Ezra's Essays

Category: 2012

  • EZRA’S OWN 700 CLUB

    When I was a child, my parents forced me to attend a succession of churches.  First there was the Southern Baptist, followed by the Nazarenes, followed by the Pentecostals and finally the Free Will Baptist Church.  During this period in life, as I have told you on many occasions, I disliked or rather loathed church…

  • DIVINE ECCLESIASTICAL THOUGHTS

    For those of you who follow the publication of books, there is a new one that you may wish to keep track of.  It is called “The Infancy Narratives,” and it was written by none other than Joseph Ratzinger, the head man of the Roman Catholic faith.  This is the third book in a trilogy…

  • WHY DID SAVITA HAVE TO DIE LIKE THIS?

    This essay has to do with the very recent death of an Indian woman who had moved to Galway, Ireland.  Her death has bothered me greatly.  The fact of the matter is that she did not have to die.  As it turns out Savita is dead and the authorities are doing nothing about it.  During…

  • TOO JUST RIGHT

    At this point I have written a few essays beyond the 700 mark.  It is possible that it is a repeat of an earlier essay, but I doubt it. And in any case, it is a pleasant memory which obviously bears repeating. In 1955 my employer decided that he had a promotion for me and…

  • HAVE AMERICANS GONE SOFT?

    In the late 1940s, I found myself in Boston.  I had always thought of Boston as being among one of the cooler climes.  But this was in August and I found myself sweating profusely.  As a final resort, I repaired to a movie theater that offered some sort of cooling.  I am not sure at…

  • GETTING KISSED

    As soon as I could after the war, I returned to work for the AT&T Corporation in St. Louis.  It may not have been the wisest move I ever made but Congress had passed a law that provided that those of us who had worked in industry prior to military service should be reinstated. AT&T…

  • PURGATORY

    This essay about Purgatory comes about because of my insatiable curiosity.  It is not meant as a diatribe against the Catholic belief.  On the other hand, it is meant to determine what is meant by Purgatory and what we must do while we are here on Earth to enjoy the benefits or lack of benefits…

  • BAD NEWS FOR THE ULTRA PIOUS

    If my reading of the calendar is right, today would mark a very bad day for the ultra pious in our midst.  Two things have gone violently astray.  On this day the President of the United States finally ended his evolving soul searching and announced that he would no longer oppose weddings of gay people. …

  • THE POWER OF PRAYER (THREE)

    As I am a non-believer in religious exercises, it may seem unbecoming for a fellow with my mind bent to raise the issue of the power of prayer. In this essay I do so not with an accusatory sense of purpose. My interest is purely curiosity. I do not wish to deride those who believe…

  • THE ULTIMATE DECIDER

    A good many years ago my eldest brother married a woman named Rose Wilson. Rose may have been the kindest woman known to mankind. As my mother would have said, “She had a big heart.” Although I did not see much of Rose because of my living in Kansas City, Chicago, and New York, I…