News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Tuesday December 23rd 2025
Dickens Fellowship Meets in Phillips
“Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him!” ”¦ Charles Dickens
Don”'t put off enjoyment for another day of a good conversation about the writing and musings of a great writer of the past; Charles Dickens.
A new Dickens book club began in October reading and discussing Dicken”'s novel The Old Curiosity Shop and new people are still welcome at the next meeting November 11th, 7 PM to 9 PM and following second Mondays of each month.
The Old Curiosity Shop was one of two novels published in his weekly serial Master Humphrey”'s Clock, from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final installment arrived. The Old Curiosity Shop was printed as a separate book in 1841. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London. This early novel is filled with activities of all kinds””eating and drinking, meeting and talking, washing and dressing. In addition, scenes reveal sleeping and travelling, visiting theaters, resting at inns, and attending shows. For many people this is essential Dickens ”“ a masterful story of sentiment, beauty, and tenderness. Queen Victoria read the novel in 1841, finding it “very interesting and cleverly written.”… Read the rest “Dickens Fellowship Meets in Phillips”
Who Should We Vote For?
By Peter Molenaar
For the fun of it, I”'d like readers to take a Wikipedia adventure. Start with the 17th century philosopher named Baruch Spinoza. Follow the links. A history of philosophy and theology will be revealed. For entertainment, this course almost competes with post season baseball. Trust me.
As it happened, owing to his contemplative prescience, our good Spinoza found matter and mind to be of one and the same substance. He was then a ”˜monist”' as opposed to a mind-body ”˜dualist”'. In his view, God and nature are pantheistically synonymous.
However, in my view: 1.) ”˜Matter”' is all that exists independent of and outside of consciousness 2.) Matter is primary, i.e., consciousness is a product of the evolution of matter 3.) Matter is ”˜dialectical”', i.e., matter exists in motion as a unity of opposing forces. 4.) The content of consciousness is a more or less “approximate reflection” of objective reality. Oh my, well okay. What I really like about Spinoza is his ”˜determinism”', i.e., his understanding that all phenomena emerge in the multi-faceted context of a never ending sequence of cause and effect. After all, Jesus once uttered: “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”
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November 2013 Spirit of Phillips
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