SUBJECT: RELIGION AND LITERATURE!!!!!!!

Fifty years ago today, Clive Staples Lewis departed these Shadowlands for his eternal home.  A memorial plaque is being dedicated today in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey in London.

O God of searing truth and surpassing beauty, we give you thanks for Clive Staples Lewis, whose sanctified imagination lights fires of faith in young and old alike. Surprise us also with your joy and draw us into that new and abundant life which is ours in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Clive Staples (Jack) Lewis, pray for us! (November 29th 1898 - November 22nd, 1963)

Blessings,

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: LITERATURE!!!!!!!

What do you make of Joseph Pearce?

Greetings and salutations to the stadium-sized crowd that follows this blog!

I have a question directed primarily at two groups:  my Catholic friends, and my English Literature friends -- realizing that there is a fair amount of overlap!

Joseph Pearce is an English author currently residing in the United States.  He is a convert to the Catholic Church, having formerly been active in a rather nasty white supremacist group in the UK prior to his conversion.  His specialty is, allegedly, English (and usually Catholic) literary biography.  He has been featured on EWTN; has published with Ignatius Press (a publishing house I greatly respect) and has an upcoming autobiography about to be published by TAN Publications -- a VERY conservative and quite traditional Catholic publishing house.

I first came across Pearce around 2000 when I posted a review on Amazon.com regarding his book "Tolkien:  Man and Myth" -- a book which I found to be unoriginal -- at best; relying extremely heavily on uncited material from Humphrey Carpenter's authorized biography  Frankly, I don't think that sections of the book would pass muster with Turnitin.com -- the anti-plagiarizing software I use in my university classes.  Another Amazon.com reviewer who goes by the name "FYI" reviewed the same book -- and went into a great deal more detail in documenting word-for-word plagiarism in numerous circumstances.  (FYI, if you read this, please feel free to jump in!)

In 2003, he wrote a book on CS Lewis, trying to uncover why Lewis never converted to the Catholic Church -- and that book, too,  has had its critics, mostly regarding facts about Lewis that Pearce conveniently ignored, or emphasizing what Lewis minimized (and vise verse)

In 2008, he wrote a book arguing the evidence that William Shakespeare was, in fact, a recusant -- a "closet" Catholic in anti-Catholic Elizabethan England.  A number of scholars have strongly suggested this possibility, and there has been an academic debate on this matter for years.  Shortly after the book was published, a negative review was published by "First Things" magazine.  Pearce wrote an absolutely vitriolic piece against the reviewer which was, functionally, little less than an ad hominim attack.  This appears to have continued to be his modus operandi with scholars who disagree with him.

More recently, a "biography" of GK Chesterton has been published -- immediately on the heels of the publication of the foremost academic and critical biography of Chesterton ever written (by the noted scholar Fr. Ian Ker.)

Pearce seems to be quite popular in the world of Catholic apologetics; he has spoken in many venues, on topics like Tolkien's Catholicism and its influence on "The Lord of the Rings" (I suspect that Tolkien would be rolling over in his grave with the ridiculous allegorical implications Pearce insists on finding) and Shakespeare's likely Catholicism (an opinion with which I am reasonably sympathetic, but not fully convinced).  In his upcoming autobiography, TAN Publications lists Pearce as "the world's foremost Catholic biographer" which is, in my view patently absurd.

Here's the rub:

What are Pearce's scholarly credentials?  Of course, one does not need to be a scholar to have an informed opinion -- but if one is going to attack and ridicule other scholars in the field, one really should have the credentials to do so.  I have scoured the web, and have been unable to come up with any scholarly background which would make me want to take him seriously -- much less as an expert.  (Especially as an expert on Tolkien -- a subject I know just a bit about!)  He has been affiliated with a number of very small (and extremely conservative) Catholic colleges as a "writer-in-residence" -- but even on the website of the college with which he is currently affiliated (St. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts) no academic or scholarly credentials are provided.

Call me crazy -- but somehow, this does not pass the "smell" test to me.

Anyone have any insights?

Vigorous discussion desired; flame-throwing will be moderated.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: PROFOUND, DEEP THEOLOGY!!!!!!!

The "Epilogue" to JRR Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories"  (emphasis mine)

Epilogue

This ”joy” which I have selected as the mark of the true fairy-story (or romance), or as the seal upon it, merits more consideration.

Probably every writer making a secondary world, a fantasy, every sub-creator, wishes in some measure to be a real maker, or hopes that he is drawing on reality: hopes that the peculiar quality of this secondary world (if not all the details) are derived from Reality, or are flowing into it. If he indeed achieves a quality that can fairly be described by the dictionary definition: “inner consistency of reality,” it is difficult to conceive how this can be, if the work does not in some way partake of reality. The peculiar quality of the ”joy” in successful Fantasy can thus be explained as a sudden glimpse of the underlying reality or truth. It is not only a “consolation” for the sorrow of this world, but a satisfaction, and an answer to that question, “Is it true?” The answer to this question that I gave at first was (quite rightly): “If you have built your little world well, yes: it is true in that world.” That is enough for the artist (or the artist part of the artist). But in the “eucatastrophe” we see in a brief vision that the answer may be greater—it may be a far-off gleam or echo of evangelium in the real world. The use of this word gives a hint of my epilogue. It is a serious and dangerous matter.  It is presumptuous of me to touch upon such a theme; but if by grace what I say has in any respect any validity, it is, of course, only one facet of a truth incalculably rich: finite only because the capacity of Man for whom this was done is finite.

I would venture to say that approaching the Christian Story from this direction, it has long been my feeling (a joyous feeling) that God redeemed the corrupt making-creatures, men, in a way fitting to this aspect, as to others, of their strange nature. The Gospels contain a fairystory, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. They contain many marvels—peculiarly artistic, beautiful, and moving: “mythical” in their perfect, selfcontained significance; and among the marvels is the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe. But this story has entered History and the primary world; the desire and aspiration of sub-creation has been raised to the fulfillment of Creation. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man's history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy. It has pre-eminently the “inner consistency of reality.” There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many sceptical men have accepted as true on its own merits. For the Art of it has the supremely convincing tone of Primary Art, that is, of Creation. To reject it leads either to sadness or to wrath.

It is not difficult to imagine the peculiar excitement and joy that one would feel, if any specially beautiful fairy-story were found to be “primarily” true, its narrative to be history, without thereby necessarily losing the mythical or allegorical significance that it had possessed. It is not difficult, for one is not called upon to try and conceive anything of a quality unknown. The joy would have exactly the same quality, if not the same degree, as the joy which the “turn” in a fairy-story gives: such joy has the very taste of primary truth. (Otherwise its name would not be joy.) It looks forward (or backward: the direction in this regard is unimportant) to the Great Eucatastrophe. The Christian joy, the Gloria, is of the same kind; but it is preeminently (infinitely, if our capacity were not finite) high and joyous. But this story is supreme; and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of men—and of elves. Legend and History have met and fused.

But in God's kingdom the presence of the greatest does not depress the small. Redeemed Man is still man. Story, fantasy, still go on, and should go on. The Evangelium has not abrogated legends; it has hallowed them, especially the “happy ending.” The Christian has still to work, with mind as well as body, to suffer, hope, and die; but he may now perceive that all his bents and faculties have a purpose, which can be redeemed. So great is the bounty with which he has been treated that he may now, perhaps, fairly dare to guess that in Fantasy he may actually assist in the effoliation and multiple enrichment of creation. All tales may come true; and yet, at the last, redeemed, they may be as like and as unlike the forms that we give them as Man, finally redeemed, will be like and unlike the fallen that we know.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!! & LITERATURE!!!!!!!

O God of searing truth and surpassing beauty, we give you thanks for Clive Staples Lewis, whose sanctified imagination lights fires of faith in young and old alike. Surprise us also with your joy and draw us into that new and abundant life which is ours in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Clive Staples (Jack) Lewis, pray for us! (November 29th 1898 - November 22nd, 1963)

Blessings,

Papa Z. (and thanks to Fr. John for the Collect!)

SUBJECT: HISTORY!!! & LITERATURE!!!

Enter the KING

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

HAPPY ST. CRISPIN'S DAY, EVERYONE!!!

Blessings,

Papa Z.

Non nobis domine, domine,

Non nobis domine,

Sed nomini, sed nomini

tuo da gloriam.

SUBJECT: FOOD AND DRINK (AND LITERATURE)!!!

Greetings, greetings, my fellow hobbits!

Tomorrow we will be celebrating, albeit two days late, the birthdays of our illustrious ancestors Bilbo and Frodo Baggins!

It will snow food and rain drink!

There will be:

Hot Soup (Hobbit Bean Soup)

Roast Beef

Yorkshire Pudding

Fresh Bread

Sweet Cream Butter

Cheese (a wonderful Wisconsin "Tilston Point" -- based on the English Stilton -- and purchased locally)

Fruit Tarts

AND . . .

A MIGHTY DISH OF MUSHROOMS AND BACON!!!!!

All lovingly served by your host, Drogo Moss, of Lake-by-Downs in the Shire!

There will also be a reading from the Red Book concerning A Long-Expected Party!

I have no doubt that a good time will be had by all!

Sincerely,

Drogo Moss

(aka Papa Z)

SUBJECT: LITERATURE!!!

One of my favorite novels is That Hideous Strength by CS Lewis. I've even used it as a textbook in a couple of college-level theology classes.

I suspect that many of the (eight) readers of this blog are also familiar with the book.

I want to pose a question to those (eight) readers -- and this next statement is a spoiler for anyone who has not read the book.

Who succeeded Dr. Elwin Ransom Fisher-King as the Pendragon? We're told toward the very end of the book that he was the latest in a long line spanning many, many centuries -- and that his successor would be revealed. Yet Lewis closes the novel without a successor being named.

If you've read the novel, I'd really like your opinion on this! Who was the successor -- and why did you choose this character?

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: FOOD AND DRINK!!! AND LITERATURE!!!

Greetings to all my fellow hobbits!

Tomorrow is, as you know, the anniversary of the birthday of those most illustrious hobbits, Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo Baggins! May you celebrate with food and drink with those you love, never forgetting to read the Account of the Eleventy First Birthday Party from the Red Book!

The Zampino hobbits of Delavan celebrated yesterday, as a dear friend has his birthday on the 22nd -- and his son and daughter-in-law could come yesterday.

We had:

Fresh bread with butter and cheese (really GOOD cheese!)

15 bean soup with ham

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

AND A MIGHTY DISH OF MUSHROOMS AND BACON!!!

My eldest daughter made fruit tarts (apple, cherry and blueberry) for dessert.

And there was Boddington's Pub Ale!

It was a most splendid occasion!

Blessings to all -- and may the hair on your toes never fall out!

Papa Z

SUBJECT: LITERATURE!!!

Today would have been the 105th birthday of Dr. Seuss! The school attached to the parish where I work served "Green Eggs and Ham" for lunch! And Google has changed its nameplate today in the good Doctor's honor!

I don't know about you, my eight faithful readers, but Dr. Seuss was a delight for me as a child and is just as much a delight for me now that I am a father myself! (I might add that his book for adults -- "The Seven Lady Godivas" is wonderfully hysterical! And no, it's not "R" rated! Just think Dr. Seuss' humor, and extrapolate!)

Rest in Peace, Dr. Seuss -- and THANKS!

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

With best wishes for a blessed Epiphany season, I offer the following from T. S. Eliot:

Journey of the Magi

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times when we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wineskins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, 1936-2009

Go forth, O Christian soul out of this world.

In the Name of the Father who created you.

In the Name of the Son who redeemed you.

In the Name of the Spirit who sanctified you.

May your rest this day be in peace, and your dwelling be in the presence of God.

The Catholic world has lost a giant of the faith. Please see the following from Whispers in the Loggia

and

First Things

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

Dear friends,

As we wind down this Christmas season, I offer a portion of W.H. Auden's "Christmas Oratorio". I find it appropriate at this time.

Well, so that is that.
Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes -
Some have got broken - and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week -
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted - quite unsuccessfully -
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.
The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays. The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this. To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened. Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.
And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,
We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit
Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose
Would be some great suffering. So, once we have met the Son,
We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;
“Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake.”
They will come, all right, don’t worry; probably in a form
That we do not expect, and certainly with a force
More dreadful than we can imagine. In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance. The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practice his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith
That God’s Will will be done,
That, in spite of her prayers,
God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION AND LITERATURE!!!

The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrosphe of Man's history.

"On Fairy Stories"

JRR Tolkien

Papa Z

SUBJECT: BOOKS!!! (And Illustrations!!!)

Yes, I know I'm a bit behind the times, but I recently learned of the death of Pauline Baynes. She died a few days short of her 86th birthday. For those amongst my six readers who may not be familiar with her, you would probably recognize her work. Pauline was the illustrator for JRR Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham", "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", and "Smith of Wooten Major" among other works. At Tolkien's suggestion, she was also engaged by CS Lewis to illustrate "The Chronicles of Narnia".

Anyway, I'd like to draw the attention of my readers to the very fine obituary written by Brian Sibley and posted on his blog.

http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/pauline-baynes-queen-of-narnia-middle.html

Pauline Baynes -- "Further Up and Further In". Rest in peace.

Papa Z

SUBJECT: POLITICS!!!

Come Nineveh, Come Tyre.

Allen Drury -- 1973

SUBJECT: POLITICS!!! (AND GOOD BOOKS!!!)

For the most part, I have refrained from discussing partisan politics in this blog. I personally am an Independent -- a decision I made some 10 years ago when I was ordained a priest in the CEC. I wanted to feel like I had the freedom to comment upon individuals or particular issues without people feeling that I had partisan motivations for doing so. For the most part, I have never regretted that decision.

I do want to offer a few comments however about the upcoming Presidential election. And I want to do so by referring my six readers to the late author Allen Drury (1918-1998). Drury was, arguably, the father of the modern political novel and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1959 for his book "Advise and Consent". Drury was also a professional journalist who worked for UPI, the New York Times and the Washington Star.

In "Advise and Consent", and in the following three novels, Drury introduced his readers to a Washington in the midst of the Cold War; an era in which the "well meaning" liberal intelligentsia of the day preached a doctrine of total appeasement to the Soviets and engaged in a great deal of "blame America first". The novels followed the careers of two politicians: one, a young energetic, inexperienced, naive governor who can't (or won't) control the violent thugs who (in the name of peace) are promoting his candidacy for the Presidency. The second, an older somewhat curmudgeonly former Senator and Secretary of State who is not so polished in his speaking -- but who sees the Soviet threat for exactly what it is. The fourth novel, "Preserve and Protect", ends with one of these two candidates being assassinated -- but does not tell us which one. Drury then goes on to write two sequels: "Come Ninevah, come Tyre: The Presidency of Edwin Jason" and "The Promise of Joy: The Presidency of Orrin Knox".

Although now certainly somewhat dated, the heart behind Drury's writing is every bit as applicable today as when first written. Indeed his next to last novel, "A Thing of State", published in 1995, warned of the dangers of Islamic terrorism -- and the similar naivete of the press and blind politicians.

In this election, we have a choice between a candidate who speaks in sound bites; who has a long list of shady characters (at best) as friends and advisors; and who has no real experience in dealing with the wider world -- and a candidate who is percieved as grumpy and curmudgeonly, who is certainly not as polished, and who doesn't draw the adoring masses -- but who understands the national and international security issues facing our nation at this point in time.

For me, the choice is clear.

Think about it.


As a public service, here is my own guide to Allen Drury's fiction:

The Advise and Consent Series:

• Advise and Consent (1959) -- Winner of the Pulitzer Prize -- a novel about the United States Senate

• A Shade of Difference (1962) -- a novel about the United Nations -- and race relations -- years before the civil rights movement -- and a sequel to Advise and Consent
  

• Capable of Honor (1966) -- a novel about the press -- and a sequel to A Shade of Difference
  

• Preserve and Protect (1968) -- a novel about violence used for political purposes -- and a sequel to Capable of Honor
  

• Come Nineveh, Come Tyre (1973) -- the first of two possible sequels to Preserve and Protect
  

• The Promise of Joy (1975) -- the second of two possible sequels to Preserve and Protect

The Mark Coffin USS Series:

• Mark Coffin, U. S. S. (1979) -- a novel about a newly elected senator and the struggles of his early days in office.
  

• The Hill of Summer (1981) -- a novel about the rise of two leaders -- a vice-president, assuming presidential duties upon the death of his predecessor; and a Soviet premier: young, energetic, and ruthless. This book continues the characters in Mark Coffin.
  

• The Roads of Earth (1984) -- a sequel to The Hill of Summer -- predicting, with a certain prophetic accuracy, the decline of communism in eastern Europe.
  

Other Political Novels:

• The Throne of Saturn (1970) -- a novel about the politics of the space race; arguably one of Drury's best
  

• Anna Hastings (1977) -- a novel about a most colorful newspaper magnate
  

• Decision (1983) -- a novel about the Supreme Court
  

• Pentagon (1986) -- a novel about the Pentagon, and the politicization of the military
  

• A Thing of State (1995) -- a novel about the dangers of Islamic extremist terrorism
  

University Novels:

• Toward What Bright Glory? (1990) -- a novel set at Stanford University following the members of one particular fraternity
  

• Into What Far Harbour? (1993) -- a sequel to Toward What Bright Glory?, following the extended careers of the main characters
  

• Public Men (1998) -- another sequel examining the main characters some 50+ years following the events in the first book
  

Novels of Ancient Egypt:

• A God Against the Gods (1976) -- a novel dealing with the events of the late 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt

• Return to Thebes (1977) -- a sequel to A God Against the Gods

Other Novels:

• That Summer (1965) -- a rather forgettable novel about angst in California

• The Destiny Makers (1988) -- I HAVE NO EARTHLY IDEA!!!

Papa Z

SUBJECT: BOOKS!!!

Much to the great frustration of my wife, I have a passion for books. I love to read them -- and to collect them.

Here's a question for my faithful readers -- all six of them!

What are your favorite books, and what books have made the greatest impact on your lives? (Not including Sacred Scripture -- let's assume that as a given!)

I'll start:

1) The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

2) The Office of Peter and the Structure of the Church by Hans Urs von Balthasar

3) The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon

Boy, a shrink would have fun with THAT list!

There are others -- but this is good for a start!

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

Faithful readers . . . (all six of you! :-) )

Recently, I was asked by a local pastor to write a few words on "The Golden Compass". My review has subsequently been distributed to literally hundreds of parishes, schools, and ministries all over the United States. I thought it might be of interest here.

On December 7^th, the movie adaptation of Philip Pullman’s novel “The Golden Compass” – the first volume of “His Dark Materials” trilogy – will be released. With the stunning successes of “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe”, and the various “Harry Potter” movies, expectations are high that “The Golden Compass” will also be a box-office hit. Many parents will, no doubt, be strongly pressured by their young children to see the film and will subsequently purchase the novel and its sequels.

At the same time, serious concerns have been raised from a number of sources about both the intentions of the author and of the appropriateness of the novel’s content, especially for persons of faith. As both a parent and as an expert in science fiction and fantasy literature, I was asked to read “The Golden Compass” and to try to address some of these concerns.

First, and foremost, Philip Pullman is an outspoken atheist. He has openly admitted that his books are about “killing God”. Indeed, in the final volume of the trilogy, several characters do “kill God”. The protagonists of the story (pre-adolescent children) spend much of their time fighting off the evil machinations of “The Magisterium” – a thinly-disguised Catholic Church stereotype, complete with priests, sacraments, and even a Vatican Council. Members of the Magisterium kidnap children in order to perform vile scientific experiments attempting to separate the soul (each person’s daemon) from the body. The opponents of the Magisterium (also using a sacrificed child) discover a way to cross between worlds and mount an attack on God.

Next, for someone merely viewing the movie trailer, a “Narnia” type adventure, complete with talking animals, etc, is what would probably be expected. Again, this is deliberate on the part of Pullman who loathes the Narnia cycle, calling it “one of the most ugly and poisonous things I've ever read”. In other words, the author has written an “anti-Narnia” in which the concepts of good and evil are reversed and moral relativism is rampant. What is especially disturbing is that “His Dark Materials” trilogy is being aggressively marketed to pre-adolescent children and young teens – the same audience as Narnia.

Because of Pullman’s militant atheism, the movie treatment of “The Golden Compass” has toned down the anti-religious, anti-Catholic bias tremendously. Frankly, the production company was afraid of a financial disaster if the novel had been more literally adapted. Nevertheless, the concern remains. Just as the writings of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis enjoyed a re-birth of popularity following the release of the film treatments of their respective novels, it can be expected that sales of “His Dark Materials” (and related merchandise) will receive an equal boost. If this occurs, we can only expect that the blatant message presented in the novels will become ever more blatant in future films.

Finally, I would encourage parents to use the occasion of this film release as an opportunity for a “teaching moment” about our Catholic faith and identity. We have the first and primary responsibility for the education of our children, and it is we who have the ability – and credibility – with our children to teach right from wrong; good from evil; that moral decisions are not relative; and that “the ends do not justify the means”.

Papa Z

SUBJECT: LIFE!!!

Well, I've finally taken the plunge and have decided to try out this blogging thing for myself! We'll see how it works out!

My intent is to use this forum to share views and comments about issues which happen to strike my interest. What typically strikes my interest?

• Religion -- I grew up in the Episcopal Church USA, and spent 11 1/2 years of my life in the Charismatic Episcopal Church -- 9 as a member of the ordained clergy. After a spiritual journey of some years, I converted to Catholicism. It's been quite a ride!
  
• Politics -- I am way to conservative for my liberal friends, and suspiciously liberal in some respects, for some of my conservative friends! Some would suspect me of holding libertarian tendencies -- and they would be correct, but many libertarians would view me with deep suspicion!
• Economics -- Let me be blunt. I am in favor of a return to the bi-metallic standard (gold and silver) which served our nation very well for 150 years. I make no apologies for this whatsoever!
• Books -- Enough said!
  
• Baseball -- You don't think that baseball is important? You might want to quit reading now! I am a lifelong fan of the Baltimore Orioles, and since moving to Wisconsin also follow the Milwaukee Brewers. My great love, however, is for the game itself. You might find some surprising opinions expressed here!
• Food and Drink -- Isn't everyone interested? Like Bilbo Baggins, I have been specializing in food for many years, and my table has a high reputation!

Anyhow, welcome to this blog!

Papa Z