We’re enjoying an Indian Summer here in Galway county, and I’ve been wandering my land with the camera to prove it. It shouldn’t be 22 degrees in September, but nobody’s complaining. As you can see, the garden is behaving as if it’s June. I’d like to take credit for this riot of colour, and for the herb garden and the bursting polytunnel, but credit where it’s due: it’s all my wife’s work. I’m too busy sitting in front of this keyboard.
But it’s your turn to do some typing now. The Abbey’s monthly salon is your opportunity to choose a topic of conversation and engage each other in it. So please do dive in, especially if you don’t usually comment here. I like to keep things fresh. Talk about anything you want and let’s see what happens.
Before I go, a quick reminder that I have some speaking events coming up in the next month, including my forthcoming American road trip, which is one reason I am in front of this keyboard so much right now. In date order:
I’ll be in Dublin in ten days, to speak at the conference of Orthodox Fellowship Ireland.
I’ll be talking about resisting the Machine in Birmingham, Alabama.
I’ll be in conversation with Rod Dreher about my Christian journey and his new book, in the same place the next day.
I’ll be talking about Christianity and nature in Buffalo, NY.
I’ll be giving the Erasmus Lecture in New York City, where I’ll be arguing the case against ‘Christian civilisation.’
Some of those need to be booked in advance: click on the links to find out. Perhaps I’ll see some of you there.
With that: over to you!
Creepy development in the continuing aggressive de-humanization of medicine. In the latest issue of JAMA, one of the most prestigious medical journals, a team of doctors from Harvard, Stanford, and NYU warn of the grave dangers patients face in those parts of the country where the only medical care available is provided by religiously affiliated hospitals (Catholic, Baptist, and others). This makes it so much harder for families in those neighborhoods to trans their kids! The authors dub these areas, and I swear I’m not making this up, “religious monopolies,” and brainstorm ways the federal government can destroy them.
More here:
https://gaty.substack.com/p/when-the-job-descriptions-for-doctors
Is there anything more holy than people coming together to sing?