Sister Agnes Sasagawa, Akita, and the Fire From the Sky Warning (opens in new tab)

There are certain religious stories that modern educated people react to with immediate, involuntary facial expressions. Not thoughts. Not arguments. Facial expressions. A tightening around the mouth. A tiny retreat of the eyes. The expression people make when someone at dinner calmly explains that crystals cured their thyroid condition or that their golden retriever understands Swedish. The Akita story produces this expression in otherwise civilized people. Partly because it involves Marian ...