Brian Hines
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oregonbrian.bsky.social
Brian Hines
@oregonbrian.bsky.social
80 followers 70 following 370 posts
Writer and blogger living in Salem, Oregon. Blogs are Church of the Churchless, Salem Political Snark, HinesSight. Books are Return to the One, Break Free of Dogma, Life is Fair, God's Whisper Creation's Thunder.
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oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Sometimes it seems strange to have given up on spiritual projects"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/some...
Sometimes it seems strange to have given up on spiritual projects
Change, even when it feels welcome, often has a way of seeming strange just because the old way of doing things had become so familiar. This is why my giving up on spiritual projects sometimes strikes...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:28 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Here's the 60 Minutes video about torture of migrants in El Salvador prison the Trump administration doesn't want you to see"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/here...
Here's the 60 Minutes video about torture of migrants in El Salvador prison the Trump administration doesn't want you to see - Salem Political Snark
Yesterday the CBS program, 60 Minutes, was scheduled to include a story about CECOT, the notorious prison in El Salvador that the Trump administration has been sending Venezuelan migrants to — falsely...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:40 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "A British attorney denies free will in saying no to "Could he have done otherwise?"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/a-br...
A British attorney denies free will in saying no to "Could he have done otherwise?"
Sometimes it helps to understand a subtle topic by reading what several different people have to say about it, since all of us resonate differently to the voices of a particular writer. So I’m going t...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:19 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Oregon beat James Madison by 17 points. So why do I feel so bad about the win?"
hinesblog.com/2025/12/oreg...
Oregon beat James Madison by 17 points. So why do I feel so bad about the win? - Hinessight
Football is a strange game. Well, all sports are. But it’s mainly in football that I can watch my favorite team win, yet feel almost like it was a loss. Conversely, I can watch my favorite team lose, ...
hinesblog.com
December 21, 2025 at 6:24 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Giving up blame and shame is a big benefit of not believing in free will"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/givi...
Giving up blame and shame is a big benefit of not believing in free will
For most people, me certainly included, blame is a two-edged sword. It can feel good to wield one edge against people we think have done something wrong (or lots of things wrong). Just to pull a name ...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:19 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Salem Mayor Julie Hoy refuses to admit to her ethics violation while five councilors victimized by her did"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/sale...
Salem Mayor Julie Hoy refuses to admit to her ethics violation, while five councilors victimized by Hoy did - Salem Political Snark
The title of a Salem Reporter story by Joe Siess pretty much says it all: “Mayor Julie Hoy stands alone as all councilors concede ethics violation.” Excerpt: Three more Salem City councilors who parti...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:43 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "RSSB and izzat -- honor culture"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/rssb...
RSSB and izzat - "honor culture"
Here’s another interesting guest post about Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) from the anonymous person who has shared other messages with me via the Contact form on this blog. Since they don’t use an a...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:03 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Sometimes it's necessary to do everything wrong in order to get something right"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/some...
Sometimes it's necessary to do everything wrong in order to get something right
Right. Wrong. We all use those words a lot. But often we don’t really understand what they mean. Most of us, me certainly included, typically view right and wrong as moral dichotomies. As in, Trump’s ...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:23 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Big news in our 2025 Christmas Letter: we're alive!"
hinesblog.com/2025/12/big-...
Big news in our 2025 Christmas letter: we're alive! - Hinessight
Every year about this time, out of the depths of my unconscious rises, unbidden, a theme for our Christmas Letter, a.k.a. Holiday Greetings. This year it was being alive — which used to be one of the ...
hinesblog.com
December 15, 2025 at 6:35 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Most spiritual teachers and gurus are ignorant of their subject matter"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/most...
Most spiritual teachers and gurus are ignorant of their subject matter
I’ve had lots of teachers in my life. In schools. In sports. In martial arts. In all kinds of other things. The common denominator that unites my teachers, the good ones at least, is that there knew a...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 14, 2025 at 6:19 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Five encouraging signs resistance to Trump is strengthening"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/five...
Five encouraging signs resistance to Trump is strengthening - Salem Political Snark
We have to suffer through Trump until January 2029, unless he leaves office early for a health or some other reason. That’s depressing. Good news is, there are increasing signs that Trump’s inherent l...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:34 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "If A.I. is thinking, this argues for the materialistic nature of human consciousness"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/if-a...
If A.I. is thinking, this argues for the materialistic nature of human consciousness
In my last post, “Landscape of Consciousness is an amazing web site that maps 350 theories of consciousness,” I said that I strongly believe that materialistic theories where the brain is viewed as th...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Councilors Nishioka and Nordyke admit wrongdoing to Ethics Commission even though Mayor Hoy was the chief wrongdoer"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/coun...
Councilors Nishioka and Nordyke admit wrongdoing to Ethics Commission even though Mayor Hoy was the chief wrongdoer - Salem Political Snark
Sadly, this is typical among elected officials these days. Those who have done something mildly wrong admit to it and apologize for the violation. Those who have something majorly wrong refuse to admi...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 11, 2025 at 7:04 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Landscape of Consciousness is an amazing web site that maps 350 theories of consciousness"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/land...
Landscape of Consciousness is an amazing web site that maps 350 theories of consciousness
If, like me, you’re fascinated by the phenomenon of consciousness, have your own favorite notion about what consciousness is and isn’t, yet are open to exploring other theories of consciousness, you’r...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:10 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Jasmine Crockett uses Trump insults as video kickoff for her Texas Senator campaign"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/jasm...
Jasmine Crockett uses Trump insults as video kickoff for her Texas Senator campaign - Salem Political Snark
Today Jasmine Crockett, a congresswoman from Texas, announced that she is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat currently occupied by John Cornyn, who is up for re-election in November...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:22 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, meets in jail with man accused of laundering drug money."
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/rssb...
RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, meets in jail with man accused of laundering drug money
Since I was a member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) for 35 years before becoming disillusioned with the organization, I occasionally get messages from people about their own dissatisfaction with R...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:09 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "I hugely enjoyed The American Revolution on PBS. And I'm not a big fan of documentaries."
hinesblog.com/2025/12/i-hu...
I hugely enjoyed The American Revolution on PBS. And I'm not a big fan of documentaries. - Hinessight
When I started watching The American Revolution on the Apple TV PBS app, I looked upon this as sort of a civic duty to see the newest documentary from the talented Ken Burns — especially since documen...
hinesblog.com
December 7, 2025 at 6:23 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "To suddenly realize life is precious because death is inevitable -- an atheist blessing"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/to-s...
To suddenly realize life is precious because death is inevitable -- an atheist blessing
I’ve had this feeling before. It happened to me today. I’m sure I’ll have it again. It comes with the territory of being alive. At least for me. My usual late afternoon dog walk with our Husky mix, Mo...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:16 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Add 'war crimes' and 'murder' to the long list of Trump administration atrocities"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/add-...
Add "war crimes" and "murder" to the long list of Trump administration atrocities - Salem Political Snark
President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth are adept at lying. But truth needs to have the last word, especially when the facts are so obvious about war crimes or murders being committed by the ...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:43 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Cause and effect may actually rule in the quantum realm according to a fresh theoretical approach"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/caus...
Cause and effect may actually rule in the quantum realm, according to a fresh theoretical approach
There’s something about a provocative unproven theory in physics that appeals to me much more than a provocative unproven theory in religion, mysticism, and spirituality in general. Probably it’s beca...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:36 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Salem City Council declares federal immigration enforcement emergency"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/12/sale...
Salem City Council declares federal immigration enforcement emergency - Salem Political Snark
Yesterday, December 1, the City Council approved a resolution with a lengthy title: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SALEM RECOGNIZING THAT A STATE OF EMERGENCY EXISTS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY DUE TO THE IMPAC...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:16 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "In Zen, faith, doubt, and energy are all pleasingly natural, not supernatural"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/12/in-z...
In Zen, faith, doubt, and energy are all pleasingly natural, not supernatural
In my religious believing days, what happened during my morning reading time today would have struck me as a message from God. Or at least a message from the universe. Now, I simply view it as a coinc...
churchofthechurchless.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:03 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "Trump's racism is on full display. Actually immigrants are more law-abiding than native born Americans."
salempoliticalsnark.com/2025/11/trum...
Trump's racism is on full display. Actually, immigrants are more law-abiding than native-born Americans. - Salem Political Snark
It’s a tragedy that two National Guard soldiers were critically injured (one has died) by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan refugee who served with the CIA prior to the withdrawal of United States force...
salempoliticalsnark.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:34 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "I critique how my 50 year old self thought about God from my 77 year old perspective"
churchofthechurchless.com/2025/11/i-cr...
I critique how my 50 year old self thought about God from my 77 year old perspective
Recently I wrote, Here I am, once again plugging my “Science, Spirit, and the Wisdom of Not-Knowing” essay. I noted that since I wrote that essay around 1998, when I was still a believer of the Easter...
churchofthechurchless.com
November 30, 2025 at 6:22 AM
oregonbrian.bsky.social
Tonight's blog post: "I didn't suffer in my vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner"
hinesblog.com/2025/11/i-di...
I didn't suffer in my vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner - Hinessight
When I became a vegetarian 57 years ago, at the age of 20, that was cause for concern among friends and family who thought I was depriving myself of an essential food group: meat and fish. That didn’t...
hinesblog.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:16 AM