Conlin's Corner

My entire life as a Philadelphia Eagles fan—indeed, my entire life—has been punctuated by an all-too-familiar, smug question: “How many Lombardi Trophies have the Eagles won?” Variations of this question abound.                “How many Super Bowls?”                “How many rings?” We get it. The asker has always known the answer. Until early 2018, it was a big, fat zero. These questions were never sincere. They were wielded like weapons, meant to end arguments, induce embarrassment, or assert superiority. No matter how good a season the Eagles were having—or how disastrous things looked for their rivals—the simple truth that the Eagles hadn’t won a Super Bowl rendered all other achievements irrelevant in the eyes of the interrogator. Fast forward to today. A full season and one preseason removed from the Eagles’ first Super Bowl victory, I can say this with all sincerity: I never needed that t...

Why the Ten Commandments are for atheists, too The First Commandment      There is a natural divide between the first three and the last seven commandments.  While seven through ten take aim at how people should treat each other, the first three are much more concerned with humanity's relationship with God. Because of this, these are commandments that atheists and agnostics would typically have little interest in.  However, after some reflection (even prayer), it becomes clear that these three can help lead anyone, believer or nonbeliever, in a positive direction.      Let's have a look... I, the Lord, am your God … You shall not have other gods besides me. I live in Wilmington, Delaware. About ten years ago, there was a frightening pattern of violence in our city that had been sparked by drug deals and territorial strife. I opened the newspaper one Sunday and read an interview with a terribly depressed woman who had lost several of h...