[Author's note: this article was originally published several years ago when I wrote as the Atlanta Creationism Examiner at Examiner.com. The article's original contents have not been edited, requiring a correction: the tilma was not weaved from cotton, but agave plant fiber. As I say below, I'm not Catholic. I don't need for this story to be true; I merely find the alleged details fascinating. Strangely enough, my atheist friends seem to desperately need the story to be false.] I present the following information for your cogitation acknowledging that it is anecdotal in nature, but included there are some very interesting claims made by scientists involved in the story. In the spirit of full disclosure, I confess that I’ve never been to Mexico to personally examine the tilma of Juan Diego. Given the current climate and tendency of drug cartels to shoot or chop of the heads of people, I don’t consider it a tourist friendly travel destination. Therefore, I have planned no trips for the purposes of conducting a personal examination. Besides, we’ve firmly and cheerfully established my lack of credentials in certain natural sciences and my aversion to microscopes and lab coats. My primary source of information for this story of Juan Diego’s tilma came from a book titled Divine Interventions by Dan Millman and Doug Childers. Internet sources appear to confirm much of the information that I found in their book. Juan Diego’s story begins on Saturday, December 9th, 1531 -- the day Catholics celebrate as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is believed to … [Read more...]
A very special announcement
I am extremely pleased to announce the formation of the Writer's Alliance of Georgia, LLC (WAG). I am a member and Vice President of the group, led by President (and editor extraordinaire) Donna Sundblad. We are an organization of professional and budding writers who meet twice a month to encourage one another and grow in our craft. More than a year ago, WAG collaborated to write a collection of short stories about animals and pets. We are currently in the final stages of polishing the manuscript before we submit to epress-online, who has expressed an interest. When the anthology is available for purchase, one of my short stories from the collection will be made available on the website. In the interim, if you'd like to read an example of a story that didn't fit quite the book's theme, "The Hummingbird" is available for reading from my media page. The members of WAG are very excited about this project and hope you will share our enthusiasm and love of animals. Keep following my blog for news updates. This terrific collection of tender, humorous and touching stories is about people and their pets, or those special moments when humans and wildlife connect in a life-changing experience. It's almost ready to share with you! … [Read more...]
