Today’s blog is opening the electronic mailbag to answer some questions and respond to comments.

• Question from Scott and many others. “What is a blog?” Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts”, “posts”, or “entries”. The person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”.
  
• During my post about Peter Singer on Thursday, December 1st I offered membership in an organization to be called “The Rumps of the Know-Nothings”. That was a response to the description that Mr. Singer used to categorize religious people who hold onto outdated views of the sanctity of life. The bad news…only courageous reader Steve has joined my new organization. The good news…it will be easy to find a venue large enough for our meetings.
  
• Continuing with Mr.Singer I appreciate the clarification by reader Jonathon about Singer’s views on infanticide. Jonathon points out that Singer does not advocate infanticide in his book Practical Ethics if the parents want the baby. Jonathon did not seem to understand that the baby described in the post was my daughter. It is hard to imagine how conflicted your emotions are unless you have been there. I still believe that Singer’s philosophy would have leaned toward euthanizing my daughter because she took money and resources better used on children with a chance for personhood. I would argue that he has adopted the escape clause as a stepping stone to his overall vision that the sanctity of life is related to potential to contribute to society. I appreciate the clarity but remain terrified of the implications of his thinking.
  
• Reader Bridgette wondered about the reaction to the article in the Dallas Morning News entitled 10 ideas on the way out. The articles was the subject of posts on December 1st and 2nd. She was curious how such such controversial predictions would play in our little old Bible belt red state. The reaction was predictable. Many were outraged by the content but others were more perplexed by the people chosen to address those views. I suppose the purpose was to stir debate and controversy. Perhaps someday a blogger will dig out these predictions and see how they fared. I pray they were dreadfully wrong.
  
• Bridgette also pointed out an interesting website (www.jews4fairness.org) that defends Christians in the culture war. Check it out.
  
• The war over Christmas is giving me tired head.