Timeless Perspectives on Events, Science & Religion: Select Essays from Onward | Upward

By Skip Johnson

In 2021 and most of 2022, Skip Johnson wrote a popular weekly newsletter that one of his readers described as “truth disguised as opinion.” The newsletter, titled Onward|Upward, focused on current events, gee-whiz science and religion, and although many of his posts dealt with topical issues, many others offered timeless insights into all three subjects. This small book, “Timeless Perspectives on Events, Science and Religion,” is a collection of his readers’ favorites.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Skip Johnson
• Release date: Jan 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215691458

Skip Johnson

Skip Johnson took early retirement in 1991 after a 30-year career as an award-winning reporter, columnist and editor for various East Coast newspapers and a wire service.During the 1960s he was a member of an Associated Press team that focused on covering the desegregation of Alabama and northwest Florida, plus a special assignment to help cover the desegregation of the University of Mississippi.Skip returned to daily newspapers in 1970, and reportorial positions he held after that include space writer for The Orlando Sentinel during the Apollo (first man on moon) space program, and later chief political writer for The Orlando Sentinel; state capital bureau chief and political columnist for The Tampa Tribune; political columnist for Brevard Today, on Florida’s Space Coast; and feature writer and religion columnist for The News and Courier of Charleston, S.C.Editorial positions included religion editor of The News and Courier, state editor of The Tampa Tribune, night city editor of The News and Courier, city editor of The Herald-Statesman of Yonkers, N.Y., and managing editor of The Standard-Times of New Bedford, Mass.Since retiring, Skip has written two eBooks - The Year 2020: A Day-By-Day Diary of a Debacle, and Timeless Perspectives on Events, Science & Religion: Select Essays from Onward | Upward; and two nonfiction books – The Gospel of Yeshua: A Fresh Look at the Life and Teaching of Jesus, and A Charleston Primer for Yankees: History with a Southern Accent. He also has edited motion picture scripts that won awards in international competition.He and his wife, Sue, have two daughters and four grandsons. They live in Charleston.

Book preview

Timeless Perspectives on Events, Science & Religion

Select Essays from Onward |Upward

By Skip Johnson

Copyright 2023 Skip Johnson

Smashwords Edition

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INTRODUCTION

Beginning in September 2021, I wrote a weekly online newsletter titled Onward|Upward that focused on current events, gee-whiz science and religion. I stopped writing it in November 2022 because it was distributed by a platform named Revue, which was owned by Twitter, which Elon Musk bought, and of which I wanted no part.So, as many other writers did, I closed it down.And we were right to do so.Twitter canceled Revue a few weeks later.

Most of the posts were topical, but a few were timeless.The collection in this book are the timeless ones.

I especially call your attention to Scrying and the Hypnogogic State of Mind, which drew the highest number of readers of any newsletter I ever wrote.My personal favorites are The Real Reality and Life on Earth Would Seem Impossible, Except Here We Are, which are guaranteed to blow your mind, and which drew the most responses of any non-political newsletters I ever wrote.Christians may find some surprises in Did Jesus’ Resurrection Really Happen? and The Bible Doesn’t Say That.

All the newsletters presented here are exactly as originally published, including the headlines.I was tempted to reword some sections, such as the one titled Labor Day Syndrome on why we should rethink holidays.It begins, Today Is Labor Day, and the chances that anyone will read this on a Labor Day are approximately 364 to one.I also was sorely tempted to rewrite all the headlines because most of the originals were written as short as possible to fit into email descriptions.But, my advisers persuaded me otherwise, so nothing has changed from the original.Nothing.

As for the posts that were topical and therefore not included in this collection, most of them focused on the 2022 midterm elections and in that sense they are all dated now.But, strangely, with the 2024 presidential elections right around the corner, they also speak very loudly about what is happening today.You are welcome to peruse those newsletters, free of charge, by downloading the pdf file on my website: GrowPurpose.com/SkipJohnson

But be warned: If you like Donald J. Trump and/or the MAGA Republicans, you will not like those columns.You will despise them.But you should read them anyway to see a side of reporting you never see on Fox News, Breitbart or the like.You especially will be interested in A Shoutout for Liberals and Socialists because it specifically describes you.I would love to hear your reply.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: A Shoutout for Liberals & Socialists

CHAPTER 2: Don’t Blame the News Media For Reflecting Our Desires

CHAPTER 3: Has Armageddon Begun?

CHAPTER 4: Labor Day Syndrome

CHAPTER 5: Needed: A New National Anthem

CHAPTER 6: The Real Reality

CHAPTER 7: #GeeWhizScience : UFOs From Outer Space? Possible!

CHAPTER 8: #GeeWhizScience: Life on Earth Would Seem Impossible – Except Here We Are

CHAPTER 9: #GeeWhizScience: How to Travel Back in Time

CHAPTER 10: Scrying, and the Hypnogogic State of Mind

CHAPTER 11: Anti-Abortion Christians Must Explain Themselves

CHAPTER 12: The Bible Doesn’t Say That

CHAPTER 13: Did Jesus’ Resurrection Really Happen?

CHAPTER 14: Religion’s Decline Is Sad for Everyone

CHAPTER 1: A Shoutout for Liberals & Socialists

When many Republicans use the words liberal and socialist, they spit them out almost as if they were obscenities. And when they speak of capitalism, they speak in almost reverent terms.

Liberals? The Godless left out to destroy the world.

Socialism? A curse on whomever and whatever it touches.

Capitalism? The savior of humanity.

But there’s another side to all of that. Let’s take them one at a time.

Begin with liberals. I’m a liberal and proud of it, and you should be too. Liberals won the