(an excerpt from the appendix of The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion) I (Malcolm) was raised to see life as existing in explicit stages. The rule of thumb my grandfather taught me was that you should find a life partner and educate yourself as much as possible in your 20s, build your wealth in your 30s, sell or pass down all your actively managed companies in your 40s, and after the age of 50, dedicate yourself 100% to public service. While his framework served my ancestors well, I think it can be expanded to be more useful and applicable to a broad range of wise life choices while still providing a good roadmap for descendants. As society changes, this roadmap should also adapt, and of course you may adjust this roadmap or its general premise to your own personal cultivar. Reviewing roadmaps like these at least once every year—if not on a holiday like Future Day or New Year’s, then perhaps on a birthday—can help kids (not to mention adults) chart out new plans and recalibrate. Stage 1: 0-13 (Up to Adolescence): What This Stage is Like: At this stage, biological instincts will lead you to respect your parents more than you probably should. You will also be able to gain happiness from play and imagination in a manner that will not be possible at older ages. For most of this period, you will be unburdened by sexual desire and benefit from an unusually clear mind that you will not be able to regain until after you find a stable (and aligned) partner as an adult.

Wright critiques a picture of the Enlightenment. Is his picture of the Enlightenment accurate?claim: The Enlightenment is a reaction to the church, designed to overthrow its claims, and substitute new claims, based on a revival of pagan Epicureanism The Enlightenment is revived Epicureanism? Have we revived Epicureanism? Which aspects of Epicurean thought do we accept? Which aspects of Epicurean thought do we reject?What are the features of Epicurean thought?ChatGPT Claude.aiHere is a bullet list of the major factors and features of ancient Epicurean philosophy:Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus in the 4th century BCE. The main goal of Epicureanism is to attain a state of ataraxia (tranquility and freedom from fear) and aponia (absence of pain). Epicureans believe that pleasure is the greatest good, but this refers to the absence of pain and fear rather than the pursuit of sensual pleasures. Epicureans advocate for a simple life, living modestly and avoiding unnecessary desires and fears. They emphasize the importance of friendship and living in a community of like-minded individuals.

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Last time, I talked about growing up with this divided view of science and faith. This time, I have a kid, and I'm thinking about what kind of view he will grow up with. You have to locate science within the story of God. Otherwise we're living in a fractured universe. talking points:Yes, there is a tensionscience shows us the universe what has religion done for me lately? But from the beginning it was not so Point to statistics that say it is driving people away from the church If science is so successful, how can it not be part of the story of God? (implicit question people are asking)

One of the two great Reformers attacked the practices, and the other the opinions of the earlier part of the sixteenth century. The former was by far the most useful and puissant reformer. He gave the deadliest blow to the Beast. The other, intent on making men think right, only made converts from among the converted. This has always been the case. As Luther excelled Calvin, so did Wesley excel the Erskines. They both began upon communities called Protestants, but degenerating Protestants. Wesley directed his energies to the works of men, and the Erskines to their heterodox opinions. Wesley excelled his own more metaphysical brother, Fletcher.--Fletcher was as far superior to Wesley as a reasoner and metaphysician, as Calvin was to Luther. But, as a reformer, Wesley was as far superior to Fletcher as Luther was to Calvin. ==The reason is obvious: the gospel called for a change of conduct--for obedience on new principles. It presented great operative principles, but called for immediate submission to new institutions.== Luther's plan was more in unison with this than Calvin's; and Wesley's more than Fletcher's. Hence more visible and more useful in their tendencies. ==Practical men always have been the most useful; and, therefore, practical principles have been more beneficial to mankind than the most ingenious and refined speculations. Symmes might have amusingly lectured a thousand years upon his visions and his fancies; but Christopher Columbus, in one voyage, added a new world to the old one.== ==The ancient gospel spoke by facts, and said little about principles of action of any sort. The facts, when realized or believed, carried principles into the heart without naming them; and there was an object presented which soon called them into action. It was the true philosophy, without the name, and made all the philosophy of the world sublimated folly.== It was ridiculous to hear Epicureans and Stoics reasoning against Paul. While they were talking about atoms of matter and refined principles, about virtue and vice, Paul took hold of the Resurrection of the Dead, and buried them in their own dreams. He preached Jesus and the Resurrection; he proclaimed reformation and forgiveness of sins; and before they awoke out of their reveries, he had Dionysius the Mayor of the City, the Lady Damaris, and other notable characters, immersed into Jesus. ==The ancient gospel left no man in a reasoning mode about any principle of action. It left him in no doubt about the qualities or attributes of faith. It called for the obedience of faith; and by giving every man an opportunity of testing and showing his own faith by his works, it made no provision for cases of consciences, nor room for philosophic doubting.== But I do not here eulogize it, but only intend to say that it is the only and the all-sufficient means to destroy antichrist, to heal divisions, to unite christians, to convert the world, and to bless all nations; and viewing it in this light, we shall find much use for it in all that we shall attempt in this work.

Primary Source: Peter Harrison (see this video, for more info) Secondary Source: Steven Matthews Central claims Science is a human universal, that shows up in many cultures and times Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Greece, China... "The Scientific Revolution" is the moment science became seen as society's Most Important Institution

# So here’s my basic stance on Genesis 1: - Genesis 1:26-28 does not define the “image & likeness of God”. Rather, Genesis 1:26-28 gives the human (dominion) mandate, which is said to *require* the image & likeness of God. - So how do we understand the “image & likeness of God”? - As readers, we shouldn’t overcomplicate this. We should take this expression directly (or “literally”). - This phrase is asking us to look for what God is *like*, and then go from there. - And Genesis 1 has just

# Why Communion should be Sacramental The Churches of Christ, following the Protestant trend, have tended to see Communion or the Lord's Supper as symbolic. The significance of the symbolism was primarily a reflection on the cross, and the significance of the act was primarily seen as a matter of obedience to a specified "act of worship". I think this is insufficient. While I don't believe anything is physically transformed in the Communion ceremony (until we consume it), the scriptural texts

# Church of Christ & Eastern Orthodoxy I've read that within Anglicanism, some traditions see the Anglican Church as the heir of Catholicism, while others see it as Protestantism or something else. Perhaps in a similar way, I see the Church of Christ as the fledgling heir of Eastern Orthodoxy. To be sure, the lineage is unusual. We come by it via the Empiricism of Francis Bacon, who was deeply influential to Alexander Campbell and other early Restoration Movement leaders. The first Restorati