Birth . . .

 (from Born of a Woman by John Shelby Spong)
". . . These are the issues that are argued among the scholars. No one in scholarly circles that I know of, however, is willing to defend the historicity or the literalness of the virgin birth story! Continued belief in a literal, biological virgin birth for Jesus of Nazareth is based only on a faith or a dogmatic commitment. It cannot rest on the evidence. Such a belief is no longer defended on the basis of Scripture, not even by Roman Catholic scholars, who have much more invested theologically in this possibility than Protestant Christians do.

The fact that these ideas are commonplace among the biblical scholars of our world and yet are all but unknown among the average worshipers in either church or synagogue is, in my opinion, scandalous. It cannot help but be a reflection of the ecclesiastical hierarchy's fear that such knowledge, if broadly shared, would render the faithful faithless.  Conservative bishops and priests content themselves by asserting that biblical scholarship is an ever-changing, inexact science that cannot be counted on for final answers. They argue that we must, therefore, trust the church's historic teaching authority. It is a weak and almost pathetic argument. . . "

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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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I Am A Historian. . .

. . . says Dr. Reza Aslam during a recent torture session to which he was subject.


Have you seen the interview of Reza Aslam by Fox News that's sweeping the internet? (http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/is-this-the-most-embarrassing-interview-fox-news-has-ever-do) It's been called 'excruciating', 'embarrassing' and 'painful' to watch.

The Fox reporter (I believe her name is Lauren Green) persistently interjects "My question is . . . " most times producing no real question at all or simply positing accusatory statements related to Dr. Aslam's professed faith.

The video is generally labeled a 'debate' while, in fact, there is no debate at all.  It is an embarrassing (to Ms. Green and Fox only) attempt to discredit a scholar which Fox and Ms. Green presume disagrees with their point of view without so much as reading the book produced by the scholar.

Excruciating?  Embarrassing?  Painful?   Maybe!

I call it enlightening.  Enlightening only in the fact that it provides further evidence of the worthlessness of the entire enterprise called Fox News.

What do you think?
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http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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A word from. . .

. . . my hero, philosopher, favorite author and scholar John Shelby Spong, who writes. . .

"Religion has to be about the enhancement of life through love. Religious rules are sacred only if they serve to enhance life. That is the point Jesus was depicted as making when he declared that human life was not made to fit into the Sabbath day rules, but that the Sabbath days rules were created to enhance human life. Suddenly the essence of ethics is seen not as something about good and evil, or even about justice and injustice; and it is certainly not about a code of rules or laws that is inscribed in a holy text or cut into tablets of stone. No, ethics are always designed to assist in the expansion of life. Every act, whether it be individual or corporate, must be judged as right or wrong based solely on whether it enhances or diminishes the life of another. If my action diminishes another, it also diminishes me. A diminished life is never the place where holiness will be found. Diminished lives will never be loving lives. . ."




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