Better Late Than Never

A little more than a year ago, I posted some pictures of Rob, Kelli, and me waterskiing in Lake Geroge NY. Now, by the power of YouTube we have posted two videos of us all waterskiing. Check it out...





...by the way, I am the one on the viewer's right. And yes, that is me wiping out!

And Islam's response

38 leading Islamic scholars responded responded to Pope Benedict's recent lecture, in which he contrasts the Christian and Islamic traditions treatment of reason and faith. The scholars correct the Pope on elements of Islamic tradition where he may have been in err and reiterate the principles that Muslims believe. I can only echo Andrew Sullivan in saying that I am stunned to see such a clear statement of tolerant and non-violent principles from such an apparently diverse group of Islamic scholars. In addition these scholars condemn the murder of a Catholic nun in response to the Pope's statements. Would that they go farther and condemn the broader patterns of Islamic violence, such as Al Queda, in the same unequivocal terms. That said this is very interesting reading for anyone interested in understanding the current state of Islamic thought. Hopefully our Christian religious leaders can continue this meaningful dialog.

TIME.com: When Not Seeing Is Believing -- Oct. 9, 2006 -- Page 1

Time has just published an extended excerpt of Andrew Sullivan's upcoming book on the intersection of religion and politics, which I intend to read in the very near future.

This essay contrasts the fundamentalist religious faiths that Sullivan sees emergent in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam with what Sullivan sees as more authentic versions of Christianity in which doubt plays a more important role in faith than certainty. This challenging notion strikes me as particularly authentic to Christianity, a faith that describes its key tenants as mysteries. I hope to have more on this later, but for now I encourage everyone to read the essay.