some are made speechless
by falling cherry blossoms,
but -- for others --
speechlessness comes from
a mouthful of the fruits.
Cherry [Kyōka]
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DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from Goris, Armenia
BOOKS: “Christianity: A Very Short Introduction” by Linda Woodhead
Christianity: A Very Short Introduction by Linda WoodheadMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Page OUP
The central idea of this book is that (despite all the complexity of schisms, sects, and subsects) the various entities that call themselves Christian can be put into one of three categories: church, biblical, or mystical. These groups reflect where the adherents see the ultimate source of authority. Church Christians, exemplified by Roman Catholics, view the hierarchy of clergy as the ultimate authority. Biblical Christians, e.g. Baptists, see the Bible as the highest authority. Finally, mystics see the individual’s relationship with (or connection to or oneness with) God to be what matters.
Bookending elaboration upon those three forms of Christianity, there is an opening that discusses early development of the Christian religion and the dividing lines that characterized it (e.g. whether Jesus was man, god, or a bit of both,) and there is a closing chapter about modern Christianity that explores various modern movements, such as: liberal Christianity, Evangelicalism, Fundamentalism, and charismatic Christianity.
If you’re interested in understanding the various permutations of Christianity (past and present,) and how they developed and differentiated themselves, this is a fine introduction to the subject.
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“A Quoi Bon Dire” by Charlotte Mew [w/ Audio]
Seventeen years ago you said
Something that sounded like Good-bye;
And everybody thinks that you are dead,
But I.
So I, as I grow stiff and cold
To this and that say Good-bye too;
And everybody sees that I am old
But you.
And one fine morning in a sunny lane
Some boy and girl will meet and kiss and swear
That nobody can love their way again
While over there
You will have smiled, I shall have tossed your hair.
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Poppy Blur [Haiku]
DAILY PHOTO: Little Ararat from Khor Virap
“Autumn” by T. E. Hulme [w/ Audio]
A touch of cold in the Autumn night --
I walked abroad,
And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge
Like a red-faced farmer.
I did not stop to speak, but nodded,
And round about were the wistful stars
With white faces like town children.
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Frenetic Idyll [Haiku]
rushing water cuts
through a bucolic scene;
yet, it's still calming.
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DAILY PHOTO: South Armenian Landscapes
“I’m Nobody! Who are you?” (260) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you - Nobody - too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!
How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog -
To tell one's name - the livelong June -
To an admiring Bog!
