new telescopes have identified many rocky planets roughly the size of Earth circling stars and they are about the same distance from their star as we are from our sun, in the goldilocks zone, not too hot and not too cold for life to happen. So far, nothing. There has got to be life out there, right? Why can’t we find it? And could some aliens have already visited us? And what does it mean if the planet Earth is the only celestial body where advanced life–or really any life–exists?

How do we humans on the planet Earth make sense of all that we do not know? We think we humans are smart–and indeed we are–but the ultimate answer regarding meaning and purpose is beyond our ability to fully comprehend. This is where faith enters the picture. In my thinking we humans have to live with this uncertainty and not try to force round answers into square holes.

Faith–at least the way I understand it–is not whether you believe a certain theology or a creed as devised by humans or whether you follow religious rules established by people who maintain they have all the answers, but whether you acknowledge the uncertainty of Absolute Truth and rejoice in simply being alive, with all the good and bad that goes with it. Life itself is the miracle. I also believe that selfless love is the closest thing we experience to a Divine presence in our lives. The Greeks had a word for this, “agape,” to distinguish this from romantic love. Most of us humans have experienced this–certainly from our parents when we were infants but also from time to time from unexpected people and in unexpected places. You know this when it happens. This is our best glimpse of the Divine. For Christians Jesus of Nazareth represents the Divine presence on the planet Earth, but the Divine has a way of showing up in all faiths and, I might add, in all aspects of life as we humans experience it. All we need to do is pay attention.

Rejoice that you are alive. Life itself on this lonely planet is the greatest miracle of all.

 

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Today is Ash Wednesday. This is the day that marks the beginning of Lent. All across the planet, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, and some Protestants will attend services and receive ashes marked by a priest on one’s forehead or cheek.

AI describes as Lent as follows:

Lent is a 40-day, solemn Christian season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, beginning with Ash Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) and leading up to Easter, dedicated to self-reflection, repentance, and preparation for the resurrection. It mirrors Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, focusing on spiritual discipline and charity.

Just as I did an Advent Series last fall, I will post my reflections on Lent from a human perspective and its meaning for a secular world. Here is what you can expect:
• Part 1. The Universe
• Part 2. The Evolutionary Process on the Planet Earth
• Part 3. The Role of Religion among us Homo sapiens
• Part 4. The Judeo Christian Tradition
• Part 5. The Secular Meaning of the Crucifixion and Resurrection
• Part 6. Where to Go From Here

Thanks for following my posts. Your comments are welcomed!

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Did you see Ilia Malinin’s figure skating competition for the Olympic gold medal on Friday? The “QuadgOd,” as he calls himself, was a sure bet to win the gold. His other performances were spectacular, and he was the odds-on favorite.

I watched WETA’s evening news before turning to NBC to watch the evening Olympic coverage and in the “spoiler warning” learned of his several falls in the final event and his dismal, fifteenth place finish in that event, resulting in an eighth place finish overall, denying him the gold medal that the whole world thought was his for the asking. I was shocked. I had watched most of the figure skating competition and had become a big fan. He is probably one of the greatest figure skaters ever. My initial reaction was sadness. In fact, knowing the outcome I did not stay up to watch the replay of the event. Too painful. Poor guy, I thought, he will carry this with him for the rest of his life. Blowing the opportunity that was supposed to be his. He will always be remembered for this.

Now I know nothing about this guy or his personality. Anyone who gives himself the name “Quadgod” certainly must have a streak of arrogance. Perhaps his comeuppance could bring that down a notch or two. Or maybe he is mature enough to take this in stride, and to realize that he was never a god but only a mere human who was having a bad day and that the guy who did win the gold deserved it. Still, his meltdown in the 2026 Winter Olympics will surely be in his obituary if it appears in The New York Times 50 or 60 years from now.

But isn’t this what makes sports so addictive, and isn’t this a window into the life we all experience, one day at a time? You never know for sure what is going to happen or when you will get your comeuppance. This is the human condition. Also, life is hard. We humans stumble at times and then we dust off and keep trying. We make mistakes. We blow opportunities. We are brought down to size and then pick ourselves up and start over. What other options do we have? If this experience is a learning moment for Ilia resulting in more humility and wisdom, then it has served its purpose.

Those who learn from their mistakes and failures are the better off for it. Those who do not are doomed to repeat them again.

 

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