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September 21, 2025
Sunrise — 6:18, 6:44, 6:54.
Write about whatever you want in the comments.And please do your Amazon shopping going in through the Althouse portal — here. Thanks!
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30 comments:
A few things I am curious about:
-- Were the executioners of Jesus actually guilty of murdering him?
--Did Jesus really forgive them, or did he do something else?
-- Was the plea to forgive them a plea for the forgiveness of some sin (such as murder), or was it "forgive them" in a lesser sense, as in "Go easy on them because they were not aware of having done any wrong"?
Food for thought.
Wow! I have been following Althouse Blog for over 20 years, but these 3 pictures are some of my favorites, especially picture 1.
#1 with mirror image.
Reddit Video: More amusing... whatever this is
Thank you Althouse, for paying respect to Charlie Kirk.
I know that you probably did not agree with half of his positions (I agree about 75%) but you have the integrity to respect him.
Can you ever vote for Democrats again?
The water on our lake has been glass quite a few times over the last two weeks. And the top photo is outstanding!
Poulin: I will take a crack. Not clergy or theologian, just a believer (Episcopalian = Protestant in fancy dress) who reads a lot.
Were the executioners of Jesus actually guilty of murdering him? - Under man's law, no - this was a state-sponsored killing. Under God's law - probably yes. Crucifixion is so cruel and unusual that it doesn't matter how many emperors told you to do it. Now you might have a coercion defense - if you refuse the order, you could wind up on the next cross.
Did Jesus really forgive them, or did he do something else? - I think so. When the Son asks the Father for something, he gets it. This forgiveness seems to break the norm where you have to repent and ask for it. But it does reinforce the point that forgiveness is a completely unearned gift. What would the 'something else' be that you have in mind? Are you thinking 'Father forgive them' is aspirational, like 'Father let this cup pass from me?' Could be.
(What's really weird is the poor shmuck Roman crucifier who had that day off and spent it banging hookers or something didn't get forgiven for that, while the dudes who killed God's Son did. But again - unearned gift, all sinners are equally damned, etc)
Was it "forgive them" in a lesser sense? Interesting - this seems to be along the lines of an aspirational prayer rather than a specific Son-Father ask. Also in all practicality, the crucifiers went on to commit other sins, and nearly all of them never became Christians, so didn't go through any sort of repentance and reconciliation. So they may have been forgiven for killing Christ, but not for their later brawling, whoring, etc.
Finally, the "Father forgive them" line is only in Luke. The author of Luke and Acts wants to both show Christianity's firm foundations in Judaism (Luke begins and ends in the Temple), and to help it spread to the Gentiles (Acts is mostly about that). "Father forgive them" is kind of a 'bygones' wrt both groups: Christians are not interested in avenging Jesus' death, and neither is their God. Similarly, Luke does not have the Jerusalem mob shout "his blood be upon us and our children" - that's only in Matthew.
So that's my best shot. CC, JSM
All three photos are beautiful!
Last night, the first side of the disc for Gettysburg ended pretty late, so I thought I’d wait until today to finish the movie. Part I ended after Chamberlain’s bayonet charge.
Just got done watching Part II. Pacing was very good for a 4+ hour movie; it did not seem that long. Based purely on the movie, Longstreet seemed like an interesting person. But it seems like his hesitancy in carrying out his orders regarding Pickett’s charge led to more Confederate casualties than necessary, even as a suicidal mission.
Mrs. Dink and I are about halfway through the memorial service as we DVR’d it. The worship music is outstanding.
"-- Were the executioners of Jesus actually guilty of murdering him?"
No. Rome could kill whoever they wanted, if they were a non-citizen. We can say they did not kill him for good reasons. But Pilate still was legally able to do it.
"--Did Jesus really forgive them, or did he do something else?
He really forgave them. That's the power of the moment.
-- Was the plea to forgive them a plea for the forgiveness of some sin (such as murder), or was it "forgive them" in a lesser sense, as in "Go easy on them because they were not aware of having done any wrong"?"
It was forgiveness according to God's Kingdom. In a sense, it was because they were doing exactly what the world's systems would have them do, and so the very nature of the work on the cross was to forgive the sins of those caught in such system. So this was the first expression of what the cross meant and means for all of humanity.
Some more on the cross as a particular expression of God's work...
"Longstreet seemed like an interesting person"
His widow died in 1962.
Helen Dortch Longstreet was the General's much younger second wife.
His first wife and two or three children (girls I think) were all killed in a housefire during the war IIRC.
He became the scapegoat for the defeat at Gettysburg (and ergo for the whole war) through the diligent work of Jubal Early and the Southern Historical Society.
Becoming a Republican after the war didn't endear him to his old comrades, of course.
There are a lot of YouTube and TikTok videos out there the last few days about The Rapture happening between Sept.22 and 25th. Well, let’s see who here will show up \on the 25th.
“A number of Christian videos are circulating online predicting the rapture will occur between September 22 and 25, 2025. These viral claims are tied to the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), which falls during this period.”
Longstreet gets a lot of attention and credit (too much IMHO) for wanting to maneuver the AotP out of position at Gettysburg, but I'm not convinced that was a better idea in the circumstances.
He could hit hard, but he flubbed his role in East Tennessee--letting the Yankees reopen the supply line to Chattanooga and launching his own mini-Pickett's charge against a heavily fortified position at Knoxville.
“A number of Christian videos are circulating online predicting the rapture will occur between September 22 and 25, 2025"
Come on. You can do better than this.
But let's say the Rapture happened... How confident are you? I believe you've said you're a believer of some stripe, as am I. (If I'm wrong, I apologize.) I am in no way confident of what would happen next if God decided to call the game now. Human confidence especially in these circumstances, doesn't seem to me to be a very defensible position.
Thanks, Narr.
“Come on. You can do better than this.”
I certainly am not saying the rapture will actually happen. I don’t believe in a rapture.
Narr said...
He became the scapegoat for the defeat at Gettysburg (and ergo for the whole war) through the diligent work of Jubal Early and the Southern Historical Society.
I was not aware of that. What did Early have against him?
On a related note; I always tell people that if you really want to understand Lee's generals you need to read Mary Chestnutt's memoirs. Many of them come off as petty backbiters who always seem to be having scores to settle with one another.
“ He could hit hard, but he flubbed his role in East Tennessee- “
You can say that, but longstreet’s corps, led by Hood and Laws, along with Bushrod Johnson. Broke the Union line at Chickamauga under McCook on Sept 20, 1863 in one of the most spectacular and complete routs of the war on either side. It could have been a big change in the war except Gen Bragg was such a hopeless dick he threw the victory away in spite.
Lieut Ambrose Bierce was there with Hazens Div on the Union side and did his part to save the day at horseshoe ridge.
Take your evening pills, Igna. You are past your bedtime.
What did Early have against [Longstreet]?
As they said in the Godfather movies, it was nothing personal, just business. And it's a little complicated. When Stonewall Jackson died from pneumonia after having been accidentally shot by his own troops at Chambersburg, Richard Ewell took command of Jackson's corps with Jubal Early as one of his division commanders.
At Gettysburg Lee ordered Ewell to take Culp's Hill, but added the caveat "if practicable." Early's division was to spearhead the assault, but it petered out with Culp's Hill still in Union hands. That failure, and the failure of the Confederate right under Longstreet to take Little Round Top, meant that the Union lines were solidly anchored on high ground at each end and thus impregnable in the face of Pickett's Charge. The failure of Pickett's Charge has been blame by some on Longstreet's lack of enthusiasm for the assault, but if Lee had sent four times as many men in that charge, it would not have been enough.
If Early, under Ewell, had taken Culp's Hill the Union troops would probably have been forced to withdraw from their position south of Gettysburg and there would have been no need for Pickett's charge -- Lee would have scored yet another victory over the Union Army of the Potomac. But they didn't and the Union won. Lee would win only one more battle after that, when Grant replicated Pickett's Charge at Cold Harbor, right down to the result (enormous numbers of troops slaughtered for no gain).
Culp's Hill and Early's movement northeast through the Shenandoah Valley to assault Washington, DC, from the north (you read that right) were the two likeliest opportunities for the South to win the Civil War. But Early arrived on the outskirts of Washington after Union reinforcements detached from Grant's troops (then south of Richmond) reached the forts surrounding DC.
In other words, Early, was late.
My original comment was about Tom Homan. Just a quick note the Lefty trolls. If the trumped up charges against actually succeed in removing him, do not expect him to be replaced by someone sweet and gentle who will see things your way. Assume he will be replaced by someone who makes you wish you had Tom Homan back.
Misty harmony
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN8SgMnkcmp/?igsh=MWg0MGhnc3lnM2ZwbQ==
Inga said...
"There are a lot of YouTube and TikTok videos out there the last few days about The Rapture happening between Sept.22 and 25th. Well, let’s see who here will show up \on the 25th."
***********
You think that's irrational, right? So you'll jeer if it doesn't happen, right?
Well, what about you, predicting with utter certainty that Hillary would triumph over Trump?
(and we all know that's you, or your doppelganger in spirit, in that famous pic of a woman screaming at the clouds over Hillary's defeat)
Big Mike said...
In other words, Early, was late.
Sober up, Mike.
Duplicate from thread on Charlie.
Please forgive - or correct - in advance if this duplicate is not proper blog manners
rhhardin said (thread on Charlie) ...
Rharrdin, passim.
Okay. Fair enough. Peter Kropotkin's 1902, biology - so-called biology - of “Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution.” Biology not “pure” (whatever is pure these days), with an impure philosophical overlay. You can’t get to Kropotkim from Kant’s “Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason,” but yes, you can build bridges from Kant to Kropotkin, with a little biological love (mutual aid) bridged to Abstract Love (Kant - moral obligation), then bridging to, and bridging from Emmanuel Levinas. Easy: see Paul as midrash. See Kirk “the other” (your words about “the other,” as Achilles is gently trying to nudge) as midrash on midrash.
On it goes. It’s not a hard logical, formally precise , ontological solution, not if it depends on the generosity or parsimony of inferences.
What does not depend on such generosity?
If you are sauced, as one (or many?) here have suggested, then belt back a big chug for me, we will piss our pants together, vomit all over each other at the table, and rouse up midrash on Houseman, "Malt does more than Milton can, To justify God's ways to man.”
Screw prudes who won’t drink with us.
Changes in media ownership. Ellison, Dell and Murdoch to take interests in TikTok. Taking the hegemonic high ground, Gramscian power shift?
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/21/business/tiktok-trump-murdochs-oracle-deal
Michael Dell is a new name in this stuff. He was always politically quiet but backed Republicans.
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