Those of you who know me know that I'm obsessed with making lists - especially "Best Of" lists (cue Kelly's eye-rolling). This would also explain my affection for Nick Hornby's High Fidelity.
So why not start with some lists?
We've just endured 2006 - here are the few things that made it better.
Every list is in order of preference, from least to most, from ten to one.
Since the official themes of this blog are at present Religion, Music, Food, and Wine, we'll feature one list for each of these. As a bonus, movies. And as a bonus to the bonus . . . there will be one more list. We'll be posting these over the next few days.
MY TOP TEN RELIGION STORIES OF 2006
The good, the bad, and the ugly. Guess which most of these would be?
10. A Muslim couple is ordered to divorce because the husband mumbled the Islamic divorce formula in his sleep.
9. President of Israel Moshe Katzav refuses to acknowledge Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism (representing the largest number of American Jews). Katzav declined to address Yoffie as "Rabbi" because he's not Orthodox. Katzav, meanwhile, is under pressure to step down in a sex scandal. Karma?
8. Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamist breakaway sect, is arrested in Nevada after three months on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. He’s charged with sexual misconduct, accused of arranging multiple marriages between underage girls and older men. Boo to plural marriage! (See #5)
7. Rick Warren of Mega-church Saddleback defends clergy parsonage, a tax shelter for housing expenses that allows American clergymen and women and their families to live with dignity even while most remain overworked and underpaid.
6. Americans march on Washington to save Darfur, April 30, 2006. A large percentage of the demonstrators are Jewish. The march places momentary pressure on Washington, which responds effectively within days to reach an agreement with the largest militia, and then promptly gets back to tromping around Iraq. Meanwhile, the situation in Darfur continues to spiral out of control, while our government turns a blind eye.
5. Big Love on HBO. Three cheers for plural marriage!
4. The defeat of the anti-Darwin bill in Utah of all places - February, 2006.
3. Jimmy Carter's morally irresponsible book whose title is too offensive to reprint here, and, it should be noted, the backlash. As of this posting, fourteen advisers at the Carter Center have resigned in protest. Kol ha-Kavod!
2. The astonishing murder and freely given forgiveness among Pennsylvania's Amish.
1. Muslims take to violent protest in response to Danish cartoons, giving a great name to fundamentalist nutjobs everywhere. It's the funny pages, for God's sake!
So why not start with some lists?
We've just endured 2006 - here are the few things that made it better.
Every list is in order of preference, from least to most, from ten to one.
Since the official themes of this blog are at present Religion, Music, Food, and Wine, we'll feature one list for each of these. As a bonus, movies. And as a bonus to the bonus . . . there will be one more list. We'll be posting these over the next few days.
MY TOP TEN RELIGION STORIES OF 2006
The good, the bad, and the ugly. Guess which most of these would be?
10. A Muslim couple is ordered to divorce because the husband mumbled the Islamic divorce formula in his sleep.
9. President of Israel Moshe Katzav refuses to acknowledge Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism (representing the largest number of American Jews). Katzav declined to address Yoffie as "Rabbi" because he's not Orthodox. Katzav, meanwhile, is under pressure to step down in a sex scandal. Karma?
8. Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamist breakaway sect, is arrested in Nevada after three months on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. He’s charged with sexual misconduct, accused of arranging multiple marriages between underage girls and older men. Boo to plural marriage! (See #5)
7. Rick Warren of Mega-church Saddleback defends clergy parsonage, a tax shelter for housing expenses that allows American clergymen and women and their families to live with dignity even while most remain overworked and underpaid.
6. Americans march on Washington to save Darfur, April 30, 2006. A large percentage of the demonstrators are Jewish. The march places momentary pressure on Washington, which responds effectively within days to reach an agreement with the largest militia, and then promptly gets back to tromping around Iraq. Meanwhile, the situation in Darfur continues to spiral out of control, while our government turns a blind eye.
5. Big Love on HBO. Three cheers for plural marriage!
4. The defeat of the anti-Darwin bill in Utah of all places - February, 2006.
3. Jimmy Carter's morally irresponsible book whose title is too offensive to reprint here, and, it should be noted, the backlash. As of this posting, fourteen advisers at the Carter Center have resigned in protest. Kol ha-Kavod!
2. The astonishing murder and freely given forgiveness among Pennsylvania's Amish.
1. Muslims take to violent protest in response to Danish cartoons, giving a great name to fundamentalist nutjobs everywhere. It's the funny pages, for God's sake!
