{"id":6676,"date":"2021-08-06T18:24:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T02:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=6676"},"modified":"2021-08-06T18:24:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-07T02:24:18","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-312","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2021\/08\/06\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-312","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 312"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>     On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>312 is an <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Idoneal_number\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Idoneal_number\">idoneal number<\/a> (which apparently there are only 65, 66 or 67 of \u2014 it\u2019s wild how in math you can prove things that seem totally impossible to&nbsp;prove).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/article\/the-bereans-had-no-bibles-2\/\">The Bereans Had No Bibles: Re-envisioning Acts 17<\/a> (Griffin Gulledge, The Gospel Coalition): \u201cThe Bereans had no Bibles. It was rare for average folks in the early church to have an individual copy of the Scriptures. Indeed, it wasn\u2019t until the Reformation era that mass production of God\u2019s Word was even possible. What they had instead was a community\u2014in this case the synagogue\u2014which had a collection of writings we know as the Old Testament.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearreligion.org\/articles\/2021\/08\/05\/how_big_tech_targets_faith_groups_for_censorship_788648.html\">How Big Tech Targets Faith Groups for Censorship<\/a> (Joshua D. Holdenried, Real Clear Religion): \u201cMost tech companies\u2019 user agreements ban content that discriminates on the basis of religion, yet their policies enable them to engage in such discrimination themselves.\u201d<ul><li>That is a very succinct way to express the hypocrisy. Put that sentence in your pocket \u2014 you will have occasion to use it more than you\u2019d like in the future.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/becerra-and-biden-betray-medical-professionals-being-forced-to-assist-in-abortions\/\">Becerra and Biden Betray Medical Professionals Being Forced to Assist in Abortions<\/a> (Roger Severino, National Review):&nbsp; \u201cThe facts were stunning in their clarity, the victim was extremely credible and sympathetic, and the violator remained entirely callous and unrepentant. The UVMMC matter was the most open and shut conscience case in over a decade. I say <em>was<\/em>, because on Friday, the DOJ quietly, and voluntarily, dismissed the case. No admission of guilt, no injunction, no corrective action, no settlement, no nothing.\u201d<\/li><li>Related to health care:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hawaii-10ef5663e67a8fa01636763cd0fd025d\">Mistaken identity lands man in Hawaii mental hospital<\/a> (Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press): \u201cInstead, against Spriestersbach\u2019s protests that he wasn\u2019t Castleberry, he was eventually committed to the Hawaii State Hospital. \u2018Yet, the more Mr. Spriestersbach vocalized his innocence by asserting that he is not Mr. Castleberry, the more he was declared delusional and psychotic by the H.S.H. staff and doctors and heavily medicated\u2026 despite his continual denial of being Mr. Castleberry and providing all of his relevant identification and places where he was located during Mr. Castleberry\u2019s court appearances, no one would believe him or take any meaningful steps to verify his identity and determine that what Mr. Spriestersbach was telling the truth \u2013 he was not Mr. Castleberry.\u2019 No one believed him \u2014 not even his various public defenders \u2014 until a hospital psychiatrist finally listened.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewatlantis.com\/publications\/dance-till-we-die\">Dance Till We Die<\/a> (Ari Schulman, The New Atlantis): \u201c<em>Covid security theater<\/em>&nbsp;is when we claim our actions are aimed at fighting Covid, but actually part of our motivation is just to give the&nbsp;<em>impression<\/em>&nbsp;that we\u2019re fighting Covid. Genuinely fighting Covid may or may not be one of our goals too, but what makes theater&nbsp;<em>theater<\/em>&nbsp;is that performance is one of our&nbsp;goals.\u201d&nbsp;<ul><li>Provides an interesting defense of wise security theater while also absolutely slamming what we got in its&nbsp;place.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/astralcodexten.substack.com\/p\/adumbrations-of-aducanumab?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozOTQ4MzQwOCwiXyI6Ik9jRC9SIiwiaWF0IjoxNjI4MTMzODA3LCJleHAiOjE2MjgxMzc0MDcsImlzcyI6InB1Yi04OTEyMCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.tqpgf0LDe0PE84Fu7f_0bQff3B4pKN3xkvWMWiHt7uM\">Adumbrations Of Aducanumab<\/a> (Scott Alexander, Astral Codex Ten): \u201cI worry that people are going to come away from this with some conclusion like \u2018wow, the FDA seemed really unprepared to handle COVID.\u2019 No. It\u2019s not that specific. Every single thing the FDA does is like this. Every single hour of every single day the FDA does things exactly this stupid and destructive, and the only reason you never hear about the others is because they\u2019re about some disease with a name like Schmoe\u2019s Syndrome and a few hundred cases nationwide instead of something big and media-worthy like coronavirus. I am a doctor and sometimes I have to deal with the Schmoe\u2019s Syndromes of the world and every f@$king time there is some story about the FDA doing something&nbsp;<em>exactly<\/em>&nbsp;this awful and counterproductive.\u201d<ul><li>The follow-up post <a href=\"https:\/\/astralcodexten.substack.com\/p\/details-of-the-infant-fish-oil-story\">Details Of The Infant Fish Oil Story<\/a> is interesting although less&nbsp;fiery.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freddiedeboer.substack.com\/p\/we-walk-among-you?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozOTQyNzA3OCwiXyI6ImkvWEloIiwiaWF0IjoxNjI4Mjg0NjAyLCJleHAiOjE2MjgyODgyMDIsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yOTU5MzciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.14d3tU-dhvkWdHhEr6if-rWoCCg790EO-ZXameXpwNM\">We Walk Among You<\/a> (Freddie deBoer, Substack): \u201cI do not want my mental illness to be accepted by strangers. I hate it and I hate myself for having it. Mental illness is not an expression of the beauty of every individual who has it but the most ugly element of their most ugly selves.\u2026 The worst part of this caricature of kindness towards the mentally ill may seem contradictory: it extinguishes the capacity for mercy. For only the guilty can be shown mercy; that is the most essential quality of mercy, its only meaning. And I am guilty. Many of us who suffer from mental illness are. Perhaps someday our culture will mature enough to understand that what we need is not to be absolved, nor to be exonerated, nor to be excused, but to be forgiven.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freddiedeboer.substack.com\/p\/anatomy-of-a-bad-idea-affirmative?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNTM1NjE5MSwiXyI6IlhmemFFIiwiaWF0IjoxNjI4MTEyMzUwLCJleHAiOjE2MjgxMTU5NTAsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yOTU5MzciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.bZBUcSvl0VZNqx7OhFn1Gpy9zIvDKcve96Pc8ZB4Rxk\">Anatomy of a Bad Idea: Affirmative Consent<\/a> (Freddie deBoer, Substack): \u201cSo you get this huge policy change at hundreds of universities that does effectively nothing to stop sexual assault, infringes on the rights of the accused, and functions as a make-work program for overpaid \u2018consultants\u2019 and liberal writers, all while most people quietly recognize that nobody follows it, and support for that empty policy is enforced with missionary zeal not by true believers but almost entirely by people who are too scared to ask whether any of it makes any&nbsp;sense.\u201d&nbsp;<ul><li>My hot take? \u201cNo means no\u201d and \u201cyes means yes\u201d are both pale imitations of \u201cI do means I do\u201d \u2014 and until we move back from consent to covenant we\u2019re going to have lots of needless suffering.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>On Hungary<ol><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/frenchpress.thedispatch.com\/p\/hungary-is-no-model-for-the-american?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozOTY2NTA4OSwiXyI6IlFKWWVGIiwiaWF0IjoxNjI4MjU3NTM0LCJleHAiOjE2MjgyNjExMzQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yMTc2NSIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.Yv6ESGxHlOQxu44WRHXPNAHuWKay2YuYQAYMZcVOLq8\">Hungary is No Model for the American Right<\/a> (David French, The Dispatch): \u201cIf you\u2019ve been a conservative for any length of time, you\u2019ve likely had what I like to call the \u2018Sweden conversation,\u2019 or perhaps the \u2018Denmark debate.\u2019 A socialist-leaning progressive friend will wax eloquent about the Scandinavian countries that combine high standards of living with generous welfare states and ask, \u2018Why not here?\u2019&nbsp;.\u2026 Well, Hungary is the new right\u2019s Denmark. Except that Hungary is a much worse place to live than Denmark.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2021\/08\/my-favorite-things-hungary-where-it-stands-now.html\">\u201cMy favorite things Hungary\u201d \u2014 my revisionist take<\/a> (Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution): \u201cWay back in 2011, when I was visiting Hungary, I did a post in typical <strong>MR<\/strong> style: My Favorite Things Hungary.&nbsp;I had no particular political point in mind, and indeed the current disputes over Hungary did not quite exist back then.&nbsp;Nonetheless, if you survey the list, just about every one of my favorites listed <em>ended up leaving Hungary<\/em>.&nbsp;The one exception, as far as I can tell, is film director B\u00e9la Tarr, but he is a critic of both nationalism and Orban. <em>All the rest left Hungary<\/em>.\u201d<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/dreher\/unpatriotic-conservatives-2021\/\">Unpatriotic Conservatives<sup>TM<\/sup> 2021<\/a> (Rod Dreher, The American Conservative): \u201cI can\u2019t think of anything in recent memory that has been more revealing of where we Americans actually stand politically than Tucker Carlson\u2019s visit to Hungary.&nbsp;As I wrote in&nbsp;<em>The Spectator<\/em>&nbsp;a couple of days ago, Hungary is a country with lots of troubles, including corruption.&nbsp;I won\u2019t go once again into listing all the reasons why it\u2019s important for Western right-of-center people to come here and learn from the Hungarians \u2014 I\u2019ve been blogging about that all summer; I invite you to go through the archives here \u2014 so I\u2019m going to try to boil it&nbsp;down.\u201d&nbsp;<ul><li>Dreher has a very different perspective than most American commentators, and I include him because his argument is interesting. I truly know almost nothing about Orban or Hungarian politics \u2014 but I am intrigued by how divisive Orban is in America.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/man-surprised-to-learn-babylon-bee-has-full-articles-to-go-with-the-headlines\/\">Man Surprised To Learn Babylon Bee Has Full Articles To Go With The Headlines<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2021-08-05?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DilbertDailyStrip+%28Dilbert+Daily+Strip%29\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2021-08-05?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DilbertDailyStrip+%28Dilbert+Daily+Strip%29\">Human Contact<\/a> (Dilbert)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/for-the-record-missiles-and-blimps-dont-really-work-from-a-physics-standpoint-but-dont-let-that-stop-you-being-true-to-your-bloodlust\">Revenge<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/church-combats-covid-by-adding-essential-oils-to-fog-machine\/\">Church Combats COVID By Adding Essential Oils To Fog Machine<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting A While&nbsp;Ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every week I\u2019ll highlight an older link still worth your consideration. This week we have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.peterkreeft.com\/topics-more\/20_arguments-gods-existence.htm\">20 Arguments For God\u2019s Existence<\/a> (Peter Kreeft, personal website): \u201cYou may be blessed with a vivid sense of God\u2019s presence; and that is something for which to be profoundly grateful. But that does not mean you have no obligation to ponder these arguments. For many have not been blessed in that way. And the proofs are designed for them\u2014or some of them at least\u2014to give a kind of help they really need. You may even be asked to provide help.\u201d I was reminded of this by a conversation with an alumnus. The author is a philosophy professor at Boston College. (first shared in <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/09\/01\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-116\">volume 116<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I\u2019ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way. 312 is an idoneal number (which apparently there are only 65, 66 or 67 of \u2014 it\u2019s wild how \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2021\/08\/06\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-312\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 312\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"The collection of links this week is odd - an unusual assortment in which I hope you find at least one extremely stimulating idea.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[121,226,296,275,138,163,203,162],"class_list":["post-6676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-abortion","tag-europe","tag-mental-health","tag-pandemic","tag-religious-freedom","tag-sex","tag-silicon-valley","tag-theology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1JG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6676"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6677,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6676\/revisions\/6677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}