ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: December 2014
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Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Monday, December 29, 2014. Ten Films That UUs Should Watch: A Long Time Ago . And then, it started …. It’s hard to watch a film like Star Wars. And its two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back. And Return of the Jedi. Give a remarkable balance of elements that transcend traditional storytelling. The characters are archetypal, the conflict elemental, and the setting both distant yet relatable to a modern audience. T...But u...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: July 2015
http://ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com/2015_07_01_archive.html
Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Thursday, July 23, 2015. Are We Becoming "the Protest Church"? As I was recovering from surgery recently, the friends I was staying with introduced me to someone who would seem open to Unitarian Universalism. An openly gay African-American man, progressive and well-educated, interested in spirituality but not committed to any single tradition. And yes, he'd heard of UUs. "Oh yeah – the Protest Church.". How many causes...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: June 2015
http://ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com/2015_06_01_archive.html
Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Wednesday, June 24, 2015. Taking Down Flags . and Other Obstacles. The horror at Emmanuel AME Church has stirred a wave of reaction, including efforts to get rid of the old "stars and bars" flag of the Confederacy. Would seem like a simple step towards progress, to consign this symbol of a racist regime to history displays, yes? When I find myself witnessing such, or slipping into that mode myself, I think of one of my...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: August 2014
http://ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com/2014_08_01_archive.html
Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Saturday, August 30, 2014. Ten Films That UU Should Watch: Amélie. Composed and arranged to highlight the story one is hearing. That’s definitely true with Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain. But there’s another reason why Amélie. Saturday, August 16, 2014. Ten Films That UUs Should Watch: Harold and Maude. And not one agent who bothered to read it recognized it as such. Not to mention the fact that Harold actually gr...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: January 2015
http://ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com/2015_01_01_archive.html
Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Thursday, January 15, 2015. The Love I Grew Up With. We use the word "love" a great deal in UU circles. Standing on the side of love. Loving the Hell out of the world. Love being greater than fear. Love, love, love. And I've begun to wonder just what kind of love it is that so many UUs are touting here. The love I grew up with was many things – and not. The love I grew up with led me to see in the principles and values...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: September 2014
http://ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com/2014_09_01_archive.html
Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Thursday, September 25, 2014. Ten Films That UUs Should Watch: Casablanca. While most of the films I listed earlier are at least critically acclaimed, not many are considered iconic classics. Truth be told, even this film was only a moderate success when it was first released. Yet it has risen in popularity to be regarded as one of the best films ever produced (if not the. Best by some, including yours truly). Flash fo...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: Sermon: Tending the Sacred Fire of Eros
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Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Sunday, May 3, 2015. Sermon: Tending the Sacred Fire of Eros. Sermon delivered May 3rd, 2015 at First Parish in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As we move towards summer, and life and love abound, so we kindle the fires of Beltane, spreading warmth and light to all. But what if religion and sexuality are not so opposed? What if we heeded the words of Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, and sought to reclaim Eros as a spiritual urge?
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: March 2014
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Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Wednesday, March 19, 2014. What Do We Want, Anyway? Information than our educational material. It's time the UUA and its congregations caught up. Recognize the real problem. Too often I've heard well-meaning UUs tell me: "I really don't care what you do in your bedroom." Well, brace yourself for a bit of harsh medicine. That's the sexual minority equivalent of saying "I don't see people in terms of color.". Another thi...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: February 2015
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Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Tuesday, February 24, 2015. On Contracts, Covenants and SexUUality. One of the major elements of the "Fifty Shades" story is the contract Christian presents to Anastasia. Some people have praised it, as an example of the level of communication expected in BDSM from which many other folks could benefit. I'm not so sure. Then again, the same could be said for many vanilla relationships …. Some may talk about "equitable" ...
ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com
Ravenstone's Reflections: Taking Down Flags ... and Other Obstacles
http://ravenstonesreflections.blogspot.com/2015/06/taking-down-flags-and-other-obstacles.html
Kinky heretical musings on sexuality, spirituality, politics and other related topics. Wednesday, June 24, 2015. Taking Down Flags . and Other Obstacles. The horror at Emmanuel AME Church has stirred a wave of reaction, including efforts to get rid of the old "stars and bars" flag of the Confederacy. Would seem like a simple step towards progress, to consign this symbol of a racist regime to history displays, yes? When I find myself witnessing such, or slipping into that mode myself, I think of one of my...