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Sin & Cinema

People are basically good, right? It’s a truism drilled into us by any number of self-help books, magazines, talk-show hosts, and pop therapy. When, from time to time, people do terrible things to each other or themselves, we are assured that just the right combination of education, medication, . . . . Continue Reading »

The Things That Remain

The Things That RemainDylan's Vision of Sin.by Christopher Ricks. Ecco  517 pp. $26.95reviewed by Sean CurnynIn October 1985, Bob Dylan was interviewed on television, and among the questions posed was this: “There have been times when born-again Christianity, orthodox Judaism, both of those . . . . Continue Reading »

“Father, Forgive Them”

The first word from the cross: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Christians call them the Triduum Sacru, the three most sacred days of the year, the three most sacred days of all time when time is truly told. Maundy Thursday, so called because that night before he was betrayed . . . . Continue Reading »

The Banality of Sin

The Seven Deadly Sins: Jewish, Christian, and Classical Reflections on Human Nature by solomon schimmel free press, 298 pages, $22.95 Professor of Jewish Education and Psychology at the Hebrew College, Boston, and a practicing psychologist, Solomon Schimmel here addresses the theme of the seven . . . . Continue Reading »

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