History, politics, and culture articles and forum discussions.
Freedom of will. A crucial point for Erasmus. In his De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio (1524), he lampoons the Lutheran view on free will. He lays down both sides of the argument impartially. In response, Luther wrote his De servo arbitrio (On the Bondage of the Will) (1525), which attacks the “Diatribe” and Erasmus […]
Within the microblogging sphere of the social media world, Twitter reigns supreme. But can it stay on top in a fidgety age when other shiny new digital toys are in reach? Enter the microblogging Twitter alternative, Gab. Created in August 2016 (over a decade after Twitter’s birth), Gab offers a strong set of competitive features […]
I was browsing another WWII Newsgroup…when I came across a message from a youngster wanting to know why Hitler hated the Jews so much. I considered for some time how to reply to this question, and finally came up with the following draft submission: Albert Speer, Hitler’s Economics Minister, writing after the war commented “He […]
The pilgrimage site of Croagh Patrick lies on a mountain some 2500-feet high in County Mayo, which is on the northwest coast of Ireland. The site serves as the modern pilgrimage destination for those who wish to take the penitential journey to and vigil at the summit at the end of each July. The terrain […]
An article came out a few years ago about the appeal of Nazism to people of today: Germans fascinated by Nazi era eight decades later. Here’s a bit from the article: German interest in the darkest chapter of their history seems stronger than it has ever been as the country marks several key anniversaries this […]
No doubt the Norman Barons that had conquered England with Duke William, in 1066, would at some time have turned their ambitions onto the lands that lay across the Irish Sea. As it turned out, there was no need for such aggressive action; they were invited. It was a decision that the Irish would later […]
It crossed my mind how mind boggling it is for so many Germans to have gone along with Hitler and the brutalities of the Nazi regime. I have to presume that large numbers of Germans were Christians, and would have been trained in basic Christian theology. Even the most rudimentary of such learning should have […]
Have any of you watched this film by Robert Redford about the trial of Mary E. Surratt and the Lincoln assassination? I have never really studied this in depth, and know just enough of the chain of events that took place, but I am wondering how others perceive the accuracy/inaccuracy of the events portrayed in […]
According to your experience, sagacity and knowledge, what reasons or causes would be a threat to our Western civilisation? History is the study of the past, and several civilisations have preceded ours. From what we’ve learned, sometimes in detail, can it be possible to prevent a similar fate like the ones of our ancestors? In […]
