Spiritual inspiration after a nasty review drove me to write one of my best songs
Rite & Reason: Melody and lyrics come to the musician in mysterious ways. And sometimes the humble pie of criticism can fuel great artistic triumph
Religion & Beliefs
Why is ‘news avoidance’ on the rise? The nocebo effect may be playing a part
Unthinkable: The ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect could shed light on why people say consuming the news makes them feel worse
The idea of a permanent hell is tolerable only if God is seen as an autocratic and merciless ruler
Rite & Reason: If our personal potential is not realised on earth surely it doesn’t disappear at death but becomes realisable in our next level of existence
How Irish scientist John Tyndall supercharged the modern debate on consciousness in lecture 150 years ago
Tyndall contended there was no point in the history of the cosmos when ‘creative acts’ of a ‘deity’ were required
‘Cultural Christians’ Elon Musk and Richard Dawkins undermine Christianity’s very foundations
They claim to applaud the principles of Christianity while professing none of its faith
Rite and Reason: Sitting on the fence during conflict is a form of taking sides
Rather than abstain from a dispute or race to support one or other side, we can draw on wisdom that teaches us even fierce disagreements can be resolved if the element of community is introduced
Pentecost and the unveiling of God’s presence in the world
It is too easy to create our own image of God and feel at ease with that creation
Balance is a quality as precious as it is rare
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent, but both require the right measure
Thinking Anew: Let’s move towards God’s ‘community of compassion and communion of love’
The bible can teach us about making space for people the wider world considers outsiders, and about the complex matter of gender identity
Ireland may be the only place in the world that does not fully appreciate benefits of Catholic education
Throughout the world Catholic schooling is highly regarded, but in Ireland feelings are mixed
How to end the culture wars: Stop looking for people to blame
‘Because structural injustices are beyond our control it is wrong to blame ordinary people for them,’ argues political philosopher Maeve McKeown
The scourge of anti-Semitism was part of official Catholic teaching into the 20th century
In 1959 Pope John XXIII ordered the removal of the Latin word ‘perfidis’ from the prayer for the conversion of the Jews in the Good Friday liturgy
Science must salute the link between physics and the mystical
Despite the pursuit of hard fact, the nature of reality is illuminated by Eastern thought as much as it is by atomic theory
Catholic Church’s downsizing only the beginning as attendances and incomes decline
Church of Ireland has already merged many of the 26 dioceses established in 1111 AD at the Synod of Ráth Breasail
Religion must move outside school hours as opt-out approach fails children badly
During Communion and Confirmation season the situation is particularly bleak. The sense of othering is worse when students are from non-Irish backgrounds
Let us pray for peacemakers, resilient as olive trees deeply rooted in this contested land of Palestine
Thinking Anew: The olive tree and its rugged nature is a symbol of the Palestinian struggle for national identity
Thinking Anew: The Easter hope we celebrate is difficult to hold on to at times
It is a hope given by God in Jesus Christ, a new dimension of life promised, all of it quite beyond human understanding
Twelve years ago I was suspended from Catholic ministry. It gave me a new freedom
Rite & Reason: To make dogmatic statements about the mystery of God was, and continues to be, a great mistake
Thinking Anew: A powerful reminder of the story of our lives
Palm Sunday recalls life from birth to death but it’s the turn in the tale that makes it strange and wonderful
Who was St Patrick? More than one person, probably
Identity issues are central to many of today’s tensions and conflicts. Let’s embrace difference
Thinking Anew: This is indeed a terrible Lent
There are no winners in war because, as Jesus warned, ‘What does it profit a person to gain the whole world if it means losing their own soul?’
The world needs to reset the scales to tackle the huge imbalance between rich and poor
Jesus drove the merchants out of the temple, but who is standing up to today’s billionaires and oligarchs who are exploiting the impoverished and powerless?
What would Jesus make of social media?
The best answer I have come up with is this: do good with it where you can
The living truth of peace and love
Despite so much violence in the world, there can be faith in the alternative
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