Humor in Science and Theology

Only one???!!!

Probably that book met its demise from the crushing weight of the other 4,727 unread books on top of it on the nightstand. :grin:

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I switched to digital after 382. XD

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Happy Reformation Day and Halloween to all those who acknowledge one, the other, or both! 505 years ago today, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenburg University, ushering the Protestant Reformation, changing the course of history for the church, musicians, and the world. Scary stuff, indeed! Here's an ominous anthem that definitely Shouldn't Be AKyrie by one of the forebears of Lutheran church music and spooky pipe organ stuff.
Suggested ways to mark the occasion: Listening to or playing Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 "Reformation", going to a German-themed restaurant and ordering a beer only to throw most of it out because it tastes putrid but you were trying to drink it because Martin Luther loved beer and the wait staff are taking bets to see how long you'll last before you tap out, eating Lutefisk and Lefse, listening to a recording of a Lutheran college choir in the ELCA sing hymns arranged by Fredrik Melius Christiansen (Beautiful Savior), playing a pipe organ, taking a moment to grapple with Martin Luther's antisemitism, enjoying some hot dish at a potluck, saying "doncha know", "attaway", "you betcha", or "yah, der" (yeah, there), hurling insults to people in German, googling how to properly pronounce "Diet of Worms", reading your copy of Luther's Small Catechism, naming your persnickety cat "Catechism" and putting it in a monk's robe as a Halloween costume, reading something by living Lutheran theologians like Nadia Bolz-Weber or Lenny Duncan, watching that video by the Evangelical pastor who visits a Lutheran sanctuary, asking a Lutheran what is up with their usage of words like "Zion", "Bethel", "Augstana" or "Concordia", putting "stadt", "quist", "vet", "sen" at the end of occupations and pretending they are actual last names, watching a documentary about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or reading about how Kyries show up in the Deutsche Mass. Worship in the vernacular, FTW! Lastly, you could ponder Mary Oliver's perennial question: What will you do with your one wild and precious life?

Solo Deo Gloria!

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We’re taking our boys trick-or-treating early this evening. But to make sure we don’t disappoint any kids that come by while we’re out, I plan to nail 95 Reese’s to our front door.

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Nice I think I’m going to make this my go-to whenever someone starts explaining the true real origins of Halloween. The day that Luther nailed those Reese’s.

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There is a good book called ā€œ A Tale for the Time Beingā€ by Ruth Ozeki that is centered around that. The author ends it by interjecting that it’s up to you if you want to imagine a happy, or sad ending. So many open questions that it’s up to you to imagine them being answered.

For the origins of Halloween, I always just come up with crazy stories to is even hyperbolic for satanic panic. Told someone a few days ago who was talking about satanism and Halloween that when I was high school this classmate wore Victorian secret underwear instead of diaper looking ones, and a demon possessed her bottom. That for the rest high school until she relented and got saved, she had to wear baggy pants because if she wore a skirt, her bottom made weird noises and if you walked to close to her when she was in a skirt, it would bark and try to bite you.

So instead of trying to be logical with people anymore, I just think of something dumb and agree with them and swear by it.

Here’s one for Halloween:

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Love it!
Enjoy this Reformation polka

And happy All Saints’ Day, which is today

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I had to go to WalMart this morning for some allergy meds, and scored some Halloween Reese’s in the clearance section where they were demonically placed to tempt me

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We’re here for you, brother, and can do long-distance intervention if necessary. I can pm you my mailing address for you to ship away those temptations as far from yourself as possible. :candy: :candy: :candy:

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Just saw this groaner on Fb.

Q: What do you get when you teach a wolf to meditate?

A: Aware wolf.

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I’ve got it worse – there are three overflowing candy containers on my counter that tempt me every night. But my kids tend to take careful inventory of what they get so I’m never sure how much I can snitch without getting in trouble.

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Parent tax…

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For their own safety you need to keep testing.

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Oh, that’s a good point… I wonder how well that will go over. :smiley:

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Maybe find photos of candy bars loaded with needles or hand grenades?

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It isn’t quite the season but least I forget …

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I wonder if anyone can give me chapter and verse …

… from memory?

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I’m gonna say Ezekial 20-something…

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Laura’s right - Ezekiel 23! I don’t remember that one being on any Bible memory camp posters!

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