The Road Goes Ever On

Philip K Dick is in the Garden

Henry Karlson — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:04:39 +0000

Let’s Kill Hitler: The Theological Doctor Who Insight

Henry Karlson — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:42:43 +0000

I think we got a big theological allegory in the most recent Doctor Who story. I do not know if all of it was intended, but I expect some of it was. And what is interesting and important is the Mels sequence is central to the story, once one realizes the theological sentiment behind the story.

Mels (River Song’s earlier incarnation) has been led to believe the Doctor must be evil. We have seen how she was convinced of it. If the Doctor is so good, why isn’t he stopping all the bad events in time and space. Therefore, he must be evil. (It’s similar to objections people use for God). The Doctor should have taken out Hitler, but he didn’t. The Doctor should have stopped every evil because he knew what was going to happen in history, but he didn’t. He let evil win because he was also evil.

He isn’t just any kind of evil. No, he is the greatest evil in the universe. This, of course, is what the “Silence” alliance seem to think. And Mels/River has been made to believe this so she would one day take out the Doctor. She is the only one who can kill him. And then she is told she is to take the TARDIS and right all the wrongs. She wants to right the wrongs of history. She starts, of course, with Hitler.

Everything changed, however, when the Doctor was dying.

The Doctor calls her over. He says something like, “I knew this day was coming. But I would do anything for River; I would die to save her.”

When she finds out she is River, she has a moment of awareness and becomes a convert. She sees and understands the Doctor differently. He is willing to die to save those he loves, including her. She is saved by his death. He dies. But he is brought back to life through the power of love (the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love).

Doctor Who does theodicy. And, like in history, the solution is love, a love willing to die for the other and a love which gives back life.

Now Available: All Creatures of Our God and King

Henry Karlson — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:39:00 +0000

I’ve edited together another selection of texts, this time, a collection on animals and how I view them philosophically and theologically.

You can order it directly through createspace here:

https://www.createspace.com/3654593

The book should be available elsewhere soon — check for it on Amazon!

Can animals be considered persons? Can they know right from wrong, and be expected to do penance? Can animals partake of eternal life? What does God expect out of humanity in relation to the animal world? Why did the Holy Spirit appear in the form of a dove?

These and other questions are addressed in this fascinating and unique collection of essays on the nature and place of animals in the world.

Table of Contents:

4 Introduction

17 January 17, 1787

27 Consequentialism and Animals

40 On Pets

54 The Sign of Jonah

69 All Creation Sings the Glory of God

88 God and Creation

99 The Dove: A Representation of 5he Divine Plan in Animals

117 Quid Sumit Mus?

124 Concluding Remarks

134 Select Bibliography

Theological Contemplations I Available

Henry Karlson — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:51:45 +0000

Currently available on CreateSpace, https://www.createspace.com/3437633 , it should soon be available on Amazon.com. This is an edited collection of many of my writings from the last few years. While available on the net, the texts have been somewhat modified (edited for clarification and to eliminate noticeable defects), and are now presented together as a theological collection, allowing them to be much easier read and studied in depth.

This is the first volume of a series of such collections which I plan to make. The theme of the second volume will be inter-religious dialogue and comparative theology.

Included in this volume are the following essays:

On The Conscience And Our Response To It
Person vs. Individual
The Potter And The Clay
Called To Be Mediators Between God And Creation
Can One Love the Messenger And Ignore The Message?
Why Christianity Must Reject The Culture Of Consumerism
On the Morality Of War: In Essence And In Practice
In All Things Charity: On the Pursuit Of The Virtues With A Special Reflection On Christian Vegetarianism
Man At The Crossroads
Gnosticism: Some Of Its Beliefs, Practices, Christian Responses To It, And Its Continued Influence In The World
Theophilus Of Alexandria And Hellenistic Philosophy

Save for the Walls of Snow, The Snow is Nearly Gone

Henry Karlson — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:11:14 +0000

Now the question is when the great wall of DC will melt.

More Snow

Henry Karlson — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:25:35 +0000

So, what is it that is causing the DC area to get more snow this year than usual? A lot more?

Probably global warming. Odd as that might seem.

The change in weather patterns is what one expects. Just watch what happens to the air around an ice cube as it melts, and you will get the gist of what happens when the big ice cubes at the north melt.

Thinking with the Inklings

Henry Karlson — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:18:55 +0000

Now available (on CreateSpace) and soon to be available on Amazon.com:

Thinking With the Inklings

As a Catholic scholar who is also a fan of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield and their friends, I have, through the years, written several essays which reflect upon their writings. Some of them have been traditional in form — critical essays looking to present their beliefs. Others, however, have gone beyond mere exploration of their beliefs; in them, I seek to think along with the Inklings, that is, to see how some of their ideas might impact my own religious and philosophical views.

In this collection, you will find examples of both.

Section I: Essays on the Inklings

4 Introduction

10 Should John Wain Be Considered An Inkling?

17 The Allegory of the Cave

29 J.R.R. Tolkien: A Catholicized William Morris?

57 The Significance of Adam Fox

Section II: Thinking with the Inklings

66 Overcoming the Great Divorce

107 C.S. Lewis and the Mind-Only Prison

115 On Three Representations of the Antichrist

129 Love and Lust

135 How Much is Too Much?

140 On Multiple Worlds and Multiple Incarnations

155 We Are Technological Magi

174 Context Is Everything

Section III: Reviews

180 Doctor Faustus

187 The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún

190 Till We Have Faces

196 Eager Spring: The Coda of the Inklings

Thumbnails of the Fantastic: Print Edition

Henry Karlson — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:56:54 +0000

It’s now live — one can order, at least from CreateSpace, my collection of short stories, Thumbnails of the Fantastic.

Soon, it should be listed on Amazon (CreateSpace is related to Amazon), and when I can find it there, I will let people know. I do not know if ordering it directly from CreateSpace or from Amazon will change things or not — though I would expect, if you order it from Amazon, they might put its shipping with everything else you order from them (so I would hope).

The collection is of twelve stories — some science fiction, some fantasy, some horror, but all of them have elements of myself and my thoughts on life, the universe, and everything in them.

Thumbnails of the Fantastic Update

Henry Karlson — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:16:56 +0000

I’ve chosen, for now, CreateSpace for the print edition of the book. They do not offer a hardback edition, but for a collection of short stories, I do not think a hardback is necessary. At least, at this stage.

The cost right now will be $12 + S/H. The size of the book will be similar to a Verso book, and so I used Verso’s pricing to determine my own.

Just Say No To Polemics

Henry Karlson — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:50:36 +0000

I decided to bring three short essays I’ve written on Islam and put them together for a cheap e-book edition. The longest essay is available elsewhere online for free, explaining why Christians and Muslims can be said to share the same God, and raising the issue of whether or not Christians can even consider Muhammad to be a prophet. The other two essays complement each other; one is on the early Islamic philosopher Al-Farabi, and the second is on Al-Ghazali. They represent two radically different Islamic takes on philosophy and reason.

You can order it here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8176