boblarson

Space travel is a worthy goal of civilization, to understand more the universe in which we live. It’s wired into our collective consciousness, this desire to go where no one has gone before. We all marvel watching the old black and white video of the late Neil Armstrong taking “one giant step for mankind.” Fortunately, …

Dying to get to Mars? Read More »

The humor of the billboard above belies an even more serious aspect of today’s social media: texting, even sexting (sending sexually explicit messages via smartphones) in church. A new study regarding the behavior of Americans with regards to cell phones indications that they are interrupting some of their most secret and sacred activities to send …

Sexting in Church Read More »

I watch little TV other than cable. But last Saturday morning I was surfing my way across the channels to Fox News when a History Channel special on Wild West firearms caught my eye. As a kid I was fascinated by tales of 19th century life, especially Western TV shows and movies. And no icon …

Spiritual Outlaw Read More »

They don’t call it Iceland for nothing. In winter, the average high never gets out of the 30s. In summer, the average high doesn’t even break 60 degrees. Warmest temperature ever-74! Agreed, that’s icy. But now this North Atlantic island is about to get much chillier, spiritually speaking. Having turned its back on God, like the …

Icelandic Demons Read More »

Want to get that inheritance early?  Perhaps you can convince grandma it’s really time for her to go now rather than await the Grim Reaper. If you’re from America’s most populous state, California, you may not have to check grandma out of the nursing home and send her to Oregon, Washington, Vermont, or New Mexico …

Killing in California Read More »

The logo above says it all. Whether you are Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist, Taoist, Pagan, Satanist, Wiccan, Muslim, Christian or whatever makes no difference. All roads lead to God (or should that be small “g”). And, according to the Universal Life Church (ULC), sanctioned by the IRS, you are entitled to perform all the rites of …

Online Ordination? Read More »

It sounds like a harmless invitation: “Take me to church.” But we’re talking about the title to one of the hottest songs in the country, Grammy-nominated no less. You might want to think twice about accepting the offer. Hozier, the Irish sing-songwriter who penned the hit, has a different kind of church in mind – …

Don’t Take Me To This Church! Read More »

In my previous blog, I pointed out the normalcy of exorcism in the early church, during the first centuries after Christ. (To read Part #1 of this series, CLICK HERE.) That blog quoted from a book entitled The Spirit of Early Christian Thought, by Robert Louis Wilken, professor of the History of Christianity at the …

Early Church Exorcism Part 2 Read More »

When does worry become anxiety? And when does anxiety become fear? And when does fear become disenabling? When one has scrupulosity. Never heard of it? Theologians have. Psychologists have. Scrupulosity (root word scruples) takes over when an individual has excess, sometimes obsessive-compulsive concerns, often spiritual worries that become overwhelming.  At that point the condition can …

Scrupulosity? Read More »

In our age of Internet dating a new $5.2 billion industry has arisen, according to The Wall Street Journal (01/17/18), to meet the demand for data on background checks of future mates. Individuals who’ve met suitors online are hiring detectives to find out if their potential spouse has a prison record, bad debts or other …

Demon Detective Read More »