Speaking of Incredible Minds

At seven minutes long it is a big video but absolutely worth the time. The man, Stephen Wiltshire, will draw a 360 degree landscape of Tokyo from memory.  For a little reference look at my banner photo which is of one tiny area of Tokyo.  Now draw it in detail and no peeking!

Yokohama Christ Church

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20071105p2a00m0na028000c.html

This is an Anglican church that I have walked past but never entered because it was closed! On a Sunday afternoon at that. Being Catholic Im used to churches being open at least 9-5 so it came as a great surprise to me while sightseeing in that area of Yokohama to find that this chuch was closed. I was also surprised to read that the church had been attacked by arsonists in 2005. Heres a link to their website if interested

http://www2.gol.com/users/stuart/christch.html

Einstein and the Catholic Church

I had no idea he said these nice things about the Church until I read this article

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,765103,00.html

If the link doesn’t work the time is WWII in Nazi Germany and the quote is as follows

the best tribute to the spirit of Germany’s Christians comes from a Jew and agnostic (TIME, Sept. 23) — the world’s most famous scientist, Albert Einstein. Says he:

“Being a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but, no, the universities immediately were silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks. . . .

“Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.”

Fr. Gereon Goldmann

 In the early 1960s, Fr. Gereron Goldmann, a Franciscan stationed in Tokyo, felt moved by the Spirit to write his autobiography. Who was this Father Gereron, who the Japanese people knew only as a saintly priest? He was a former officer in Hitler’s personal dreaded SS!

from

http://www.catholiccompany.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=407

I havent bought the book yet as I had bookmarked the page on amazon then forgot about it for months until just now.  It is my loss as his story sounds so incredible and remarkable I wouldn’t believe it unless he had actually written the book!   The book is titled The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldmann and is available on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-His-Wings-Gereon-Goldmann/dp/0898707749

If you want to see what he looks like there is a photo on the cover of his book here

 http://www.amazon.de/T%C3%B6dliche-Schatten-Tr%C3%B6stendes-Anhang-Lumpensammler/dp/3830671385

26 Martyrs Museum & Ugly Church

Since I have not been to Nagasaki the closest I will get for now is the museum website here.  http://www.26martyrs.com/  Very interesting to look around but am disappointed by the ugly church built in 1962.