tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174758402024-02-03T02:04:25.415-08:00Mystagogia: a pathway into the mysteriesMystagogia: a Greek word meaning "education in the mysteries". It describes the life of a Christian believer after baptism and the first initiation rites - that is, the growth of the mind and heart in the ancient Christian faith.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-61746836507268492082011-04-14T15:19:00.000-07:002011-04-14T18:00:37.623-07:00Assisted Suicide: Is It the Government's Business?<a href="http://tomdiaz.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/laurence6-44391.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 450px;" src="http://tomdiaz.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/laurence6-44391.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">This was the headline given to an online Web chat by Nicole Brochu, a columnist with the <a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/">South Florida Sun-Sentinel</a>. It took place this past Tuesday (April 12, 2011) and featured Derek Humphry (Hemlock Society USA, ERGO) and Greg Swartz (director of Another Harvest Moon, a new indie movie dealing with euthanasia) as panelists. I had been notified by Alex Schadenburg of the <a href="http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/">Euthanasia Prevention Coalition</a> that this was taking place, and I took the opportunity to participate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Below is the transcript of the chat. Comments and questions from participants other than the moderator and panelists are in italics; additional information and my own thoughts are noted with square brackets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All bolded emphasis is my own.</p> ==============<br /><p class="MsoNormal">1:56 - SunSentinel.com Health: Hi everyone. We will begin our chat momentarily. Please standby.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:00 - Nicole Brochu [SFSS columnist, moderator]: Welcome, everyone, to today’s chat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:00 - Nicole Brochu: I’d like to introduce our panelists.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:00 - Nicole Brochu: Derek Humphry, considered the father of the right-to-die movement, is the author of “Final Exit,” the groundbreaking how-to manual for terminally ill patients wishing to end their lives.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:00 - Nicole Brochu: Also joining us is Greg Swartz, the director of the recently released film, “Another Harvest Moon,” starring Ernest Borgnine, Doris Roberts, Anne Meara and Cybill Shepherd and largely centered around one elderly character’s struggle with thoughts of suicide.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:00 - Nicole Brochu: I am Nicole Brochu, a health columnist for the Sun Sentinel in South Florida, and I’ll be moderating today’s conversation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:01 - Nicole Brochu: Welcome, gentlemen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:01 - Nicole Brochu: I’ll begin by asking Mr. Humphry: When you wrote “Final Exit” in 1991, it had been 16 years since you helped your wife, Jean, end her suffering from inoperable, terminal cancer. Why did you feel the world needed a how-to on euthanasia?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:02 - Greg W. Swartz: Hi. Thanks for having me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:02 - Derek Humphry: It was only after I wrote a book about Jean's way of death did I realize how much public interest there was, and 5 yrs later founded the Hemlock Societey USA</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:03 - Nicole Brochu: What is the Hemlock Society? What was its mission?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:04 - Derek Humphry: The Hemlock Society (1980-2003) worked to help terminally ill people with their hastened deaths, if that's what they chose, and, secondly, <b>worked to change the laws on assisted suicide in California and Washington</b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal">[There's some interesting history that bears noting here. The Hemlock Society was founded by Humphry in California in 1980 and moved to Eugene, OR in 1988. Humphry and other Hemlock Society members (under various other names like Oregon Right to Die and End of Life Choices) were major players in the campaign to pass Measure 16, which became the Death With Dignity Act. However, the original draft of the Act would have legalized lethal injection - i.e., not just physician-assisted suicide, but active voluntary euthanasia as well. Since the inclusion of lethal injection was the reason a similar measure failed at the ballot in Washington in 1991, some members of the Measure 16 campaign wanted to take it out. Humphry was incensed and wouldn't let them. The conflict led to Humphry pulling out of the Oregon Right to Die campaign and forming his own organization, ERGO. The Hemlock remnant joined with Compassion in Dying (a Washington-based group) to provide the impetus to win passage of the DWDA in 1994.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I submitted this question through the website chat: "Mr. Humphry, do you support the use of lethal injection for suicides that don't go as planned, as the Dutch do?" The question was screened out by the moderator.]</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:04 - Nicole Brochu: What was the reaction you received in response to "Final Exit"? Was it positive or negative.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:06 - Derek Humphry: To my surprise, Final Exit leaped into the NY Times bestseller lists and stayed there for 18 weeks. It surprised most people that such a book could be a bestseller. There was negative reaction from the Christian Right, but the intense argument over the book only intensified the sales!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:06 - <i>[Comment From Chan] - When states enact laws that legalize assisted suicide, are provisions made for adequate safeguards to ensure that the individual has not been hastened to his or her decision by unscrupulous relatives who might have an ulterior motive, say, a potential inheritance? </i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:08 - Derek Humphry: The existing Oregon and Washington laws permitting physician-assisted suicide for its terminal residents have a clause in the law making it a crime to pressure or influence a person to hasten death. [I sent in a comment on the chat noting that in Oregon, this supposed safeguard has been gotten around by determined families in documented cases, mentioning Kate Cheney by name and providing a citation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The comment was screened out.]</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:08 - Nicole Brochu: Greg, what inspired you to take on a film whose central character grapples with thought of killing himself?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:08 - Greg W. Swartz: The film (which was a play first) appealed to me on a practical level because I wanted to make a drama that was small in scale but universal in subject matter. Then, I went through a very difficult time involving my own father's death. And that really made it personal for me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:09 - Nicole Brochu: How has the film been received by audiences as you take it from city to city?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:10 - Greg W. Swartz: We have taken the film to many films festivals... from Hollywood to Indianapolis to Providence, RI, and the one thing that happens at every single screening is the line of people that forms afterward.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:10 - Greg W. Swartz: They line up to tell me and the producers stories of their own that are similar to the one in the story... personal tales of people facing their own end-of-life dilemmas.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:11 - <i>[Comment From Dennis] - Where should the line be drawn if, indeed, assisted suicide should ever prevail? Could I decide if I were blinded that I simply wanted to exit life? If I were paralyzed, should I be able to choose assisted suicide or would it be strictly TERMINAL candidates only?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>2:12 - Nicole Brochu: Shouldn't you be allowed to decide when and how you die no matter what you are suffering from, Dennis? </b><span style="font-weight:normal">[Ah - that’s the attitude Humphry, Kevorkian, and the others want.]<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:12- Nicole Brochu: I mean, who else should decide that? The government?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:13- Nicole Brochu: In fact, suicide is perfectly legal in America. It's getting your doctor to help with painless, peaceful options that is banned in most places.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:13- Greg W. Swartz: We chose not to take sides with the film, but rather to show the various characters representing various viewpoints. I have my own POV on the issue, but it's not necessarily in the film.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:13 - Nicole Brochu: What's that point of view, Greg?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:14 - <i>[Comment From Dennis] - The govt won't have an opportunity to influence my decision to die in any case, legislated or not!!</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:14 - Derek Humphry: Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) should only be for a competent adult who is terminally ill and near the end. Two doctors should attest to this. I don't believe P A S should be available for persons with mental health issues, or clinical depression. Also, the present OR and WA laws <b>forbid assistance on the grounds of old age or handicap.</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> </span><b>[What?!? That’s not true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></b><span style="font-weight:normal">It’s all about a handicap (a physically debilitating condition) determining whether your suicide is “rational” or not.]</span><b> </b><span style="font-weight:normal">That's wise.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:15 - Greg W. Swartz: As I said, I watched my father die an agonizing death. It happened in a matter of weeks, so it never quite came down to assisted suicide, but it's certainly something we discussed (about him and with him<b>). I think it's a personal choice and, had he chosen that, I would have helped him. Or supported him in doing so himself</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. [And this POV is not in the movie?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Really?]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:16 - <i>[Comment From George] - Can you ,in a simple explanation ,Mr.Humphry,state how a person can commit suicide?I have your book( 2002 ),but rather complex solution!<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:17 - <i>[Comment From Bunny] - Terminally ill patients can choose hospice.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:18 - Derek Humphry: It is not easy to bring one's life to an end, except violently, which is terrible. The various ways of peaceful, justifiable hastened death are outlined in the book 'Final Exit'. It requires courage, planning and -- hopefully -- family support.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:18 - <i>[Comment From Lionel from Belgium] - Here in my small country euthanasia has been legalised for almost 10 years now and was performed on thousands of people (official statistics). <b>80% of them did not consent</b></i><span style="font-weight:normal"><i>. do you really believe that you are going to be able to prevent that in the US? Many non-terminal people are being pressurized today, I personally know dozens of cases.</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:20 - Derek Humphry: As to Belgium, assisted suicide is only by doctors, according to a specific law. I don't believe that 80percent did not consent. That would be outrageous and cause an uproar in a country which is proud of its rule of law<b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></b><span style="font-weight:normal">[Oh, that’s nice – just deny it, implying that Belgium would be in chaos if it were true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe they’ve been successful in Belgium where you haven’t yet been in America, Mr. Humphry –</span><b> they’ve changed attitudes such that <i>society doesn’t care anymore</i></b><span style="font-style:normal"><b> about sick, elderly, or disabled people who suicide.]</b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:22 - <i>[Comment From Dom] - I tried to volunteer at my local Compassion and Choices, but my offer was turned down. It bothers me that the focus of many right to die groups are just the old and the sick.<b> I don't understand why this isn't being stressed as a human right for all people of all ages.</b></i><span style="font-style:normal"><b> </b></span>[There it is again – “proper”, “sensible” thinking according to PAS advocates.]</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:22 - Nicole Brochu: Greg, how do feel a film of this nature would have been received 20 years ago, when polls on the public’s acceptance of the idea of assisted suicide were much lower? Would any Hollywood producer have dared to touch the subject?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:23 - Greg W. Swartz: i think that the conversation has certainly changed. Dr. Kevorkian really brought it to the national table and that has really shifted public opinion... or at least opened up a dialogue. I think that 20 years ago, it would have been more controversial for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I'm just not sure that the film would have been made... at least in a serious way. It would likely have been some sort of melodrama back then.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:23 - <i>[Comment From Linda] Mr Humphry, How profitable $$ is your assisted death business?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:28 - Nicole Brochu: Stand by. Mr. Humphry is preparing his answer now...</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:29 - Derek Humphry: My organization, ERGO, is a nonprofit group incorporated in Oregon since l993. It makes a tiny profit. As to my receiving royalties from the 15 books I've written, they put food on my table. I've been a full time writer for 60 years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:29 <i>- [Comment From Kathleen]</i><span style="font-style:normal"> [Well, what do you know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They took one of mine!]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>I have a family member who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia – I mean, really suffers. I know you said that assisted suicide should not be available for people with mental illness - but what about a past history of mental illness? A dual diagnosis of mental illness and some other chronic (painful, but not terminal) disease? Is there a difference in your mind between the suffering that would allow a terminally ill person to end their life and the suffering endured by the chronically mentally ill? What if the mentally ill person is suffering more than the terminally ill person? Haven’t the Dutch and the Swiss allowed mentally distressed people to die?<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:32 - <i>[Comment From Diane] - Why is it that we can help our pets die peacefully,but not our loved ones or ourselves? Doesn"t make sense.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:32 - Derek Humphry: I am not an expert in mental health issues. I leave that to persons more experienced. Yes, the Dutch and Swiss laws do permit assisted suicide for long-term, seriously ill mental patients who have not responded to treatment. But <b>very few are actually helped </b><span style="font-weight:normal">[nice word choice!] </span><b>because it is so difficult to assess the nature of the suffering</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. [Really?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are ‘natures’ or ‘degrees’ of suffering?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I thought you thought suffering was simply evil in all its forms…] </span><b>This is a real problem</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. [Ah, thanks for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The problem is <u>that too few mentally ill people are encouraged to die.</u><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I get it now.] </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:32 - Nicole Brochu: I like that point, Diane. I ask that all the time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:33 - <i>[Comment From Lionel from Belgium] - The Belgian law allows mentally depressed people to have euthanasia after one month. A few years ago a 16 year old having attempted suicide was brought to an emergency room. The doctor did not want to resuscitate her because, he said, she had wanted to die.</i> [This is horrifying. Do the panelists or the moderator follow up on it? No.]</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:34 - Greg W. Swartz: I am a filmmaker, not an expert on any of these issues, but i did my homework in preparation for this film and I really came to feel that every single case is unique and needs to be dealt with as such. I personally feel that we can build a system that, while not fool-proof, can certainly have <b>a lot of protections built in to it</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. [That’s what the Oregonians and the Belgians thought they were creating – and that’s why we keep pointing out the gaping holes in the “safeguards”.]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:34 - <i>[Comment From Tom] - This is really sad that people are so unintelligent to think that it's okay to make someone else suffer through living when they simply don't want to. This is so sad and outrageous and please how do we change it?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:35 - <i>[Comment From Bill] - I saw Harvest Moon Saturday in Boca Raton with an all senior crowd. Over half of them, about 25 walked out when they saw the gun in the movie. They couldn't deal with the subject matter, even though I feel you had toned it down quite a bit so as not to offend anybody. Anyways, thank you, I enjoyed the movie.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:35 - Derek Humphry: As to pets suffering, the tough answer is that there are very few laws regarding pet euthanasia -- as long as it is done painlessly and justifiably. Whereas we humans have erected a huge amount of laws -- and <b>taboos</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> [Ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Knew he’d use that word!] -- protecting human life.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:36 - Greg W. Swartz: Thanks. I'm glad that you enjoyed the movie. I have seen the film with more crowds than I can count and I haven't seen anyone walk out, but I do know that it's pretty intense subject matter (and the films certainly doesn't hide from that). It's not always an "easy" film to watch, but the performances are, in my opinion, very strong and I hope that most people find it a worthwhile experience.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:36 - <i>[Comment From Sherman] - What can people do to advance the legalization of suicide?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:37 - Nicole Brochu: Greg, did you feel like you were taking a risk with the subject matter, given that assisted suicide, and suicide in general, is still a controversial topic?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:38 - Greg W. Swartz: Yes. we knew it was a risk. That was part of the appeal to the artist in me. But we approached some truly legendary actors and they responded so strongly that we knew that there was an audience (because those actors are not only great, they ARE the audience).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:40 - Derek Humphry: Sherman: Suicide is NOT a crime, anywhere. It used to be in Europe. <b>It's the careful advancement of physician-assisted suicide for the dying which I am fighting for.</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> [Pants! On! Fire!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You advocated for lethal injection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You think the chronically mentally ill should be allowed to suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2010/12/unspoken-argument-final-exit-network.html">You admit to an economic/cost-saving argument in favor of legalizing PAS</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Careful”, my arse!]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Assisted suicide is state, not Federal law, so the law should be reformed either by legislators or by citizen vote, such as we have done in Oregon and Washington states.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:41 - <i>[Comment From Bob] - Isn't it difficult to have each state reaching a different decision on assisted suicide? Is there any movement for some sort of federal law to make it legal?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:42 - <i>[Comment From Guest] - I read that assisted suicide is also legal in Montana. Is this so?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:42 - Derek Humphry: Bob: Assisted suicide is STATE law. Nothing to do with Federal law. I think we'd have to change the Constitution to alter this!! [ “’…Man is endowed by his Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them the right to <u>death</u>’… uh… hey, Tom, what should we put next?”]</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:43 - Nicole Brochu: Yes, Guest, <b>Montana became the third state to legalize physician-assisted suicide at the end of 2009 -- by a state Supreme Court decision. [Not quite</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> – the court said there’s no constitutional right to it, but there’s no law against it as of yet.]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:44 - <i>[Comment From Rene Barrett] - Are there lobbiest & others in the medical arena opposed to assisted suicide because of the trememdous revenue generated by end of life care?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:45 - <i>[Comment From Eunice] - How about Florida?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:45 - Nicole Brochu: No, Eunice. Assisted suicide is not legal in Florida.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:46 - <i>[Comment From Anne] - What is behind the fear in resisting this idea? My sense is that many people shut off the notion, refuse to think about or discuss it. Is religion the main culprit? What is the root of the fear, do you think?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:46 - Derek Humphry: Rene: Yes, There are divergent views on assisted suicide, but mostly those opposing do so on ethical and/or religious grounds. I have heard that some groups -- on both sides -- employ lobbyists.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:48 - Greg W. Swartz: One of the characters in the film (Ella, as played by Anne Meara) has a very intense scene where she is praying about the fate of her friend, Frank (Ernest Borgnine). It was an interesting part of the film for me because Anne and I both felt like the character was not religious, so she's not very "good" at praying. It is yet another impossible-to-answer part of this that is definitely very personal.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:49 - <i>[Comment From Jack] - What are the plans for releasing this movie on dvd or blu-ray?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:50 - <i>[Comment From Rene Barrett] - Of course they have to use "ethical and/or religious grounds". They can't admit to wanting to make money from a drawn out anguished death. </i><span style="font-style:normal">[Would you rather the government or insurers make (e.g. save) money from ill people suiciding?]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:51 - Greg W. Swartz: The movie is going to be released on DVD and on Blu-Ray, but we don't yet have dates because it's still showing in theaters (and we're hoping that it continues to show to wider and wider audiences. It has been showing in Florida for two weeks now. If you belong to Netflix, you can put it in your queue, but it doesn't have a date. It will also be on iTunes and the trailer is showing there already.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:52 - <i>[Comment From Guest] - Isn't part of the problem, too, because of life insurance? That insurers don't want to make payments in cases where people have ended their own lives?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:55 - Derek Humphry:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Life insurance is really not an issue here. The law throughout the USA is that if a person commits suicide (for whatever reasons) and the policy is two years old, then the money must be paid. (One year in Colorado.) So check the date on insurance policies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:55 - <i>[Comment From Gary Stein] - Did the Kevorkian movie, You Don't Know Jack, help bring a greater understanding of assisted suicide? Do you think it helped change attitudes?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:56 - Greg W. Swartz: I don't know that my film or the Kevorkian will directly change minds, but they get people thinking and they can, if we're lucky, help people make up their minds. <b>I'm not a moralistic artist</b><span style="font-weight:normal">, so I'm just trying to get people talking.... thinking... whatever it takes. [Sure you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everyone’s got a moral point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And yours will be reflected in your movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Guaranteed.]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:58 - <i>[Comment From Fred] - There's no excuse not to be informed. Greg, will you please make a documentary about inmendham so that people can figure out that suffering is additive?</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:58 - Greg W. Swartz: I'm not really a documentarian and I'm not familiar with him, but I'll certainly look into it. Today.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:58 - Derek Humphry: Gary: I credit Dr Kevorkian with bringing huge attention to the whole euthanasia issue. Last year's film and documentary were very impressive. <b>My reservation with Kevorkian is that he has left nothing behind for other dying people to take advantage of -- no legal reform, no medical advancement. </b><span style="font-weight:normal">[Really? Is that all?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No concern about his desire to vivisect people as they die?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No concern that he killed people without terminal or even chronic diseases? No other reservations?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Really?]</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:59 - <i>[Comment From Eunice] - Thank you for addressing this problem.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:59 - Greg W. Swartz: thank you.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:59 - <i>[Comment From Noreen] - Thanks for this chat. I can see that there are no clear solutions and each candidate must do her/his own search of what is possible....before it's too late. Thanks for raising the issue and inviting people to consider end-of-life issues.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:59 - <i>[Comment From Fred] - thank you.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:59 - Derek Humphry: It was a good <b>debate</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. [Debate? Not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There were some comments and questions sent in that would have made it something less than the lovefest this was, but they were screened out by your sympathetic moderator – see her comment at 2:12.] Thanks. Derek H</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:00 - Nicole Brochu: Thank you all for participating in today's discussion. It's a very complex issue. Any final thoughts from our panelists?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:00 - Derek Humphry: Perhaps pay a visit to my web site www.finalexit.org</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:00 - Greg W. Swartz: please feel free to keep asking questions about this at <a href="http://www.anotherharvestmoon.com/">our film's site</a> or on our facebook page. I hope that you'll check out the film. It's been a pleasure.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:00 - SunSentinel.com Health: Thanks to our panelists for joining us today and participating is this discussion. And thanks to everyone who sent questions and linked to our health chat today.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:01 - SunSentinel.com Health: Check out Nicole Brochu’s column from April 11, <a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-our-health-assisted-suicide-brochu-0411,0,2093997.htmlstory">"Assisted suicide: Uncle Sam should just butt out."</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:01 - SunSentinel.com Health: Finally, a transcript of this chat will be available shortly at www.SunSentinel.com/transcript</p><p class="MsoNormal">==============</p><p class="MsoNormal">This was a very interesting experience. Felt like a good workout... I have the feeling I'll have to keep myself "in shape". I don't think this issue is going away anytime soon.</p> <!--EndFragment-->KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-22039925826089073052011-03-23T13:56:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:08:56.894-07:00On The Reasonability of Faith<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"> Yesterday I found myself surfing blogs and landed at one of my favorites, <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/">Secondhand Smoke</a>. The author (Wesley J. Smith) writes on life issues, bioethics, and human exceptionalism, and as a member of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, he occasionally takes up the issue.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I noticed <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2011/03/21/consistency-please-oregon-to-ban-suicide-plastic-hoods-as-it-permits-doctor-prescribed-suicide/#comments">this pos</a>t having to do with Oregon's DWDA and commented on it; visit the thread to see the conversation. Another commenter asked me a question, and it sparked a couple of pages in response. ("Poke the amateur philosopher/theologian with a stick, and see if she moves!") I decided to post the full text here for any interested readers.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The question:</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i>@Kathleen Lundquist,<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i>What you seem to be saying is that something that’s not in the scientific literature can’t exist — which seems to be placing an awful lot of trust in “soft” sciences like psychology and psychiatry. Do you believe that if enough people label a thought irrational then that’s conclusive evidence of irrationality; that rationality is something that requires a majority vote? Just asking.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><i>HW<o:p></o:p></i></p> <b>My response:</b><br /> <p class="MsoNormal">To clarify: I don’t regard psychiatric/psychological theory as supremely authoritative in all situations; I’m not a psychologist or Jung devotee or something like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My familiarity with the field and its guiding principles comes from: 1) several stints throughout my life of working in my parents’ office (Dad practiced clinical psychiatry for 35 years, Mom was a psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner) and my relationships with them; 2) my 15-year career as a medical transcriptionist in other contexts, including reading and editing thousands of psychiatric medical records; and 3) my relationship with my older brother, who was diagnosed at age 14 with paranoid schizophrenia (he’s now 51) and our family’s experience as consumers of mental health care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As I mentioned before, I’m just trying to find and express logical arguments against PAS that might carry weight with some readers, and since most folks agree that any wish to die has at least some psychological component, I’m trying to cite facts that are relevant to the discussion – and at least let people know that, contra Mr. Eighmey, there’s no consensus in psychiatry that PAS is now a neutral or acceptable act.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s a G.K. Chesterton quote that perfectly illustrates my point of view on rationality; I hope you and Wesley won’t mind if I post the whole long thing:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Every one who has had the misfortune to talk with people in the heart or on the edge of mental disorder, knows that their most sinister quality is a horrible clarity of detail; a connecting of one thing with another in a map more elaborate than a maze. If you argue with a madman, it is extremely probable that you will get the worst of it; for in many ways his mind moves all the quicker for not being delayed by the things that go with good judgment. He is not hampered by a sense of humour or by charity, or by the dumb certainties of experience. He is the more logical for losing certain sane affections. Indeed, the common phrase for insanity is in this respect a misleading one. The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything <i>except</i> his reason.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">The madman’s explanation of a thing is always complete, and often in a purely rational sense satisfactory. Or, to speak more strictly, the insane explanation, if not conclusive, is at least unanswerable; this may be observed specially in the two or three commonest kinds of madness. If a man says (for instance) that men have a conspiracy against him, you cannot dispute it except by saying that all the men deny that they are conspirators; which is exactly what conspirators would do. His explanation covers the facts as much as yours. Or if a man says that he is the rightful King of England, it is no complete answer to say that the existing authorities call him mad; for if he were King of England that might be the wisest thing for the existing authorities to do. Or if a man says that he is Jesus Christ, it is no answer to tell him that the world denies his divinity; for the world denied Christ’s.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Nevertheless he is wrong. But if we attempt to trace his error in exact terms, we shall not find it quite so easy as we had supposed. Perhaps the nearest we can get to expressing it is to say this: that his mind moves in a perfect but narrow circle. A small circle is quite as infinite as a large circle; but, though it is quite as infinite, it is not so large. In the same way the insane explanation is quite as complete as the sane one, but it is not so large. A bullet is quite as round as the world, but it is not the world. There is such a thing as a narrow universality; there is such a thing as a small and cramped eternity; you may see it in many modern religions. Now, speaking quite externally and empirically, we may say that the strongest and most unmistakable mark of madness is this combination between a logical completeness and a spiritual contraction. The lunatic’s theory explains a large number of things, but it does not explain them in a large way. [from Chesterton’s Orthodoxy]</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As you might guess from this, I make a distinction between the concepts of “rationality” and “healthy, integrated human consciousness”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Rationality (i.e. facility with logic) is a component of a healthy mind; some are born adept at it, most others can be taught to reason ‘if A=B and B=C, then A=C’ and construct an argument, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But it’s not everything; a person can be impeccably logical and quite insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To put GKC’s point another way, the madman isn’t the one who’s lost his reason; the madman is the one who has lost his perspective, i.e. his ability to perceive and process information that threatens to reconfigure his tightly closed mental circle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There might be said to be concentric circles of rationality, wider and wider webs of theory and belief systems that explain more and more of the humanly perceptible phenomena in our universe (including experiences that seem to go beyond the five senses).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My own construct would place the, as you say, soft science of psychiatry/psychology with its rational, codified methods of observation and study within the wider circle of American medical practice as I’ve experienced it (which contradicts some of those theories), placing that within the general knowledge of history and culture I’ve absorbed as an American citizen, placing that within my Judeo-Christian worldview, which is the lens through which I observe, interpret, and integrate as much of my knowledge and experience as I can to perceive meaning and purpose in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the types of discussions we have here at ShS, I do my best to locate common assumptions or axioms from whatever circle I can find, and construct a logical edifice from there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Whether my efforts change any minds is another question entirely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have this to say (again, best expressed by Chesterton) regarding faith, evidence, and dogma that may help you understand how I and many other religious people perceive the relationship between faith and reason:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Upon this point there is a simple logical fact that only requires to be stated and cleared up. Somehow or other an extraordinary idea has arisen that the disbelievers in miracles consider them coldly and fairly, while believers in miracles accept them only in connection with some dogma. The fact is quite the other way. The believers in miracles accept them (rightly or wrongly) because they have evidence for them. The disbelievers in miracles deny them (rightly or wrongly) because they have a doctrine against them. The open, obvious, democratic thing is to believe an old apple-woman when she bears testimony to a miracle, just as you believe an old apple-woman when she bears testimony to a murder. The plain, popular course is to trust the peasant’s word about the ghost exactly as far as you trust the peasant’s word about the landlord. Being a peasant he will probably have a great deal of healthy agnosticism about both. Still you could fill the British Museum with evidence uttered by the peasant, and given in favour of the ghost.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">If it comes to human testimony, there is a choking cataract of human testimony in favour of the supernatural. If you reject it, you can only mean one of two things. You reject the peasant’s story about the ghost either because the man is a peasant or because the story is a ghost story. That is, you either deny the main principle of democracy, or you affirm the main principle of materialism—the abstract impossibility of miracle. You have a perfect right to do so; but in that case you are the dogmatist. It is we Christians who accept all actual evidence—it is you rationalists who refuse actual evidence, being constrained to do so by your creed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>[GKC, Orthodoxy]</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For another picture of the relationship between faith and reason, feel free to peruse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>an essay I wrote several years ago for Catholic Exchange: http://catholicexchange.com/2008/06/03/112743/</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is probably much more than you expected, but as I said, I found your question interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thanks for reading.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">KJL</span><!--EndFragment-->KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-62688145854865860262009-07-17T20:56:00.000-07:002009-07-17T21:37:29.511-07:00Further clarity on CL Vacation 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3708406123_95cb308432_m.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3708406123_95cb308432_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">After a few more days of mulling over my experience at Vacation this year, and after talking with my friend Tami, I've moved further ahead in my understanding of what happened to me there. I want to offer just a bit more clarity for anyone concerned about my sense of "what I deserve" from God (as I mentioned below), or from my friends in particular or Communion & Liberation in general.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I wish to be clear that this moment of seeing my heart as "black" and perceiving a chasm between myself and what I desired was not a psychological 'low self-esteem' thing, nor were my fears due to any perceived slights or rejection on the part of anyone at the Vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I knew that, on the basis of my experience of the several days before, anything I chose to share would be given room and appreciated by the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the same moment that I felt this deep unworthiness, I did not doubt that I was loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This produced a new thought; it challenged me to entertain the possibility that I could be accepted and loved even more deeply, beyond what I thought I could earn by being entertaining or being nice to people.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I believe that this opening up of my heart to a new sort of hope allowed me to see further into the great depths of my need for the Infinite Mystery – to really feel its force in my soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If I had sung my song during the assembly reflection time and brought the house down, brought grown men to tears, even had everyone on the carpet prostrate and worshipping me – <i>this would not have satisfied my desire</i><span style="font-style:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What I saw so starkly in that moment was that </span><i>the answer to the needs of my heart was beyond my grasp </i><span style="font-style:normal">– beyond any human grasp.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The source of the beauty, love, and grace that I saw in the people around me wasn’t </span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">in them</span></span><span style="font-style:normal">; as they spoke, their hearts became windows into the Beyond, where all those good things live </span><i>in their fullness</i><span style="font-style:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only way I could possibly come to possess that goodness and love in its fullness was to beg God to give it to me, somehow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He would have to give; I could only receive.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because we are finite beings, I think we often engage in a mental reduction of our relationship with God to the sort of social reciprocity we expect with one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When we go to Mass, and Christ miraculously shows up in the appearances of bread and wine – he doesn’t <i>have</i><span style="font-style:normal"> to do that every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He </span><i>chooses</i><span style="font-style:normal"> to do that, every time, for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He doesn’t owe it to us – not for any moral or theological reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He gives Himself in response to our prayer, asking for Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His love for us is active and intentional – never grudging, never assumed – always simply a gift.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">(H/T: Photo by Joe Soprani)</p> <!--EndFragment-->KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-92222403836674476312009-07-12T23:59:00.000-07:002009-07-13T09:31:22.618-07:00A reflection on CL Vacation, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/3709327532_28829666b3.jpg?v=0"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/3709327532_28829666b3.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">I had an extraordinary time on Vacation with the Northwest CL groups in Bellingham, WA over the Fourth of July weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some background on me:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m a convert to Catholicism from evangelicalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I lived and worked in the Christian contemporary music subculture (both in church settings and in Christian retail) for several decades and was approaching a nadir of total despair at the propagandist nature of it when I discovered the Catholic Church’s artistic tradition and their strong theology of art, and I followed my attraction to the Mystery (which Beauty conveyed to me) into the Church in 1999.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Due to my upbringing, I have a strong sense of the secular nature of my vocation as an artist and, to be perfectly frank, “church music” is now a cross that I reluctantly carry when I’m forced to do so by peer pressure or a sense of duty.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So, when my friends told me that I would not need to sign up to help with anything (registration, ushering, music, etc.) since it was my first time at a CL Vacation, I was grateful – happy at the prospect that they would allow me just to go and participate in the activities.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Alas, it was not to be.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Shortly after we arrived at The Firs in Bellingham on Wednesday evening, before I even checked into my room, my friend Rose (from the Portland SoC) asked if I would be willing to help with music for the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I remember mumbling something ambivalent and noncommittal, and she told me to look for one Richard From Singapore, who was in charge of the music.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She then sped off to tend to her four younger siblings (their mom Catherine was due to arrive Thursday night).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I paused and asked myself what I should do – whether I should take my guitar out of the car and find this Richard From Singapore and find out what was going on, or just leave it in the trunk and pretend I knew nothing about leading groups in singing – keep my head down and voice low, and not do anything which might cause someone to expect something from me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I looked around the parking lot and saw several of my friends from Portland, with whom I’d had significant and grace-filled conversations over the past three years in SoC.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In that moment, I noticed that the resentment I’d expected to feel at the mere mention of helping with music was… absent.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, I went to the building where we were to gather that evening and found the tall, handsome Caucasian man whom the other responsibles identified as Richard From Singapore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Rose had already told him that I might be coming, and when I walked in, he said, “Ah, you must be Kathleen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you here to help with the music?”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I looked at him, trying to take him in, and paused again before answering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I looked down at the guitar case in my right hand and said, half-surprised, “Well, Rose told me you needed help, and since I’m here, and I’ve brought my guitar, I – I guess I’m here to help you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">From that moment on and throughout the weekend, my expectations and assumptions were exploded one right after another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Richard was very well versed in CL’s repertoire and very organized, which made it easy for Joe Amsberry (from the Salem SoC) and I to help Richard choose and rehearse enough songs for the gatherings each day as well as for daily Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our planning/rehearsal times were chinked into the cracks between meals and assemblies and reflections, and though we were responsible for a lot, it never felt burdensome – I never felt like I was missing something going on somewhere else while we were rehearsing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Richard is also an extremely talented singer with highly-polished performance skills, and working with him was wonderful fun for me for the following strange reason:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was so high-energy, so crazy, and so <i>good</i><span style="font-style:normal"> at what he was doing that I felt free to be as high-energy, crazy, and good as I could be.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The vibrant energy with which Richard strove to live out his bright, shiny Richardness enabled me to find the place in myself where I can be bright and shiny, in the moment, no matter who’s listening or what purpose it may serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the midst of the fortuitous mix of sacred and secular music we played and sang together over that series of days, I sensed friendly spaces where my own Kathleenness could come out and play.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">At the same time something else was happening in my soul at a deeper level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>While doing music with Richard and Joe was a joy, it also seemed to touch a deep wound in my heart – something I couldn’t quite articulate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At times, I remembered that I had brought my guitar on the Vacation in order to sing some of my original songs for my friends, and I kept trying to figure out a time and place when it would be appropriate to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I thought at first that Saturday’s Talent Show would be the proper venue, but most of the other performers’ acts were light-hearted and comedic – and my songs tend to have a darker melancholic tinge to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I decided to stay on the light side with my offerings, but my original goal of singing my own songs for everyone started to flare up and singe the edges of my thinking – it began to distract me from what was happening in front of and around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">By Sunday morning, the last day, we were beginning to consider and make judgments about everything we’d experienced together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We began to sense the weight and significance of the revelation of truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ we had experienced in our friendships with one another.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As various people went to the microphone and shared reflections and questions at our last assembly, the seriousness of our conversation made me think that this might be the time for me to share one of my own songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, as I listened to my friends tell their stories and insights, the Holy Spirit led me in a different direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tami (from the Portland SoC) was one of the first to speak, and she related how she was struck by the presence of Bishop Joseph Tyson (of the Archdiocese of Western Washington, who was with us on Friday and said Mass for us that evening).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She talked about our use of the word ‘witness’ in CL – that is, we speak as witnesses to our experience with Christ, but she added another meaning to the word – that of being witnessed, of <i>being seen</i><span style="font-style:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She was impressed not so much by the fact that we had the opportunity to see and meet the bishop, but that he had seen and met </span><i>us</i><span style="font-style:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were witnessed, </span><i>we were seen</i><span style="font-style:normal"> by him.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I continued to listen as Catherine, Steve, Keith, and others shared their experiences, but this insight from Tami began to soak through my distracted mind, steeping in the waves of my thoughts like leaves of a strong black tea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I rehearsed in my mind the words of the song I intended to sing and, though I had consciously written it with some CL vocabulary in mind, I realized that the people in this room, much more than anyone at the coffeehouses I frequented, would understand exactly what I was saying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In singing this song, I would quite possibly be revealed for who I really am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I might actually - <i>be seen</i><span style="font-style:normal">.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And suddenly I was filled with terror, and sadness, and – shame, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The thought of doing the song, the thing I’d so wanted to do all weekend that had put such a torque on my attention, now made me recoil in fear.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I began to cry and couldn’t stop, not even during the Mass that followed the assembly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My heart seemed so black and ugly, and I felt so ashamed of myself – for wanting more of these beautiful people than I deserved.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the past week since arriving home from Vacation, I’ve been trying to process my experience and make some sort of judgment about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I found it difficult at first to find words and images to frame my thoughts, but these words, by my favorite songwriter Sam Phillips, have been a help:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">I, I love you</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">when you don’t – when you don’t do anything</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">When you’re useless, I love you more</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">When you don’t do anything</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">When you don’t know, when you don’t try</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">When you don’t say anything</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">When you don’t move, when you don’t win</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">When you don’t make anything work </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>- Sam Phillips, <i>Don’t Do Anything</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Nonesuch © 2008</span></p><span style="font-style:normal">The judgment that's formed so far in my mind is this: I believe that God granted me a glimpse into the great depths of my heart’s need for Him and the reality of His love for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I really felt the force of my heart’s attraction to the Infinite Holiness, the Perfect Love and Beauty toward which all earthly loves point. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The quote below also reminds me of the source of my truest desire, my real destiny:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">"It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choice that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society." </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">- Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day 2000</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">*Photo by Greg Wolfe - that's me in the blue hat, singing atop snowy Mt. Baker with Richard From Singapore (center) and Joe Amsberry (on the right)</p> <!--EndFragment-->KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-15874673665366267092009-01-05T12:32:00.000-08:002009-01-05T12:40:52.095-08:00This really struck meHere's a quote by <a href="http://www.catholicauthors.com/houselander.html">Caryll Houselander</a> I ran across on <a href="http://www.markshea.blogspot.com/">Mark Shea's blog</a> this morning:<div><br /></div><blockquote>I saw too the reverence that everyone must have for a sinner; instead of condoning his sin, which is in reality his utmost sorrow, one must comfort Christ who is suffering in him. And this reverence must be paid even to those sinners who souls seem to be dead, because it is Christ, who is the life of the soul, who is dead in them; they are His tombs, and Christ in the tomb is potentially the risen Christ. For the same reason, no one of us who has fallen into mortal sin himself must ever lose hope.</blockquote><br />Beautiful. Sobering.<div><br /></div><div>Needs more meditation/rumination.<br /></div>KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-65998718928404151672009-01-04T20:55:00.000-08:002009-01-04T21:09:32.440-08:00The bomb under your chairFound <a href="http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/2009/01/01/radioheads-house-of-cards/">this</a> on a blog I follow - it's not to everyone's taste from either a cultural or religious point of view, but I found the author's take on Radiohead's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">House of Cards</span> insightful. Here's <a href="http://code.google.com/creative/radiohead/">a link</a> to the video.<div><br /></div><div><div>When I first heard this song on the radio a few months ago, I turned it off immediately after I heard the opening line: "I don't wanna be your friend - I just wanna be your lover." I thought, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Well, then, screw you, sir. Next!</span> Hierothee's commentary is more charitable than my gut reaction was, and I begin to see what he sees in the song.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.licc.org.uk/culture/thom-yorke-interview">interview with Thom Yorke</a> from 2005 is fascinating as well. Worth a read by any and all Radiohead fans as well as those interested in the intersections of Christianity and art. This is one of those things that art critic H.R. Rookmaker called "the bomb under your chair", placed there by artists who are desperate to communicate their search for meaning in a fallen world.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things that we should sit up and notice, and consider.</div></div>KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-78488140342165025822009-01-02T09:38:00.000-08:002009-01-02T22:00:23.273-08:00Happy New YearI've been tagged by <a href="http://www.shelterinthestorm.org/">Allen Lewis</a>!<div><br /></div><div>So, here's the rules of our game:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Link to the person who tagged you (see above).</div><div>2. Post the rules on your blog. (Look at me, Ma - I'm postin'!)</div><div>3. Write six random thing about yourself. (Hm...)</div><div>4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.</div><div>5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.</div><div>6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.</div><div><br /></div><div>OK - my six random things:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. I met my husband Gary when we were in college in the '80s. We went on one date; I graduated and moved away, we completely lost touch for 10 years, and then we ran into each other in 1996 at a Christian music/arts festival attended by 25,000 people. Ah, Providence.</div><div>2. I once saw and said hello to Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad in person at the tiny Christian record label I worked for in California in the '90s. He was going out the door as I was coming in. (You said random...)</div><div>3. I love to disentangle things - strings, chains, yarn, Christmas lights, etc. It creates a state of deep meditation for me. If I could get paid for disentangling string/untying knots, I'd be filthy rich.</div><div>4. I dyed my hair blonde for the first time in my life back in August. I did it for a show I was in; I've gotten lots of compliments on it and Gary likes it, so I think I'll keep it this way.</div><div>5. My sister Susan is a science teacher for accelerated/gifted students. She's my biggest fan and most faithful friend in the world.</div><div>6. My father-in-law is a rocket scientist. (No, <a href="http://klabs.org/mapld05/panel/index.htm">really </a>- scroll down for a picture of Charles Lundquist giving a lecture on orbital mechanics to W. Von Braun et al. in 1958.)</div><div><br /></div><div>OK, here we go: <a href="http://linthatcher.podbean.com/">Lint Hatcher</a>, <a href="http://markshea.blogspot.com/">Mark Shea</a>, <a href="http://thejadedvialian.com/">Jen Avila</a>, <a href="http://magdalenescastle.blogspot.com/">Monique Amado</a>, <a href="http://thedoorwaytoforever.blogspot.com/">Morgan Trotter</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=573799899&ref=ts">Sandra Hall</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tag - you're it! And here's hoping your New Year is a Happy one!</div>KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-17986793101099852612008-06-13T14:13:00.000-07:002008-06-13T15:17:12.080-07:00Sam Phillips at Borders in Tigard<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2094/2386978648_13718fb243_m.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2094/2386978648_13718fb243_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Hey, I'm back. :)<div><br /></div><div>I've been busy lately writing some new songs, a few essays <a href="http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/being_catholic/story.php?response=1046840">here</a> and <a href="http://www.catholicexchange.com/2008/06/03/112743/">there</a>, and I hope to start blogging more regularly soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>I just had to share this, though - Gary and I saw Sam Phillips play live at Borders Books & Music in Tigard, OR as part of a tour she's doing for her new album, <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=108768553">Don't Do Anything</a>. She hadn't been to Portland in 12 years, and I hadn't seen her live since 1992.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sam's music has been a great source of spiritual companionship in the years since I first discovered her in 1985. She shifted out of the evangelical Protestant paradigm at approximately the same time I did (late '80s-early '90s), and her poetry and songwriting have been a guiding light for me in terms of depth, honesty, and quality. Often, her songs are aids to prayer for me, since she seems to give words to what I'm really feeling and help me show my real heart to God.</div><div><br /></div><div>The show yesterday was just her and a fellow who played a Stroh (I think that's how you spell it) violin and an electric guitar that looked (and sounded) like it had been ordered out of a Sears catalog in about 1962. Since the release of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Fan Dance</span> in 2001, she's adopted a really interesting acoustic/retro/vaudeville/early jazz sort of style of music for her songs, which are as deep, melancholy, and beautiful as ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, seeing her, listening to her, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">experiencing</span> her was... ah. What words to use? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Inspirationa</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">l</span> takes it the wrong direction. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Exciting</span> doesn't capture it. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Profound</span> gets closer.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a conversation a while back with a friend on a message board that I had up on my website for a while, but took it down recently. I want to post it again here in her honor:<br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>[Pal:] As far as the Sam Phillips thing, I had been listening to her music all the way back from her Leslie Phillips days.</div><div><br /></div><div>[Me:] Sam, lovely Sam! I have everything she ever recorded - even a couple of hard-to-get promotional things. I first discovered her in her Leslie days, in about 1985, and I've followed her closely up to the present [about 2001]. How do you like "Fan Dance"?</div><div><br /></div><div>[Pal:] After "Die Hard with a Vengeance", I remember sitting in Dennys talking to a more traditional Christian (for lack of a better term) friend about why on earth would she play the part she played in that film (psycho murdering sexpot). I argued in her favor, and eventually won him over, although I can't for the life of me remember what I said to convince him.</div><div><br /></div><div>[Me:] ! Good for you. I thought Sam was fantastic in DHWAV - no one else could have done that look that she had. Re: the security guard murder scene (hearkening back to our slasher/horror discussion), I remember hearing Sam in an interview around that time describing her feelings about the scene. At first she had trouble getting into it, but then she met the actor that was playing the security guard. To her, he resembled Rush Limbaugh... and after that, she had no trouble with the slashing and blood... :^0</div><div><br /></div><div>[Pal:] Similarly, T-Bone [Burnett]'s work with the Coen brothers hasn't exactly been mainstream Christian work either, but it's more wonderful than so much of CCM.</div><div><br /></div><div>[Me:] Amen to that. Gary and I both love T-Bone. So glad to see his work recognized at the Grammys this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I lived in southern California in the early 1990s, I had the opportunity to see Sam and T-Bone do a little set together at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. It was one of the strangest but most wonderful shows I've ever seen - Sam singing, T-Bone playing guitar ("stomping his foot like a manic grandfather", one reviewer said), their buddy Van Dyke Parks doing some earnest but not-quite-there instrumental string stuff, and some weird comedy bits interspersed.</div><div><br /></div><div>[Side note: The weird comedy bits included several appearances by the "Zen Nude Dancers". The store staff passed out paper bags with eyeholes cut in them before they came on. I was with a bunch of guys from Frontline, the Christian record company I worked with from 1991-1992, and they all were giggling nervously. One of them, Michael Black, turned to me and said, "If you tell anyone about this back at the office, you're dead, do you understand?" I joined in the nervous giggling. The act, as it turned out, consisted of one (clothed) pole dancer who gyrated onstage for about 30 seconds and then left. It wasn't prurient, really, just... weird. I guess that was the Zen part.]</div><div><br /></div><div>My fondest memory of that night: After the concert, Sam and T-Bone were out in the foyer, autographing stuff and shaking hands. The guys from the record company all mobbed Sam, peppering her with questions and dropping names. I stood about two layers of people back, staring at Sam, but also at the plate of cheese and crackers in her hand that she'd brought out from the green room, since no one had eaten them. I was really hungry, since we'd driven to the show in Santa Monica straight from work [in Newport Beach - about a 2-hour drive in traffic] without stopping for dinner. Sam saw me eyeing the food and handed the plate back to me, across those two layers of record company dudes. May God's blessings always rest richly upon her soul.</div></blockquote><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">I was hungry, and you fed me...</span></div><div><br /></div><div>A small kindness, but my heart was touched by it - and it seems symbolic of the sort of presence you are for me. God bless you, Sam. Thanks for coming to see us.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote></blockquote>[H/T for photo - www.samphillips.com]</div>KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-50556601665053821012007-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:002007-05-04T10:50:18.711-07:00I wrote a new song this weekJust wanted to share a new song - it's the product of some inspiration from looking at a hymnal I found in the pew at St. Anthony's a while back, along with some thoughts from the Holy Thursday liturgy where we hear about Judas year after year. Here it is:<br /><br /><b>Said Judas</b><br /><br />Said Judas to Mary, “About that perfume – <br />It’s an extravagant waste, and you shouldn’t assume<br />that you’ll impress Jesus by filling the room<br />With the thick, heavy scent of expensive perfume…<br />True holy women, they think of the poor – <br />They keep to the background and don’t act like whores.<br />The Master’s saving the world – he doesn’t have time for just one.”<br />She stood back embarrassed, but Judas wasn't done.<br /><br />Said Judas to Peter, “I know what you want - <br />to be right-hand man in the Kingdom of God.<br />Your “humble fisherman” act is a transparent fraud – <br />To condemn and control people – that’s what you really want…<br />You don’t understand what real people go through,<br />and I won’t be led by a coward like you.<br />Neither would the rest, if they’d seen what I’ve seen.”<br />Then Peter went out, and he wept bitterly.<br /><br />Said Judas to the chief priests, “What can I say?<br />Jesus spoke of a Kingdom, like we had back in the day,<br />But he’s misused his power and made some bad plays – <br />And it’s looking like time for a full expose’...<br />And I just want my share of the credit, you know – <br />I think I deserve a little <i>quid pro quo</i>.<br />I’ll sell you my story for the going market rate.”<br />They shook on the deal, then Judas went out to celebrate.<br /><br />Said Judas to Jesus in the garden that night,<br />“Dear Master, I’ve come to help you see the light.<br />Don’t look at me like that – you know that I’m right!<br />Just go with us now, and it’ll all be over by tomorrow night...<br />I realize my actions might be misunderstood<br />But you know that I love you – it’s for your own good.<br />You would have been a great king, how could you let it come to this?"<br />Then Jesus said, “Judas, you’ve betrayed me with your kiss.”<br /><br />Said Judas to the children of God in that place,<br />“Beware as you contemplate my fall from grace – <br />You never can tell just when I’ll show my face.<br />You’ll never be rid of me, ‘cause you stand in my place...<br />You’ll hear me speak through your brother, or maybe see me in the mirror.<br />Whether your heart’s free with love, or shackled by fear,<br />it’ll scream who you are without making a sound.<br />Remember you’re headed my way, to a hole in the ground.”<br /><br />- © KJL April 2007KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-87204928821189070492007-04-23T11:58:00.000-07:002007-04-23T12:01:44.612-07:00Couldn't resist thisI saw this on some friends' blogs this morning and had to find out...<br /><br /><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="8"> <tr><td valign="middle"><img src="http://www.masquerademaskarts.com/memes/minicrest.gif"></td><td valign="middle"> <font color=black> My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:</font> <br> <font size=4 color=black> Venerable Lady Kathleen the Sonorous of Londinium-le-Thames </font><br> <small> <a href="http://www.masquerademaskarts.com/memes/peculiartitle.php">Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title</a> </small> </td></tr> </table><br /><br />Very nice. Any and all tributes to secure my good graces will be now be accepted.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-34764686707560897512007-03-22T20:19:00.000-07:002007-03-22T20:48:44.178-07:00Assisted suicide debate rears its head again in CaliforniaLast month, California legislators once again introduced a bill to legalize <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-suicide9mar09,0,7059495.story?coll=la-home-headlines">physician-assisted suicide</a>. This is a very bad idea, for reasons I previously described <a href="http://old.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=2&art_id=29258">here</a>.<br /><br />The LA Times article speaks glowingly about the report published several weeks ago by Oregon's Department of Health and Human Services that ostensibly describes how the "Death with Dignity"/assisted suicide law is being used. (Click <a href="http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas">here</a> to see the report, and <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1173412504159390.xml&coll=7">here</a> to read an <i>Oregonian</i> article covering its release.)<br /><br />The DHS report is very short compared to the ones done initially in the '90s, when the law first went into effect - there's even less information and documentation than the (minimal) amount in the first ones. Nevertheless, here are some questions that come to mind:<br /><br />First, the report states that "forty physicians wrote the 65 prescriptions." Hm. That means the docs who wrote them and the folks who took them don't map one-to-one; i.e., the prescriptions weren't written by each patient's regular doctor. This also means there were some physicians who wrote multiple lethal prescriptions. Are suicide-minded patients are starting to seek out doctors they've heard are sympathetic to the cause?<br /><br />Further down: "Complications were reported in four patients during 2006; they all regurgitated some of the medication." What happened to them? Did they recover? Did they die of natural causes? Did they try suicide again? Did they "need help" to make sure they died? The report doesn't say.<br /><br />And, "During 2006, 10 referrals were made to the Board of Medical Examiners (BME) for incorrectly completed reporting forms. The BME found no violations of “good faith compliance” with the Act..." What the ____ happened here? What sorts of errors were on these forms - incomplete/omitted information? Information that could shed some light on who did what in the patient's room on the day of death, perhaps? If medical records are legal documents (which they are), why was no one disciplined for poor medical recordkeeping? Are we playing a game of "don't ask, don't tell" here?<br /><br />Whatever your opinion may be about physician-assisted suicide, you should realize the medical aspects of this stink to high heaven. And they attack the senses of the spirit, just like the stench of abortion. <br /><br />For more information, visit <a href="http://www.pccef.org/latestnews/index.htm">the website of Physicians for Compassionate Care</a>.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-23247742943059140982007-02-22T13:23:00.000-08:002007-02-22T14:20:53.113-08:00Pray for Stephen Colbert today<a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:ibr4SJbVL1zLeM:ffmedia.ign.com/filmforce/image/colbert.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:ibr4SJbVL1zLeM:ffmedia.ign.com/filmforce/image/colbert.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Just a quick note to encourage you all to send up a shout to Jesus on behalf of Stephen Colbert, host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central.<br /><br />He's discovered that he's today's pick in the 2007 list of <a href="http://www.biblio.com/books/82205854.html">Praying for the Worlds 365 Most Influential People: 5 Minutes a Day to Change Your World</a>, published by Harvest House. On his show this week, he's been calling up other people listed in the book to ask if anything's happened to them as a result of being prayed for. Check out this clip of him talking to Candice Bergen...<br /><br /><embed FlashVars='config=http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/xml/data_synd.jhtml?vid=82334%26myspace=false' src='http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/syndicated_player/index.jhtml' quality='high' bgcolor='#006699' width='340' height='325' name='comedy_player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='always' allownetworking='external' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer'></embed><br /><br />For those of you who aren't familiar with his schtick, "The Colbert Report" is a fake news show on which Colbert does a send-up of the blustery pundit and interview style of Bill O'Reilly. The unique things about Colbert are: <br /><br />1) He's a cradle Catholic and admits in interviews to being a true believer in the Church, though he doesn't support the Magisterium on the usual pelvic issues - par for the course for an American cradle Catholic, I suppose.<br /><br />2) He retains some respect for God and the Church in his act. He was the host of the "God Stuff" segment on "The Daily Show" for a time and kept well clear of the line between ridiculing those who practice the faith in strange ways and the actual <i>content</i> of the faith.<br /><br />3) He's amazingly fearless in his satire of the political scene. When I watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert_at_the_2006_White_House_Correspondents%27_Association_Dinner">his speech to the national press</a> in front of President Bush about a year ago, and watched the broad, open smile on the president's face fade as Bush realized he was being poked fun at, I thought the next scene we would see was Colbert's head rolling down the front steps of the White House. It was unbelievable - and though I didn't agree with all his points, I thought it was brilliant.<br /><br />4) He's blisteringly funny.<br /><br />In the Candice Bergen segment, he seems terrified of what's going to happen to him today. But that's a good thing, I think - it shows how much he believes in his heart that <i>something</i> will happen.<br /><br />So, pray for him and his family today. Let's see what happens!KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1164751313978673812006-11-28T13:13:00.000-08:002006-12-02T08:38:05.066-08:00Keep Satan in Christmas!<a href="http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/P/m/2/slfa6.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/P/m/2/slfa6.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A shocking title for a blogpost, I know - one that's likely to send some of my recent visitors (see below) from 0 to Apoplectic in 1.6 seconds. But I just had to share <a href="http://touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=19-10-003-e">this nice little piece in Touchstone Magazine</a> with you on the blessings that the "liturgy" of Christmas carols can bring to us. Enjoy.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1164401270204571492006-11-24T12:30:00.000-08:002006-11-24T12:53:46.253-08:00Christus homo factus estA couple of meditations for you on the beginning of the season of Advent, coming up soon, on the following topic: What does it mean that Christ became a man?<br /><br />First is a reflection by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa in this month's <a href:"http://www.magnificat.net/us/indexus.htm">Magnificat</a>:<br /><br /><i>The expression "except in sin" (absque peccato) used of Jesus (cf. Heb. 4:15) does not convey some exception to the full and definitive human nature of Christ, as though he were in all respects truly human like ourselves, less one thing: sin - as though sin were an essential and natural characteristic of human nature. Far from derogating from the full humanity of Christ, "except in sin" constitutes the distinguishing feature of his true humanity, since sin is the only true "superstructure," the only spurious addition to the divine project of human nature. It is surprising how we have reached the point of regarding as most "human" the very thing that is least human. "To this point has human perversity arrived," says Saint Augustine, " that he whom lust overcomes is regarded as a man, whereas he who has overcome lust cannot be a man. Those who overcome evil cannot be men, whereas those whom evil overcomes are men indeed!" "Human" has come to mean rather what we have in common with the beasts than what distinguishes us from them, such as intelligence, will power, conscience, holiness.<br /><br />So Jesus is "true man" not in spite of being without sin but precisely because he is without sin. In the famous dogmatic letter of Saint Leo the Great we read: "He, true God, was born in an integral and perfect nature as true man, complete with all prerogatives, as well divine as human. In saying 'human' however, we refer to those things which the Creator originally placed in us and which he then came to restore; whereas in the Savior there was no trace of those things that the Deceiver added and that man deceived accepted. It is not to be thought that he, because he willed to share our weakness, also participated in our guilt. He assumed the condition of a slave, but without the contamination of sin; he thus enriched mankind but did not diminish God."</i><br /><br />Caryll Houselander, a Catholic writer in the 1940s, also had this to say in her lovely book of meditations on the Virgin Mary, whom she called <a href:"http://www.familypublications.co.uk/detail.cfm?ID=0001261&storeid=1">the Reed of God</a>:<br /><br /><i>This is what it meant to Mary to give human nature to God.<br /><br />All other children born must inevitably die; death belongs to fallen nature; the mother’s gift to the child is life.<br />But Christ is life; death did not belong to Him.<br />In fact, unless Mary would give Him death, He could not die.<br />Unless she would give him the capacity for suffering, He could not suffer.<br />He could only feel cold and hunger and thirst if she gave Him her vulnerability to cold and hunger and thirst.<br />He could not know the indifference of friends or treachery or the bitterness of being betrayed unless she gave Him a human mind and a human heart.<br /><br />He was invulnerable; He asked her for a body to be wounded.<br />He was joy itself; He asked her to give Him tears.<br />He was God; He asked her to make Him man.<br />He asked for hands and feet to be nailed.<br />He asked for flesh to be scourged.<br />He asked for blood to be shed.<br />He asked for a heart to be broken.<br /><br />The stable at Bethlehem was the first Calvary.<br />The wooden manger was the first Cross.<br />The swaddling bands were the first burial bands.<br />The Passion had begun.<br />Christ was man.</i><br /><br />(For an audio version of the Houselander piece, stop in to my <a href:"http://www.mystagogia.net">website</a> and listen to <a href:"http://www.mystagogia.net/music.htm">Advent Meditation</a>.<br /><br />Blessings on you as you follow Mary's example and "ponder these things in your heart" this Advent season.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1162338216150010202006-10-31T15:20:00.000-08:002006-10-31T15:46:38.680-08:00A Review of The Magic Eightball Test<a href="http://www.lulu.com/author/display_thumbnail.php?fCID=313854&fSize=detail_&1162337105"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.lulu.com/author/display_thumbnail.php?fCID=313854&fSize=detail_&1162337105" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Here for your reading pleasure is my review of my friend Lint Hatcher's latest offering. Lint is the founder and former editor of WONDER Magazine, as those of you who've read the posts below are aware, and a fine writer. Visit him at <a href:"http://hambangersgazette.blogspot.com">Hambangers Junction Gazette</a> or <a href:"http://excusemeghidorah.blogspot.com">Excuse Me, Ghidorah</a>, or go on over to <a href:"http://www.lulu.com/content/313854">lulu.com</a> to see the book (with Lint's own graphic design work on the cover).<br /><br />Enjoy! And a Happy Halloween to one and all!<br /><br />=============<br /><br />On the cover of the first edition of Lint Hatcher’s <i>The Magic Eightball Test: A Christian Defense of Halloween and All Things Spooky</i>, the reader is greeted by the author’s own sketch of a strange gathering of fictional characters, including a traditional-looking, long-nosed, pointy-hatted witch with a pumpkin cauldron – but on a second look, she’s holding the cauldron by a handle over the open top. It has chevron eyes and a zigzag mouth on the front, and my brain can’t resist the urge to morph the cauldron into one of those plastic jack o’lanterns that children use for trick-or-treating. Then there’s an Orc-looking/imp-like fellow next to her, and a fairy princess modeled on Disney’s Cinderella, and a small being (a child? E.T.?) underneath a sheet with eyeholes cut in it. The group is fronted by Batman’s young sidekick Robin sporting an inordinately serious expression, gravely holding a large black orb – our titular Magic Eightball. Towering over the other characters from behind is the more familiar figure of Frankenstein, with an incongruously cheery, grandfatherly grin spread across his wide face. [Note: This illustration is on the cover of the first edition; the current cover above is different, but also cool.] I get the feeling that though the subtitle introduces the book as “a Christian defense of Halloween”, this won’t be heavy theology – Hatcher doesn’t seem averse to applying a sense of humor to his subject.<br /><br />The chapter titles include evocations of classic Halloween kitsch (“Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House”) and wry twists on pagan propaganda (“The Ancient Art of Pop-O-Matic”). Hope rises in my heart that I won’t be drenched with a firehose stream of Biblical prooftexts and platitudes that sound like they were uttered by a talking head with horn-rimmed glasses and a blonde bouffant hairdo. I plunge in.<br /><br />Hatcher begins his ambitious project by describing the attraction that the season of fall has for him: <br /><br /> <i>It’s a kind of music. For me, it’s built into reality and it’s saying something good to me. Just as “the heavens proclaim the glory of God” in a manner that is aesthetic, almost musical, rather than prosaic, the coming of autumn says something romantic and pure to me. It sings about Nighttime, and Winter, and the liveliness of Death, about truths too difficult and painful to accept any other way – except, perhaps, through the words of some great poet.<br /><br /> And because autumn is a kind of music, Halloween is a kind of dance.</i><br /><br />He then discusses the various aspects of Halloween as we experience it in America: 1) the autumn festival, 2) a night of “make-believe”, and 3) a celebration of all things spooky. He gives a brief history of the holiday’s origins, being careful to distinguish between the Celts’ worship of nature and the celebration (or veneration, if you will) of the creation that we engage in at harvest time. He tells a funny but tragic story of dressing up like Cornelius from <i>Planet of the Apes</i> one day and going to school – a day that unfortunately was not Halloween, but rather a balmy day in March. He writes: “I remember suffering a lot throughout the day, horribly burdened by a growing realization. ‘What kind of world is this’, I thought, ‘if you can’t go to school dressed up like a gorilla?’ The question haunts me to this very day.” As well it should all of us.<br /><br />For Hatcher has uncovered a very important aspect of our humanity that has been forced to lumber off and hibernate in the face of rationalism’s and cynicism’s encroachment into its territory: our sense of awe and delight in God’s creation, in who we are as God’s creatures, in all of life’s glorious possibilities that an active imagination makes available to us. <br /><br />Hatcher is careful to draw a bright line between the type of occultism that is actually practiced by serious believers in dark powers and the “pop” occult trappings of our modern Halloween celebration. The means of distinguishing the two (again referring to the book’s title) is The Magic Eightball Test. He contrasts the familiar Magic Eightball toy with the Ouija board and asks:<br /><br /> <i>When people place their trembling fingertips on the triangular planchette of a Ouija board and ask a question, to whom are they speaking? “The spirits.” Whether a person believes or not… they formally address their questions to the spirit world. Thus, some creature may answer – and in fact it may make very little difference to that creature whether he is believed in or not.<br /><br /> Okay. When a person asks a question of the Magic Eightball, who are they talking to? Who do they know darn well that they are addressing?<br /><br /> That round piece of plastic there. The one with the number eight painted on it. The one full of blue liquid and, hey, why don’t we break it open to see how it works, huh?<br /><br /> …[W]e ply it for answers… like a Pop-O-Matic dice roller. If we don’t get the answer we want, we shake it up again.</i><br /><br />This is the heart of Hatcher’s argument and defense of Halloween and its spooky accoutrements – things like Dracula costumes, trick-or-treating, and decorating one’s house with black cats and gravestones are simply responses to the <i>idea</i> of the spirit world - cultural echoes of real encounters, perhaps, but no longer conveying the reality of the things they signify. They are “make-believe”, an experience of “playing pretend”, like a father playing with his children by growling like a lion and chasing them around the living room. They allow an acknowledgement of evil and the “spooky aesthetic” that hangs about certain creatures, but not a participation in an actual experience of it.<br /><br />In Hatcher’s description of his friends’, family’s, and schoolmates’ reactions to his creative flights of fancy and his interest in things that others find distasteful, I can’t help but notice a quiet exasperation, a tiny bit of resentment, a touch of sadness in his tone. I find myself asking: Where does our childlike sense of wonder go when we cease to be children in the physical sense? How can we tap into, or perhaps recover, our ability to sense the thrill of an encounter with the supernatural – what Hatcher calls “the spooky gene”?<br /><br />This is where Hatcher draws on the expertise of English journalist and poet G.K. Chesterton to provide “Deep Background” for his worldview. He reprints Chesterton’s essays <i>On Holidays</i>, <i>The Spice of Life</i>, and <i>The Nightmare</i>, all of which further explore ideas of culture and experience, and lend solid support to his position. Chesterton apparently was also possessed of the “spooky gene”, as he describes in the closing paragraph of <i>The Nightmare</i>: <br /><br />Therefore I see no wrong in riding with the Nightmare tonight; she whinnies to me from the rocking tree-tops and the roaring wind; I will catch her and ride her through the awful air… I will ride on the Nightmare; but she shall not ride on me.<br /><br />Also reprinted in this volume is Hatcher’s essay <i>Wunderkind</i>, a fictional diary of a young man traveling the pathway of popular culture and rediscovering his childlike sense of wonder through a renewed sacramental understanding of the world. An engaging personal autobiographical note closes the slim volume.<br /><br />On a personal note of my own, I had the privilege of attending a Halloween party once with Lint Hatcher, his family, and about 50 other revelers in a tent at a Christian music and arts festival. You may think this an unlikely place for a Halloween party, but trust me, the time was just as unlikely as the venue – Fourth of July weekend. The theme of the lecture series taking place at the festival was “Days of the Dead”, including Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos, with lectures and discussions of their cultural and religious contexts. Hatcher was a speaker at the event and delivered “The Magic Eightball Test” as a short speech before the party started. He was well received by the assorted zombies, ghosts, mummies, Goths, and vampires who had gathered for the festivities. <br /><br />I had carefully planned my costume – in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and his Canticle of the Sun (mentioning Brother Sun, Sister Moon, etc.), I had come to the party as Sister Death – all gothed out in black from head to toe, in whiteface with big black eyes, and blood red lipstick with a trail of stage blood dripping from a corner of my mouth. Just as the dance was getting going, I was in a corner of the tent putting the finishing touches on my makeup when Hatcher and his son Nick came over. I heard him say, “Oh, man!” and looked up, and he met my wide grin with one even wider than mine – extended (by a creative makeup job of his own) at one side to reveal several bare teeth, a bony jaw, and a grotesque vermilion border – reminiscent of the expression of the title character in William Castle’s classic film <i>Mr. Sardonicus</i>. Together we rejoined the crowd and cheered for the band as they kicked into some high-energy surf-rock with horror-show parody lyrics.<br /><br />Lint Hatcher “gets” Halloween – whatever it once was, whatever it may be to some, it’s definitely wonderful fun.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1158300032111904072006-09-14T22:28:00.000-07:002006-09-14T23:00:32.153-07:00Thoughts on Predestination<a href="http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sta02003.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sta02003.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A friend of mine and I were talking the other day, and he mentioned he had stumbled over the concept of predestination recently. It made me stop to consider my own run-ins with this idea and the extent to which I've worked on it as regards my own spiritual life. Though I don't have it completely philosophically integrated, here's what I've got so far.<br /><br />I grew up in a Christian home; I was raised in an American Baptist church, kind of on the liberal end of a conservative tradition. For example, my mom had a bottle of wine in the refrigerator, we went to all sorts of movies, no one ever said anything about playing cards – but there was definitely no swearing and no smoking. <br /><br />Anyway, the first time I prayed the “sinner’s prayer” and asked Jesus into my heart, I was 5 years old. I had an experience of praying to “recommit” my life to Jesus when I was 8; I think it was because I felt really guilty about something (which I can’t remember now) and I thought I was a “backslider”. <br /><br />The time that I point to as my actual age-of-reason conversion was when I was 12. I had been involved in a “Bible Club” children’s ministry through the family of my best friend in elementary school, where I learned to pray and read the Bible for myself. One afternoon I was sitting on my bed reading I John, and I came across the part in Chapter 4 where it reads: “If anyone says he loves God but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (v. 20-21). That hit me between the eyes, because I really <i>did</i> hate my brother – and it showed me for the first time that I wasn’t loving God. I’d tried to be a good girl and not get in trouble and everything, and I thought that was enough to be a Christian. At the same time, there were terrible amounts of resentment and hatred building in my heart against my older brother because of how violent he was with my sister and me. (FYI, my older brother Steve was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 16 and has been managed on medication since then.) Anyway, having been confronted with this spiritual truth by the Holy Spirit Himself through the Scriptures, I realized I needed not just to believe, but to change and be changed – and so, that was my first conscious, engaged beginning as a Christian. I was baptized (like a good Baptist) several months later.<br /><br />Here’s my first encounter with the concept of predestination: When I was 16, I changed schools and started at Catlin Gabel as a sophomore. I’d only had a few close Christian friends in my life up to that time, but now they were all pretty much gone, and none of my new friends shared my faith at all – in fact, one girl attacked me about it fairly regularly. I looked around at other classmates of mine who were smoking (tobacco and other substances), drinking, and sleeping around – and they appeared to be having fun. The thought occurred to me: <i>Why am I sitting around being “moral”, when I could be having fun?</i> As I started to think more about it, I began to resent the fact that I’d been raised as a Christian – I really didn’t know any other sort of life. In my church and at Bible Club, I’d heard about how you had to make a choice to follow Jesus, but I began to see that I was never really given a choice – about big things like this, things that seemed to matter and shape your life. My mom and dad (who both had demanding careers) were a little disengaged at times in my upbringing, but they were very definite about going to church and the importance of being a certain kind of person. I suppose I bought into that in order to be close to them in the midst of the chaos that Steve’s illness brought into the family dynamics. But I began to think seriously about whether I still wanted to be a Christian – and what I would be if I weren’t a Christian.<br /><br />I had internalized the Baptist adage “once saved, always saved”, but instead of comforting me, it began to make me angry and a little confused. Of course, as a good Christian, I wasn’t <i>supposed</i> to want things that were bad for me, right? If God was so pleased with me being with Him, why wasn’t I happy and joyful all the time? Did that mean that I really wasn’t one of the “chosen”, that I wouldn’t be happy in heaven? What if there was real happiness in a place <i>other</i> than heaven? And if I was predestined for heaven, “eternally secure” as my Sunday school teacher put it, that means I’ve got my “fire insurance policy” and it doesn’t matter what I do between now and when I die because it’s not about works, it’s about faith, right? Does God really know what I’m going to choose before I choose it? If He does, then what does it matter?<br /><br />After much serious thought and prayer, the way it came down in my 16-year-old mind was this: God is outside of time. We’re not; we have to live through time. So, God knows what we’re going to do, decide, and choose – but <i>we don’t</i>. (Somehow that thought had more force in my head back then than when I look at it here on the page right now.) The fact that humans can’t know the future means that if God is all-knowing, He is in fact sovereign over us. <br /><br />And, I realized that I only had this one personal identity, this identity as a Christian, built on knowing Jesus. I realized that if I decided not to be a Christian anymore, I’d have to completely rebuild my self-concept from scratch – I’d have to completely scrap my whole life experience up to that point. Because I had read God’s promises in the Bible – things like “If you keep your mind stayed on Me, you will have perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3) and “If you obey Me, I will bless you” (Job 36:11). I had seen that work in my life. I realized that if I stepped outside of that, there would be no guarantees. If I were to smoke pot or drink or go ‘round with boys, I might be happy – or I might not. With my Christian life, life with God, He was offering me a guarantee – a promise. It dawned on me that if I believed He loved me, then I had to trust Him – even if it meant giving up these other pathways to happiness, that for all I knew really would make me happy (though in hindsight, I can see that such happiness would have only been temporary).<br /><br />I suppose you could draw a couple of conclusions from this: either that I was just stuck with being a Christian because I didn’t really have the courage to try anything else, or that I couldn’t leave Jesus because I knew deep down that, despite everything, He really loved me. I suppose that both are true in a sense.<br /><br />=============================================================<br /><br />I recognize that in principle, there’s still an existential tension between God’s omniscience and the threat it poses to the meaning of human choices. The following analogy resonates the best with me presently on this score:<br /><br />God is the Author of the book in which we are all characters. From His perspective, it’s as if we were two-dimensional, living only on the page in the mind of God and any readers. As the pages turn, we live our lives and make our choices, and we reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of those choices. We can’t skip ahead in the book and see what’s to come, what certain choices will bring; we can’t turn back and undo things that didn’t turn out as we would have liked. God is the one who in that mysterious Other Dimension creates us in His mind and writes us and our lives on the page, fleshing us out and making us real, fully human, present to ourselves and to others. He can skip ahead or go back, or enter or observe our timeline at whatever point He chooses. He remains in ultimate control as the Creator and Author of human history, but because our character and nature as humans is reflective of His, He allows us the small reflection of His limitless power over the universe which we call <i>free will</i>. As far as we who live “in the book” (i.e. in the space/time continuum) are concerned, though this power over the course of our lives isn’t absolute like God’s, it is quite real, because God made it as part of our human nature. <br /><br />It’s tempting to cop an attitude about God’s sovereignty and resent the fact that He didn’t give us ultimate power over our own lives, and then do a passive/aggressive thing of refusing to use the power of will that He did give us to order, control, and shape ourselves and our world – we shirk our responsibilities to act/contribute to the world and end up slacking (spiritually speaking), like a petulant, morose, full-of-himself adolescent. I think we make a mistake when we don’t regard free will with the dignity that God gives it. After all, God really allows us to do stuff – to build things, to invent things, to be mini-creators. Our free will, our freedom, is a good thing, given to us so that we can reach our potential as human beings for God’s glory; St. Augustine said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Freedom is not to be pissed away and squandered on things that don’t build up, nor to be pissed on and left to atrophy. It’s part of the image of God in us and should be respected as such. After all, God respects it; He lets us make our choices and succeed, or screw up, or both, without sending angels or thunderbolts or apparitions at every turn to coerce us in what we choose. When those freaky things happen, I don’t believe it’s ever to force our hand, but to encourage us toward the right thing regarding something really important – something that’s really going to matter for someone else.<br /><br />==============================================================<br /><br />On a secular level, when God is removed from the picture (or equated with matter/the natural world), this question degenerates into the familiar debates of nature vs. nurture, genetics vs. environment, materialism vs. existentialism. From this perspective, it’s my view that our development as humans is comprised of both our genetic inheritance and what we choose to do with it. We can’t mutate our own genes at will, but neither can we escape living on planet Earth – they both affect us and shape us in different ways. It’s a cooperative, interactive thing, sort of like the way that God calls us to cooperate with His gift of grace, both to accept His love and His choice of us (John 15:16) and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).<br /><br />==============================================================<br /><br />Re: spiritual “dimensionality”, try this on – it’s a poem I wrote several years ago.<br /><br />[On looking at plates from the Book of Kells:]<br /><br />His hair is drawn at the ends<br />into an undisentangleable knot,<br />the strands reaching into the grapevines above His head,<br />into the borders where we, the Body,<br />discover ourselves<br />likewise inextricably woven.<br /><br />You reach into, down, under<br />my heart and pull through - <br />I thread over, between, out<br />to curl beside you,<br />happy for companionship on this plane<br />but yet still aware<br />of the Light, the Eye,<br />the unbound dimension<br />whence come mysteries of<br />color and shape and proportion.<br /><br />We know what we mean - <br />whether we are beautiful,<br />we cannot tell. <br /><br />© 1995 KJL<br /><br />=============================================================<br /><br />A corollary question to the predestination vs. free will dichotomy is this: Is it possible for a Christian believer to lose their salvation, i.e. to be a Christian one day and not be one the next? Since it’s assumed there’s a line between “saved” and “not saved”, and one crosses this line in order to enter the Kingdom of God, is it possible to step back across it into darkness, total lostness, again?<br /><br />I was part of a good-sized independent charismatic church in my late twenties, and many of my friends came from Assembly of God or Pentecostal backgrounds (heavily influenced by Armenianism). Over the years that I was there, I began to see people who I thought were strong believers just get up and walk away from the faith. When my friends saw this happen, they acknowledged that the person had been saved by Christ but figured they had lost that saving grace in their lives through their disobedience and sin, and they would have to “get saved” all over again if they were going to get to heaven – i.e. go up to an altar call, pray to receive Jesus in their heart again, and start over from square one. They based this on Bible passages like Ezekiel 33:12-13, Matthew 13:19-21 and Hebrews 6:4-6 (the Hebrews passage is especially harsh if interpreted this way, since it would seem to mean that a person who falls away can’t ever get right with God again). They would talk about a “hardness of heart” to which God would just abandon people if they were stubborn enough. I, on the other hand, tended to think according to my “once saved, always saved” upbringing and if I watched a Christian walk away from God, just totally repudiate Him, it was hard for me to believe that he or she was ever really a Christian in the first place. I looked to Bible verses such as John 10:27-29, Romans 8:29-30, Romans 11:29, Ephesians 1:4, and I Timothy 2:4 to support my view. The idea that God could literally abandon someone in sin, just give up on a person, really bothered me, so I leaned heavily the other direction – though I realized that sin really does separate us from God. Jesus can’t have a relationship with someone who doesn’t believe in Him, hates Him, and/or never talks to Him, right?<br /><br />When I began to study Catholic sacramental theology, I discovered a different model for understanding the phenomenon of how a person is saved, i.e. enters and stays in the Family of God. In this light, I found a different picture emerging from the Scriptures. In interpreting the Apostle’s teaching regarding the interplay between God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will, the early Church fathers and theologians don’t pit one idea against the other; they acknowledge that both concepts are valid and important. They base their interpretations on a couple of key concepts:<br /><br />Great emphasis is placed on baptism as the beginning of one’s life in God. Catholics interpret the verse “Baptism now saves you…” (I Peter 3:21) in the most literal way possible. This is the way into the boat that takes you to the other side; this is the gate you pass through to come into the city. This is why Catholics, Presbyterians, and Lutherans baptize babies – it takes the place that circumcision had in the Jewish faith. It’s the initiation into the community, the tribe, the people of God. (And I’ll point out a cool fact which this interpretation suggests: Christ transformed this older Jewish initiation rite into something that women as well as men can receive.)<br /><br />I learned a lot about my baptism when I became a Catholic – they regarded it with much more seriousness than I had up to that point. FYI, Catholics don’t ever re-baptize people; they figure that if a person has already received a Christian baptism (in water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), they’re good to go as far as that’s concerned – God has already opened a channel of grace into their lives through that sacrament because <i>the sacraments work of their own accord – they actually convey what they signify</i>, in this case the removal of the stain of original sin and the rebirth of the soul in God (John 3:5-7).<br /><br />Don’t think that I’m saying that baptism gives you a free ride into heaven, no questions asked; by no means. The Apostles also placed great emphasis on obeying Christ’s teachings and living a holy life. St. James insists that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:13-17); Paul talks about building one’s life in Christ out of various materials (I Corinthians 3:10-15) and “working out your salvation” (Phil. 2:12). Though original sin has been removed, a thing called <i>concupiscence</i> (that’s Augustine’s word) remains in our souls and bodies, in our being as humans. It’s the warp/distortion of our spiritual senses caused by hell’s fire, the smoke in our lungs, the holes/disconnects in our mind, the fogginess of our vision, the pull of gravity on our guts – what St. Paul complained about in Romans 7. This needs dealing with - all the time, because sin is serious, and hell is real, and we can still screw up real bad if we’re not paying attention.<br /><br />However, that’s what getting saved is all about – it’s the process of repairing the damage, becoming holy, putting on the new man, being transformed more and more into the image of Christ. Catholic teaching points to the fact that in the Bible, various Greek verb tenses are used to describe salvation (“you have been saved” [Eph. 2:8], “us who are being saved” [I Cor. 1:18], “we shall be saved” [Acts 15:11]) – that’s past, present, and future. What Reformation theology regarded as a two-step process (first justification, then sanctification), Catholics regard as one single pathway called salvation. St. Paul also talks about the Christian life as being like an athlete in training (I Corinthians 9:24-27), a process of getting into shape so you can compete and win. This is what the other sacraments (confirmation, Eucharist, confession, etc.) and any other practices that help a person live holy and be like Jesus are for.<br /><br />So, it’s a combination of both concepts, a synthesis: Our journey has a beginning in baptism, which God wills and brings about (with or without our cooperation), and then He expects us to follow through and grow in Him, to persevere toward the goal, and to establish His Kingdom and His Presence wherever we are – because the promise of redemption doesn’t belong to just us, to just our souls. Christ came to redeem all of Creation, the whole planet, including us - body and soul (Romans 8:19-23). So, our work as Christians is to join with Christ in “redeeming the temporal order” (Pope John Paul II’s phrase, I think).<br /><br />So, if salvation is a process and not a line in the sand that you cross, then you can see why Catholics are reluctant to judge whether someone is “saved” or not. We look at people and consider where they are in relation to the Truth, what kind of grasp they already have on spiritual reality, and then try to encourage them toward a fuller understanding of the truth of Christ. This idea is foundational to all our interreligious dialogue – the idea that there is some salvageable good in nearly all religions and cultures, and people need to be encouraged to embrace that good more fully so they can progress toward more comprehensive transformation and redemption in Christ.<br /><br />That's what I'm about on this blog, really. Just trying to whisper to other souls in the darkness: "Goooooo toward the liiiiiiiight. Gooooo toward the liiiiiiiight..."<br /><br />[Hat tip to <a href:"http://www.catholic-forum.com">www.catholic-forum.com</a> for the above image of St. Augustine.]KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1157267944240248732006-09-03T00:03:00.000-07:002006-09-03T14:32:24.173-07:00Wilma wrote back...... and had a few more things to say. [Here's Wilma in <b>bold</b>, me in regular font:]<br /><br /><b>Just so you know Kathleen I am a cradle Catholic-- Catholic school, nuns, confirmation, the whole nine yards. I also spent many years in the Unitarian-Universalist Association. However I am now a born again Christian, and in learning God's Word have been blessed to know Jesus Christ as my Savior. I have interacted with Catholics for over four years now, oftentimes for several hours a day, online. I can define Transubstantiation unlike a high percentage of Catholics in the pews. {Why do you assume I am a Calvinist?}</b>
<br /><br />These are interesting facts to know about you - thanks for sharing that. Believe it or not, I’m genuinely glad that you found Jesus and are trying to follow Him, and that you’re trying to live by your understanding of the Bible. Of course, I’m dismayed that you didn’t find Him in your experience of the Catholic Church growing up; I assure you, I recognize that you’re not alone. I will definitely concede the point that catechesis (at least since the 1970s or so) in American Catholic churches has been extremely poor as far as connecting Catholics with the faith of our fathers. Others have deconstructed this much more thoroughly than I, but in my view, the ham-fisted way in which the reforms of Vatican II were implemented in this country, the growing wedge of distrust between the American hierarchy and the official magisterium (i.e., the teaching office of the Church) begun by the American bishops’ refusal to enforce the directives of <i>Humanae Vitae</i> (prohibiting artificial birth control – published in 1968), and the “sexual revolution” and general social upheaval of the late ‘60s and into the ‘70s all combined to create a “perfect storm” of sorts – in which many priests, nuns, catechists, and laypeople have been caught up. I don’t deny that many American Catholics don’t know Jesus and don’t live their faith. I contend, however, that this is due to their <i>rebellion</i> against the true teachings of the Church as promulgated by the magisterium and not to their embrace of it. <br /><br />
<b><i>”[T]he redemption and transformation of matter/the material world into the Kingdom of God began with the Incarnation."</i> Uh dear, did you ever read the first line in the Bible?</b><br /><br />Yes, as a matter of fact: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth…” (Gen. 1:1) It’s a good bet that the Apostle John was also familiar with this verse when he wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). In his manner of writing the Gospel, which was of course inspired by the Holy Spirit, John was drawing a direct analogy between the Creation and the Incarnation, casting the latter as the Re-Creation, if you will. Christ is the Beginning, the first fruits (Col. 1:15-20) of redemption from the Fall; all the rest of creation’s redemption follows as He remakes it (Rev. 21:5).<br /><br /><b><i>"This means also that matter, e.g. our mortal bodies, can be infused with grace – which they are in the sacraments."</i> Oh really? and pray tell, just WHERE does the bible teach that we are INFUSED with anything other than sin? </b><br /><br />In the place where it says that “the one who raised Christ from the dead will <i>give life to your mortal bodies also</i>, through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Rom 8:11). See also my previous reference to I Cor. 15:42-44. Also, back in Genesis, when humankind (i.e. Adam) was created, it says that God “<i>blew into his nostrils the breath of life</i>, and so man became a living being.” (Gen. 2:7) I remind you that Catholic teaching holds that though Adam’s sin brought death into the world, the promise of redemption was given even before Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden (Gen. 3:15), and though the image of God in man was marred or wounded, it was not destroyed. <br /><br />Here’s paragraph #398 from the Catechism: “In [Adam’s] sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. <i>Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully ‘divinized’ by God in glory.</i> [emphasis mine] Seduced by the devil, he wanted to ‘be like God’, but ‘without God, before God, and not in accordance with God’”.<br /><br />Further into the Catechism’s discussion of original sin, mention is made of the Protestant reformers’ error of identifying original sin with <i>concupiscence</i> (our continuing tendency towards sin). This conflation of the two concepts, and the resulting idea of mankind as totally depraved, is an integral part of both Luther’s and Calvin’s theology, and since your line of thought seems to derive from that, I thought you were a Calvinist. Sorry if I was mistaken.<br /><br /><b><i>"This causes Catholics to honor (I say honor, not worship) those material things which we see as windows into the Beyond, into the heart of God – including the Eucharist, icons of various kinds, and relics of deceased saints." </i> So you mean when 3 million people line up in the pouring cold rain, to walk by a bunch of dried up bones, and shriveled up organs, this is just for "honor"? How about insanity? Why would your saints themselves want attention paid to their dead body parts, rather then to God if they are truly saints? --by the way there's a reason Catholic churches instead of Fellowship Baptist are chosen as the backdrop for your loved horror movies.</b><br /><br />I’ll take your comments in reverse order: 3) Yes, I’ve also noticed the fascination with the Catholic Church in horror films as well as other genres of books, cinema, and television. The reason is that the Catholic Church looms quite large in the Western imagination – it’s the most “churchy” thing out there. 2) The saints want all of us to see and worship God, which is why they strove to live exemplary lives, which is why we remember and honor them. Don’t you have a picture of your grandmother anywhere? Don’t you have something that she owned or wore? Isn’t it special to you because she’s your family – you love her, and you see this material thing as a connection to her memory and an encouragement in the blessing she was in your life? That’s the core of it, really. 1) I’ve done the best I can to be patient and responsive to your concerns, Wilma. I apologize for repeating the name they used for you over on Amy’s blog. That said, one more crack about “insanity” and I will permanently ban you. This is <i>my</i> blog, and you are a guest here.<br /><br /><b><i>“Truthfully, I don’t know how the whole body parts thing got started; I think it had to do with the fact that during the first 300 years of Christianity, coming across a Christian’s dead body wasn’t all that rare an occurrence, and St. Augustine and other early Christians speak of miracles connected with being the presence of saints’ bodies or tombs." </i> So you don't know but you honor it anyway? Shall I teach you a thing or two about Necromancy?</b><br /><br />I don’t wish to know anything about necromancy, thanks. But check out what happened when some folks tossed someone’s dead body into the prophet Elisha’s fresh grave (II Kings 13:20-21). God can and does do miracles with whatever He chooses. The early Christians attest to the miracles mentioned above. Your quarrel is with them, not with me.<br /><br /><b><i>"Not to belabor the point, but contact, interaction, and dialogue with other religions does not constitute endorsement, acceptance, or “embracing” everything in those other religions. Catholic teaching holds that other religions may have some limited grasp on spiritual truth, and we dialogue with them in hopes of reinforcing whatever truth they have." </i> 2Cr 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
The apostles did not have "rap" sessions about Baal, Isis, and Molech. Neither did they hold world-wide prayer sessions for all the pagans to go offer their sacrifices {Right from the Vatican website one can view some Vooduns offering their liquor libations to the "spirits" at Assisi}. They preached the true gospel, not the antichrist universalist "cosmic christ gospel" where as your last Pope stated..."Jesus" is found via false religions.
Here is what he said: “It will be in the sincere practice of what is good in their own religious traditions and by following the dictates of their own conscience that members of other religions respond positively to God’s invitation and receive salvation in Jesus Christ even while they do not recognize or acknowledge him as their Saviour". (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue-Congregation for The Evangelization of Peoples, Instruction Dialogue and Proclamation, 19 May 1991 n29; L’Ossertavore Romano English Edition, 1 July 1991, p.III)
Your last Pope {as well as the present one} must have missed these verses. Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 2Cr 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].
So your religious "dialogue", is NOT Biblical. All of the above would make your favorite wannabe Buddhist man Merton anything but a would be Saint.</b>
<br /><br />In your interpretation of II Cor. 6:15, you are assuming that “Belial” and “the infidel” is synonymous with every single person, culture, and artifact on the planet that does not worship God, pray, and read the Bible exactly as you do. Catholics do not interpret this passage this way. Again, because of our view that the Fall did not <i>destroy</i>, but rather <i>wounded</i>, the image of God in humankind, there are some things in human cultures that are simply human, that retain some salvageable goodness, and they’re not all automatically consigned to the realm of the satanic. Consider: Q: Is a baseball game good or evil? A: It depends on the way the players play the game. Sometimes heroic sacrifices are made; sometimes people cheat. It’s the players’ individual moral choices, based on their conscience, that determine the character of the game. Not all pagan cultural artifacts and practices, including those having to do with religion, are inherently demonic; rather a lot of pagan and non-Christian religious practices are simply human efforts to reach the Truth, the Divine, with varying (but inadequate) degrees of success. Works, if you will, apart from grace.<br /><br />So, here’s the thing: I completely agree with the quotation above from the Pontifical Council – that’s what I believe. However, I do <i>not</i> believe that this contradicts the Bible verses you quoted below it. God’s mercy is wider than our vision of it; if He wants to reach out and save some suffering native in Uganda that’s never heard the Gospel of Christ, it’s within His prerogative to do so. (See Romans 9:14-16.) Also, the Bible says that one’s actions, based on the witness of one’s conscience, will either accuse or excuse a person on Judgment Day – whether or not that person has ever heard the Gospel (Romans 2:9-16). This is the key, though: If anyone is saved, it’s Jesus Christ that saves them. (Acts 4:12 - yes, absolutely.) If anyone receives mercy at the hand of God in the midst of their ignorance, it’s because Jesus’ death and resurrection made it possible. <br /><br />And, the Apostle Paul did in fact dialogue with the philosophers on Mars Hill in a culturally relevant way, even quoting their own poets, in order to help them grasp the fullness of the truth in Christ (Acts 17:21-34). <br /><br /><b><i>"Regarding the Assisi gatherings to pray for peace – come now, would you prefer that humans not ask whatever Higher Power they believe in for help in achieving peace on earth? Would you prefer that we give up hope for a peaceful coexistence between different religions and cultures, and return to blowing each other up to the last man standing? Unless you can grasp the meaning of the difference between religious dialogue and syncretism, based on what I've already said, it won’t do much good for me to continue to try to explain it."</i>
<br />I don't care about the line between religious dialogue and syncretism which in Catholicism seems to move every year, but the line set forth by God's command which is this.. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. So when Rome has prayer sessions for peace with Vooduns, Shintoists, Jainists, Buddhists, Islamics, and right on the Vatican website, pretty much state they are all praying to the same "God"---in that horrid Lucis Trustesque prayer, your church has flunked Christianity 101, and has broken the first commandment! I can find an example of this, EVERY WEEK, where someone like the Dalai Lama who definitely preaches "another gospel" and is "antichrist" by all scriptural tests-- who directly denies Jesus Christ is invited in and lauded by the Catholic clergy right in their cathedrals.<br />
Again and again, we see the Roman Catholic church praising and lauding other religions from Cardinals praying to Allah, praising Buddha's teachings and lighting incense to Ganesha {I can prove all this happened} and Catholics in the pews being led more and more into universalism. What has happened at Georgetown is par for the course, they are not just wayward "disobedient" liberals. They are following the examples from the TOP. 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them...</b><br />
<br />As I read through this, I’m more and more convinced it won’t do much good for me to continue trying to explain how Catholicism sees itself in relation to other world religions. I will say the following, however:<br /><br /> 1) The yardstick for measuring Truth is held firmly in the Church’s own hand. She does not accept other’s views as to what is good at face value, but judges by her own standards. You are quite wrong to say that the Catholic Church "flunks Christianity 101" and "breaks the first commendment" - <b>since the Catholic Church decides what constitutes the Christian faith</b> and is not measured by any standard except the teaching of the Apostles, received from Christ Himself.<br /><br />2) Though they hold a much different view of His character, Muslims do (or attempt to) worship the One God, that Person of the Trinity revealed to Jews as Yahweh and to Christians as God the Father. Since Islam is a monotheistic religion, they have grasped the truth that there is only one God, and Catholics, measuring by the light of Christian revelation, regard that as a step in the right direction. It doesn’t bother me that Muslims call the One God “Allah” (which is Arabic for God) anymore than my Mexican friends at church call God “Dios Padre”. (It does bother me that several groups of Muslims have exhibited a disturbing tendency to blow up people they disagree with.) “Allah” is simply God’s name in another language. No other deity is being named; I would venture to say that Muslims do not intend to name another deity, because they believe (as we do) that <i>there is none</i>. That said, I do not accept Islam’s view of God as an implacable judge who demands the immediate murder of all unbelievers. Nor do I accept the tenets of Buddhism, which insist that I detach my self-concept from my God-given personality in search of some “higher wisdom” apart from who God made me to be. There’s no way that I’m “yoked to unbelievers” as a member of the Roman Catholic Church – except in the sense of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30) – and that parable applies to the body of all baptized Christians. However, if the Lucis Trust stumbled upon some true idea in the midst of their theosophical weirdness, it would not be wrong to say, “This one idea is true, and the rest is false.” Remember the old proverb: Even a clock that is stopped tells the correct time – but only twice a day.<br /><br /><b>As for your pop culture inquiries, all you have shown me is that the things of this world are far more important to you and these other folks, then God's Word, and commands. You stick to these things because they appeal to the flesh. Jam 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Modern horror does NOT teach the things of God {as an ex-horror fan, I could write an essay even on what sort of things Stephen King stands for...by the way his daughter is a UU minister.} If you are looking for salvation and the answers to life via The Corpse Bride, Alien, Freddy Vs. Jason, Stephen King, Dracula, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes and other worldly, occultic, satanic, evil movies, you will only be led into more and more error and the things of the world. Even the idea that you see horror movies as "Christian" tells me that you are extremely lost, and excusing these things so that you may continue indulging in them. I repented of this in my past and now with the Holy Spirit indwelling in me, am truly revolted by them as is every other true child of God.</b><br />
<br />So, I’m “extremely lost”, eh? I should let you know that I’m having trouble seeing the pathway to truth in the midst of your long, antagonizing screeds – but I suppose that means I’m “blind” as well. *Sigh.<br /><br />I’m getting tired, so my responses are getting shorter:<br /><br />First, contrast James 4:4 with John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…” God loved the world enough to send Jesus Christ to die for us. Whether you feel you have to love it or hate it, it all depends on how you define “world” - and my comments above will have to suffice on that.<br /><br />I am in no way “looking for salvation” through horror films. I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior; how many times and in how many ways do I have to say that before you believe me? I actually agree in the main with your statement that modern horror films often don’t reflect a Christian conception of the moral universe – it’s the classic horror genre (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolfman) that depicts more accurately the battle between good and evil. However, some modern horror films do in fact tell stories of heroic battles and victories over evil – <i>The Exorcism of Emily Rose</i> being one. I reject the idea that this whole genre of pop culture should be off limits to the “true child of God” because conversations about the questions it raises do in fact yield good spiritual fruit, and this is precisely why I enjoy and support Cornerstone Festival’s Imaginarium lecture series.<br /><br />In closing, here are some more Scripture verses for you (not that I think we’ll get anywhere with prooftexting):<br /><br />Matt. 7:1-2: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”<br /><br />Psalm 37:8: “Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm.”<br /><br />James 1:20: “The wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.”<br /><br />I John 4:20-21: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”<br /><br />And with that, I’m done with this. Wilma, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to continue this exchange; I think its profitability is about spent for both of us. I sincerely wish you God’s blessings on your way.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1157005330313448512006-08-30T22:51:00.000-07:002006-08-30T23:40:24.860-07:00One day I was walking through the park, just minding my own business...In visiting <a href="http://www.amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook">Amy Welborn’s blog</a> today, I stumbled into a conversation about <a href="http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/2006/08/georgetown_agai.html">Georgetown University</a> and a conflict going on there about evangelical groups (InterVarsity Christian Fellowship among them) being denied a campus presence at the behest of the Protestant chaplaincy. See <a href="http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/2006/08/georgetown_agai.html#comments">here</a> for the details. I don’t really know what’s going on; I’ll let the more knowledgeable and involved folks duke it out over there. The angle that interested me was that some conservative Catholic folks on the comment thread were saying that the evangelicals were asked to meet off-campus because their pro-life and anti-homosexual-marriage views ran counter to the beliefs of the mainline Protestant chaplaincy, though the reason given for their expulsion was their insistence on “proselytizing” in defiance of an agreement not to do so. I’ll reprint for you here the one comment I made on the subject:<br /><br />“Re: the Georgetown dustup - being a convert from evangelicalism, I should underline for you all that evangelicals and Protestants are by no means a monolithic block - "there's all kinds of them just like there's all kinds of us", as Flannery O'Connor said. Whether or not it's actually the case here, from my experience of the Protestant chaplaincy on the campus of Wellesley College in the '80s (the head of which performed a lesbian "wedding" in the college chapel the year after I graduated), I can totally see the pro-life, anti-homosex folks being booted off campus for being difficult and embarrassing, and I wouldn't put it past Protestant mainliners for taking advantage of the largesse of Catholic ideas of ecumenism to accomplish their own goals. Just my $0.02.”<br /><br />I also ran into Wilma, a Bible-only Christian (I hope she’s OK with that description) and fellow commenter on the thread. She challenged our commitment as Catholics to the truth of the Gospel; in the light of what I’ve heard about the current spiritual climate at Georgetown, I can see why she might be concerned. I invited her over to chat some more about Catholics and Christians, and to read my last few posts here, and she sent some comments along. Since I’m not sure whether she’ll see my responses in the comments boxes below, I thought I’d create a new post with my responses.<br /><br />Regarding my post <a href="http://kathleenlundquist.blogspot.com/2006/05/experience-with-st-therese-of-lisieux.html">An Experience with St. Therese</a>, Wilma had this to say:<br /><br />“’The holiness and integrity that Christ had given her somehow imprinted and soaked into those bones, leaving a spiritual aroma that attracted us all, that we sensed as we gathered in faith to honor her.’ You have got to be kidding me. Dead people's body parts. How gross is that? What stops any of you from digging up grandma to feel the ‘love’? This is what Jesus taught: <b>Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.</b>”<br /><br />Hi, Wilma – um, thanks for coming over. I’m not quite sure where to begin, but I guess I’ll start here: One of the most subtle but most important distinctions between Calvinist and Catholic theology is their very different views of the relationship between matter and spirit. Catholics hold that because of the Incarnation, matter and spirit can coexist, as they did in the Person of Jesus Christ; i.e., the redemption and transformation of matter/the material world into the Kingdom of God began with the Incarnation. This means also that matter, e.g. our mortal bodies, can be infused with grace – which they are in the sacraments.<br /><br />This causes Catholics to honor (I say <b>honor</b>, not worship) those material things which we see as windows into the Beyond, into the heart of God – including the Eucharist, icons of various kinds, and relics of deceased saints. It is precisely because we want to honor our beloved Grandma’s body that we dress it in her favorite clothes, place it in a cushioned casket, lay it carefully in the ground, and bury it gently against the day of Jesus’ Return, when her body and spirit will be reunited in the Great Resurrection. This reflects our belief that Jesus didn’t die and rise again to save us <i>from</i> our mortal bodies; He means to save and redeem our bodies as well. (See I Cor. 15: 42-44).<br /><br />Truthfully, I don’t know how the whole body parts thing got started; I think it had to do with the fact that during the first 300 years of Christianity, coming across a Christian’s dead body wasn’t all that rare an occurrence, and St. Augustine and other early Christians speak of miracles connected with being the presence of saints’ bodies or tombs. This would be a natural extension of the phenomenon described in Acts 19:11-12 (kerchiefs taken from Paul’s presence/body healed the sick). See <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12734a.htm">here (especially the third paragraph)</a> for more information.<br /><br />Lastly, looking at the context of the verse you quoted, I hope you’ll agree that Jesus is talking not about literal death and burial practices, but about a relationship that his questioner couldn’t leave behind to follow Him. This obviously was a relationship standing in the way of his relationship with Jesus; the saints, whose spirits are in the heart of God, always point us toward Him, just as the rest of our Christian friends do.<br /><br />Wilma also had this to say about my comments below on <a href="http://kathleenlundquist.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-on-my-summer-vacation.html">universalism</a> (Wilma in <b>bold</b>, me in regular font):<br /><br /><b>Ah Unitarian-Universalists...Did you know the Pope's had the president of the UUA to come and visit?</b><br /><br />The Pope (specifically, John Paul II) had the president of Cuba, one Fidel Castro, over to visit once. This does not mean he or any Catholic is therefore a Communist. Next.<br /><br /><b>Did you know that that JPII and now Benedict support the WCRP, a Unitarian Universalist founded "interfaith" organization? Did you know that one of the last prayer's for Assisi sounds JUST like the Alice Bailey/ Lucis Trust inspired one world religion "Great Invocation"? The Theosophical UUs LOVE IT. <a href="http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/servizio/documents/viaggi/1141assi/viaggi_santo_padre_1141assi_programma_en.html">RIGHT FROM THE VATICAN website...</a> Short exhortation by the Holy Father: <i>Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In God's name, may all religions bring upon earth justice and peace, forgiveness, life and love!</i> How UNIVERSALIST can you get?</b><br /><br />[Also, from one of her previous comments on the Georgetown U. thread:]<br /><b>Catholicism supports the new one world universalist order which embraces all false religions and stands opposed to the true gospel of Jesus Christ.</b><br /><br />I’ve puzzled for a bit over how to respond to this charge. Wilma, did you see my response <a href="http://kathleenlundquist.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-on-my-summer-vacation.html">below</a> to Marc’s concern about Thomas Merton and his alleged Buddhist leanings? Not to belabor the point, but contact, interaction, and dialogue with other religions does not constitute endorsement, acceptance, or “embracing” everything in those other religions. Catholic teaching holds that other religions may have some limited grasp on spiritual truth, and we dialogue with them in hopes of reinforcing whatever truth they have. <br /><br />If you subscribe to the particular end-times scenario which includes a One World Religion, I suppose I should tell you what in some circles is an open secret: Catholics do hope for the coming of a “one world religion” – actually, a return to a “one world Christianity”, which is Catholicism. We do plan to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, as He commanded us to do in Acts 1:8, and we work to establish Christian cultural reflections of His truth, justice, and love in every venue possible. We know, however, that the Kingdom of God won’t come completely until Jesus returns, but until then, the Kingdom of God is already on earth, beginning its occupation of “enemy territory”, via Christ’s presence in His Bride, the Catholic Church. I imagine this upsets you further, but I’d be remiss in my duties as a Christian if I didn’t inform you.<br /><br />Regarding the Assisi gatherings to pray for peace – come now, would you prefer that humans not ask whatever Higher Power they believe in for help in achieving peace on earth? Would you prefer that we give up hope for a peaceful coexistence between different religions and cultures, and return to blowing each other up to the last man standing? Unless you can grasp the meaning of the difference between religious dialogue and syncretism, based on what I've already said, it won’t do much good for me to continue to try to explain it.<br /><br />Here’s Wilma’s comment on <a href="http://kathleenlundquist.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-summer-vacation-and-its-aftermath.html">My Summer Vacation</a>:<br /><br /><b>“And it was there that Gary and I discovered the delightful sense in which, through the power of literary reiteration, <a href="http://rod-bennett.blogspot.com/2006/07/king-kong-died-for-your-sins.html">'King Kong died for your sins’</a>.”<br /><br />And you're surprised a Bible Christian is upset? <br /><br />I guess everything [including outrageous blasphemy] is A-ok in the erudite world of Emergent Pagan Catholicism. King Kong, Tolkien, Labyrinths, Horror Movies, and Mexican Paganism....Maybe next year they can plan a Solstice Summer Celebration, The Tao of Stephen King, prayer to the Four Winds, Sage burning and Diva Ultra-Goddess Theology class for wayward yuppies who want to play at being "religious" instead of actually seeking after God’s Will and learning His Word.</b><br /><br />Wow. Um – OK, let’s start with King Kong. I guess you didn’t follow the link to Rod Bennett’s blog Tremendous Trifles (linked above), where he explains exactly how and why the sentiment “King Kong died for your sins” isn’t a casual blasphemy, taken in the context of pop culture mythology. If you did, I guess it didn’t make much of a dent in your way of thinking.<br /><br />J.R.R. Tolkien’s work is so full of God and Christian spiritual truth that I can’t see how a fellow Christian wouldn’t see that – except that perhaps you might object to his characterization of a wizard as a good guy. If that’s the case, and you can’t see any further into his stories - well, I’m sorry you missed it.<br /><br />Labyrinths: I don’t care if you don’t like them. I don’t care much for them either. If the platter of sweet potatoes isn’t to your liking, just pass it down and keep your grimace to yourself.<br /><br />The genre of modern horror is one of the only venues left in pop culture where novelists and filmmakers are asking the Big Questions: <i>Is there a God? Does Satan exist? What happens when I die? What is the purpose of life? What’s my responsibility to my fellow man? Can love be eternal? </i>I contend that it’s not sinful for Christians to enjoy talking and thinking about the ways in which human fears and longings for salvation are expressed in these films; in fact, Christians must engage in these conversations in order to provide compelling, truthful answers to these Big Questions. At the very least, we must learn the language of the natives in order to understand the point at which Christ can enter and save their universe.<br /><br />Wilma, they’ve called you a troll over on <a href="http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook">Open Book</a>. Though I also noticed the similarity between your <i>nom de plume</i> and early Protestant reformer William Tyndale, I’m using it because that’s the only handle you’ve given me. If you’re really interested in dialogue, I’m happy to continue; if you’re only interested in venting your spleen, however, I suggest you leave it for now and refocus on whatever <b>good</b> works God is preparing for you to walk in today. Peace be with you.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1156907939552827872006-08-29T20:00:00.000-07:002006-08-29T20:18:59.580-07:00A Proper Scaring<a href="http://logo.cafepress.com/9/1305052.1156659.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://logo.cafepress.com/9/1305052.1156659.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I was born in 1964, the summer that Flannery O’Connor died. On the day that Flannery lay in a hospital bed in southern Georgia, stared at the ceiling and then closed her eyes, her body about to succumb to the last attacks of lupus, her soul about to ascend to the heavenlies, and her writing career about to end abruptly and tragically at the age of thirty-nine, I awoke from a nap in my crib in a southern California suburban ranch-style house, stared at the ceiling through wide three-week-old eyes, and then cried for something to eat – ready to get started with the project of life on Earth. A strange connection, to be sure, but ever since I discovered and began reading Flannery O’Connor, I’ve felt a kinship with her, a sense of family – like she’s my crazy Southern aunt that got locked away and nobody talked about, until they couldn’t keep her a secret anymore. <br /><br />Unlike Flannery, I wasn’t born into a Catholic family; I was raised Baptist and wandered through several Christian expressions before discovering the beauty and depth of Catholic theology and worship. I first encountered Flannery’s writing through a quote in Brennan Manning’s book <i>The Ragamuffin Gospel</i>. Manning closed one of his chapters with a quote from Flannery’s short story <i>Revelation</i> (with one of her characters having a mystical vision of souls on their way to Heaven), and it struck me so powerfully that I searched for the largest, most extensive compilation of her works that I could find and read it cover to cover during the months that I went through the Church’s initiation and confirmation process. Flannery’s spooky short stories and novels, her vivid characters and dialogue, and her insightful and dryly humorous letters and essays were quite agreeable companions on my journey into the history and thought patterns of the Catholic way. (Her short story <i>The Enduring Chill</i> was especially educational as to the sorts of priests that I might meet.) I do wish she’d lived longer and written more; along the lines of the adaptation of her short story <i>The Life You Save</i> for television in the ‘50s, perhaps a script or two for Chris Carter’s TV series <i>The X-Files</i> would have been in order, featuring a charismatic faith healer who isn’t quite what he seems…<br /><br />Yet, her body of work has retained enough influence in literary circles that, thank heaven, she hasn’t left us completely. A lot of Flannery O’Connor remains to be found in a few pockets of popular culture to this day, especially in those places where she and her work are woven into the fabric of American Southern subculture.<br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />In December 2005, my husband and I went on a pilgrimage of sorts to Milledgeville, Georgia, where Flannery went to high school and college, and then spent her later years. We drove into town on a sunny afternoon and set about finding Flannery things to do and see. <br /><br />Milledgeville is a college town of about 19,000; it was once the capital of the state of Georgia, and the Old State House now serves as a local museum. Much of the city was built in the early 1800s, and most of the downtown area has been beautifully restored – or well-kept - by its residents. My husband Gary remarked that the sights reminded him of his own college days in Northampton, Massachusetts (though Milledgeville is about half its size) – lots of bookstores, cafes, college-age folk strolling the streets, and flower baskets hanging from lampposts. We found the Chamber of Commerce and asked about sites and exhibits related to Flannery; we were disappointed to learn that tours of her home at Andalusia Farm required advance notice, and we didn’t have another day to spare. We loaded ourselves up with flyers and brochures, and we went in search of as much Flannery as we could fit into the rest of our fleeting winter afternoon.<br /><br />Flannery is buried next to her parents in Memory Hill Cemetery, located at the southern edge of the downtown/college campus district. We consulted the map we’d been given and set to searching for her name amid the scrubby yellow grass and multiple concrete curbed-off sections. After some arguing over how to interpret the directions and numbers on the cemetery diagram, we encountered a section guarded by a low wrought-iron fence. Within this space were three large slabs of granite set horizontally in the ground, covering each grave. The one in the center bore the inscription: <br /><br /> +<br /> IHS<br /> MARY FLANNERY O’CONNOR<br /> DAUGHTER OF<br /> REGINA LUCILLE CLINE<br /> AND<br /> EDWARD FRANCIS O’CONNOR JR.<br /> BORN IN SAVANNAH, GA.<br /> MARCH 25, 1925<br /> DIED IN MILLEDGEVILLE, GA.<br /> AUGUST 3, 1964<br /><br />We stared a long moment – I for a longer moment than Gary. He seemed anxious to get on with the rest of our journey; we had plans to be in Macon by dusk and the sun, though still high, was inexorably sinking toward the treeline. I sensed his impatience and turned to go, but inside I felt drawn to stay – as if roots from the nearby rosebush were reaching up from below the ground to grab at my shoes, holding my feet where they were. Yet, I don’t quite know what I was expecting; I saw no thunder bolts from the heavens, heard no voices from beyond the grave. Finally I bent down, reached across the ironwork, and put my hand down on the cold stone beside the pennies and nickels that other tourists had pitched onto it and gushed, “Oh, Flannery – bless me, bless me, bless me.” My husband looked away, a little embarrassed, and said, “OK, let’s go.” As we walked away toward our car, I looked back and wondered what I’d just done; being a convert, I don’t know proper ways to venerate a saint’s relics, but I had a small hope that somehow she and God would be pleased.<br /><br />Next on our list of attractions was Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which had been Flannery’s parish. After more argument (over the town map this time), we ended up parked on the street on the south side of the Old State Capitol (now the home of Georgia Military College) instead of the north side, which was near the church. It was only a couple of blocks away, so we decided to calm ourselves (and try to remember to enjoy our vacation despite our moods) by walking across the green, park-like campus to the church.<br /><br />As we started across, two dogs appeared from behind the tall Douglas fir and cedar trees standing like stately pillars in the midst of the well-kept lawn. The dogs were tawny-colored, and lean but muscular; one had a woven nylon collar, the other had none. The two of them were about the same (large) size – almost three feet at the shoulder. The word “boxer” popped into my head as the name for the breed, though I don’t know dogs and I usually wouldn’t know any dog from Adam (or Lassie, in this case). They were friendly with each other, as if they were… hunting pals. They trotted along either side of the path as we walked, keeping pace with us; then they circled behind us, then one galloped ahead to snuffle at a bush, then fell back to our pace – holding our every step, our every move in their peripheral vision all the while. Their interest unnerved me. As we walked past the empty buildings, I tried to keep my eyes focused straight ahead – but whenever I turned to look at a tree or an intriguing architectural feature, at least one of the dogs was in my field of vision, looking intently at me.<br /><br />I watched them watch us as we made our way across the campus, and though they never approached within five feet, I sensed that they were containing us to the path; this soon progressed to the observation that they were all-out stalking us. Large dogs frighten me a bit, having been bitten once as a child by a neighbor’s unruly collie, so I didn’t regard these beasts as pleasant company on our little walk, especially in the absence of anyone who looked like their owner. Gary complained as I picked up my pace: “Come on – what’s the hurry?” <i>“I don’t like these dogs,”</i> I replied, my teeth clenched. “Calm down – they’re fine”, he said. I tossed an exasperated look his direction and kept walking.<br /><br />In the middle of the quad was the Old State House. As we neared it, it looked less like a medieval fortress (as it appeared in the postcards at the Chamber) and more like a rundown hotel, though it was a lovely example of Old World antebellum architecture. However, I was distracted from my observations by my growing uneasiness with the circling tawny-colored sets of sharp claws and teeth, and my most pressing thought was that we might be able to duck inside for a few minutes and see if the dogs would lose their inordinate interest in us. Gary went one way around the building and I went the other to see if the museum was open for business, but alas, it was deserted and every door was shut and locked tight. We hadn’t seen one single person beside ourselves on the entire campus yet – but the dogs followed us around the building, watching us, running ahead, play-snapping at each other as they passed each other, circling. I set my face like flint toward the gate to the village at the other side of the quad and kept walking, determined not to make eye contact with either dog.<br /><br />My heart beat faster as the dogs seemed to approach closer and closer on their passes. The incident from elementary school played in my mind, and then again, and again. After a couple replays, I searched through the “tape” for clues as to when the dog nearest me might lunge, the exact moment I should leap to dodge his jaws, when to take off back toward the car in a dead run… as if I were fleeing down Brookridge Street again, away from that stupid, mean, black-and-white collie.<br /><br />We reached the gate at the other side of the quad, and we stepped through it onto the sidewalk across the street from Sacred Heart Church. I thought, We made it. Those dogs won’t follow us across the street. I heaved a good-sized sigh of relief, and I chuckled a little with Gary as he pressed the crosswalk button.<br /><br />The traffic light changed and we walked across the street. We checked the map; Sacred Heart was actually one more block north, so we walked on towards it. I looked back toward the intersection just to make sure the dogs were gone - and I saw with horror that they had patiently waited in the midst of other pedestrians for the light to change again, and at the moment it did, they calmly trotted in front of the stopped cars and across the street toward us. I thought, <i>Surely they won’t get vicious in front of all these people; maybe they’ll choose a more sickly-looking member of this human herd to hunt down and maul to death.</i> My heart continued its thumping and climbing into my throat as we made our way toward the church and up the front steps.<br /><br />It was silent, empty, and shut tight as well. I was almost ready to grab the doorknob and twist it, rattle it, pull on it, start pounding on the door: “Help! Let us in! Somebody’s after us! We’re being hunted… um… followed… um… hello?”<br /><br />The dogs were jumping and playing with each other, stopping occasionally to sniff the bushes by the church steps. If I could have heard them speaking to the passers-by, I’ll bet it would have been something like: “Hi there – nice day, huh? Yeah, we’re just out seeing the sights, sniffing the smells, exploring the environs of our lovely little village. Them? Oh, just some friends from out of town – showing them around. Well, have a nice day! See you around.” <i>Nothing to see here, move along.</i><br /><br />It was apparent to Gary and I that we weren’t going to be able to go inside, so we peered in the windows. We wondered aloud whether Flannery used to sit in the front or in the back, or somewhere in the middle; then a wave of fear rose inside me and wrenched my attention back to the present. A quick glance at the dogs, and then at the sky, reminded us that the afternoon was nearly spent; we had to get back on the road to Macon soon, so we turned and headed back in the direction of our car.<br /><br />We backtracked our trail up the block and across the intersection; the dogs now walked alongside us as if they were our best friends, as if they belonged to us. The passers-by nodded toward our little company as we made our way back to the path through the gate to the college quad.<br /><br />As we walked briskly back to our car with the dogs keeping closer pace with us than ever, it finally dawned on me: <i>If they were going to attack you, they probably would have done so by now, don’t you think?</i> I considered this and took another deep breath, and let my pace slow down just a little. I let my eyes wander from their fixation on the path ahead to the dogs as they continued to dance around us. I watched them run and jump and discover things in the lawn that apparently were never there before, and I allowed myself a little smile as I wondered, <i>Do these dogs just live here? Who do they belong to? Are they neighbors’ dogs? Strays? Where did they come from?</i><br /><br />Suddenly, the dog behind me stopped and stood dead still. By now I was getting used to his company, so I stopped and turned to see what the matter was. Before I could turn all the way around, he was off like a shot, way down the path in front of us – in pursuit of a squirrel that had just climbed down a tree to the ground.<br /><br />The boxer’s companion saw him running, so he came tearing across the quad to join him. They cornered the squirrel in a recessed sewer grate near the gated entrance to the campus. They barked, lunged, and pawed at him; I saw the squirrel’s head poke out beside the grate above the ground and thought for a moment the little guy might escape, then – <br /><br />I heard a small squeak and a final growl as the collared boxer lunged once more and took the squirrel’s head in his jaws. The other dog quickly grabbed the other share of the squirrel’s body and tail in his own mouth, and together they turned their rumps to us and trotted away across the grass, carrying the doomed squirrel like triumphant Olympic relay racers taking a victory lap with the American flag. As they approached the base of a large cedar tree, one decided he didn’t want to share his prize, and he slowed for a moment; the other didn’t let go and swung himself around to face his buddy. The negotiation tug-of-war lasted only for a second as the body of the squirrel was easily pulled in half, Solomon-like. For the first time the dogs then parted company, each loping away to separate corners of the campus and his own secret bone-burying territory with a satisfied pink-and-black doggie grin.<br /><br />I couldn’t move for about a minute. My eyes were so wide, I thought I might be blinded by the low-hanging red winter sun. The only words I could formulate in response to my husband’s bemused look were, “Oh my God.” And then, “Did you see that?”<br /><br />I was a little shaky getting back in the car, but when I shut the door, the release of my held breath seemed to scour out the last of my fear; with my next breath, it was replaced by a numb daze. I had taken the wheel; Gary took the map, and I obeyed all his directions to get on the highway with no argument – not a word. I noticed my glassy-looking eyes reflected in the rearview mirror. <br /><br />As the adrenalin subsided, I was filled with a sense of wonderment. It wasn’t until we got to Macon and told the story to our friends that I realized: Flannery had indeed blessed me with a deeply personal (and quite proper) scaring.<br /><br />[Hat tip for the image above: <a href:"http://www.cafepress.com/idyllspress">John Murphy</a>.]KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1154760202455398682006-08-04T23:21:00.000-07:002006-08-04T23:43:22.480-07:00More on My Summer VacationMy post below about the Cornerstone Imaginarium has sparked some conversation in the comments box. I'm very happy to have you all over! Thanks for coming to visit.<br /><br />One visitor took issue with some aspects of my post; here below is my response to his concerns.<br /><br />========<br /><br />[<b>Marc</b> in bold, me in regular font]<br /><br /><b>Hi Kathleen, I agree with your assessment about the t-shirt and the tattoos but that's where it ended for me. You described Universalists as Christians which either means you are not informed on their theology or lack there of, or you are completely lacking in the discernment area. Calling Universalists Christians is like using the term flaming snowflakes. They just don't go together. Universalists do not believe Jesus is the only way to salvation which is what the bible clearly teaches. I guess I would have to ask if you believe Jesus is the only way.</b><br /><br />Your careful reading of my post is evident in noting that I was a little sloppy in my use of the term Universalist. All I was trying to say was that there were Christians of all stripes, i.e. from A to Z, at Cornerstone. Truth to tell, I was simply looking for a denomination name from the end of the alphabet to put in the sentence in question: “With every conceivable Christian expression from Anabaptists and Anglicans to Ukrainian Catholics and Universalists represented…” (I couldn’t think of any that started with Z, Y, X, W, or V.)<br /><br />However, I will say this: I believe you might be mistaking me for saying that <i>Unitarians</i> are legitimately counted as Christians, which I do not think they are. Unitarians, as the name implies, don’t believe in the Trinity, and thus they deny that Jesus is God – and I completely agree, this disqualifies them from being considered a “Christian expression”. In the early 1960s, the Unitarians in this country merged with another group calling itself Universalist, and they go by the name Unitarian Universalist – so it’s easy to conflate the two terms. <br /><br />Universalists actually hold a slightly different belief than strict Unitarians; they do allow that Jesus is the Son of God and the means by which salvation came to the whole world, but they believe that His sacrifice on the Cross bought salvation for everybody <i>automatically</i>, regardless of whether they ever appropriate it by faith. In other words, Universalists are the ones who ask, “How could a loving God ever send anyone to Hell?” and often deny Hell’s existence outright. In case you wondered, I am not a Universalist; I believe in Hell because the Scriptures and the Creeds teach that it exists. I do everything I can to avoid Hell and to steer others clear of it. Catholic teaching is not universalist; though some Catholic theologians have speculated that God’s mercy might be so powerful that Hell stands empty, as far as we know, <a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=969">there are many good arguments against that idea</a>. For the definitive word on H-E-double-toothpicks, <a href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1035.htm">see here</a>. It’s sometimes hard for me to believe that, however repentant I may be, some of my own sins won’t cause me to burn in Hell – it’s only Jesus’ precious Blood that I trust in to save me from such a fate, and Scriptures like John 10:27-28 encourage me. But I realize that the “Hell might be empty” idea comes out of a deep reverence for the power of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and the oceanic depths of His mercy, and I strive to believe in His power and mercy deeper in my soul each day. I also try to encourage others to do the same, because I don’t believe any of us will make it to the finish line unless we grasp through faith the grace we need to live our lives for Jesus. I don’t believe anyone’s going to just coast into Heaven.<br /><br /><b>You also stated that Thomas Merton in your words, "needs no defense from me". I take that to mean you support his teaching which was by the end of his life more influenced by Buddhism than the Jesus found in the bible.</b><br /><br />To be honest, I have read very little Merton outside of pithy quotes that friends have sent me. I know there are some that say that Merton was more Buddhist than Catholic by the end of his life; I would respond with the following: 1) It’s quite possible that those making this conclusion were <i>themselves</i> much more interested in Buddhism than the orthodox Catholic faith, and thus interpreted his writings in a certain way to get him “on their side”, and 2) it’s possible that if he was influenced by Buddhism, it may have been for the good. (I realize this second statement may scandalize you further; I hope my explanation doesn’t make it even worse, but here goes.)<br /><br />Catholic teaching holds that there is one Church which was founded by Jesus Christ (“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism…” Eph. 4:4-5). This Church finds its fullest expression in the Roman Catholic Church. Her organizational structure was ordained by Christ (“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Mt. 16:18-19), and God promises to show up in the Sacraments celebrated by her priests (“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.’” Mt. 28:18-20). I do realize that Catholics interpret these Scriptures differently than Protestants; I’ve read many articles and essays deconstructing the Greek word <i>petra/petros</i> in Mt. 16, for example. Suffice to say that I believe the Catholic Church’s interpretation of these Scriptures on the authority of the <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15006b.htm">magisterium</a>, the Church’s teaching authority, which comes directly from the Apostles to whom Jesus spoke the above words. <br /><br />Since her birth, the Catholic Church has understood herself to have been created by Jesus Christ – brought into being through His wounded side, like Eve from Adam – and thus regards herself as the one, holy, catholic (i.e. universal, worldwide) Church. We constantly point to Christ as the Author of our salvation; we believe Acts 4:12 which says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." We also believe I Tim. 3:15, which describes “the household of God” as “the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” This, by the way, is foundational to the idea that the Church and her traditions are sources of truth as well as Scripture; the Bible says that the truth is found in the Church.<br /><br />However, Catholics recognize that other Christian groups, other religions, and many human cultural expressions have a hold on portions or fragments of that truth that is fully expressed and accessible through the Catholic Church. For example, Buddhism is a pagan religion that has grasped the concept of needing to examine and distance oneself from one’s fleshly desires. <i>This knowledge is not salvific</i> in itself, but it can point someone in the right direction towards Christ, i.e. help a person who’s having trouble managing desires that are contrary to God’s will. It’s possible that Merton encountered this idea in a Buddhist context, but Christ used it to bring him closer to Him. Again, I don’t know for sure, but this might be a plausible explanation. I’d encourage you to do your own research to see whether I’m right or wrong about Merton.<br /><br /><b>You also seem to believe in the appearances of Mary which in the end puts peoples eyes on Mary instead of where they belong, on Jesus. This is what I believe the bible is talking about when it talks about lying signs and wonders. With all this and more which I don't have time to comment on now, I am really surprised JPUSA has had you as a speaker.</b><br /><br />Actually, I don’t have a huge devotion to Mary; I do pray the rosary now and then (which, by the way, is a method of prayer by which one focuses on events in the life of Jesus and seeks to “imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise”). As far as those incidents that have been approved by the Church, e.g. the appearance of the Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego at the bottom of Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City in 1531 that resulted in her picture (now known as the icon of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe">Our Lady of Guadalupe</a>) on his cloak – I have learned a great deal about Jesus and His love from the Mexican folks at my parish who love Mary. The reason for this is that <i>Mary always points to her Son</i> – this, in fact, is one of the criteria taken into account when the Vatican evaluates reports of Marian apparitions. Remember the wedding at Cana – after her conversation with Jesus about the wine, she tells the servants (as she continually tells each one of us): “Do whatever He tells you.” I don’t find Mary and the saints distracting any more than I find my presently earth-dwelling Christian friends to be distracting – I trust that they’re trying to show me Christ, and I appreciate their encouragement on my walk.<br /><br /><b>I am sorry but I didn't want to leave it at that. I hope that you would prayerfully consider the things you are beleiving and teaching and test them in light of God's unchanging authoritative word. I guess there's one last thing I would want to comment on. In the beginning of your post you described Dwayna as a fundamentalist and put her in the company of Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, A.W. Tozer, Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin. Those are people that most evangelicals including myself would hold in very high esteem. I thought your description of a fundamentalist was fairly accurate in going back to it's origin in the early 20th century but there is an obvious stigma attached to the term these days which I'm sure you are aware of so I am a bit curious as to your motives in using that term. When most people use the term, they associate it with ignorant, backwoods hicks who like to test God with snakes and believe the King James version of the bible is the only legit. translation. I should note that Jonathan Edwards was attending Harvard at the age of 13 and Charles Spurgeon is widely known as the prince of preachers. I could go on about these men but I think the most important link is that they all had an esteem for Christ and an unfailing trust in His word. If that's the company you put Dwayna in, you can include me as well.</b><br /><br />I suppose you’re right about the term <i>fundamentalist</i>. I am aware of the negative connotations of the word and used it despite that; I’m sorry for not taking the higher road and using another label. I thought that my description of the movement might help cradle Catholics and other folks unfamiliar with it to understand where the word comes from, so it wouldn’t be just an epithet thrown at Dwayna and her friends, but I guess that in my decision to use the word, I didn’t quite overcome my own personal negative feelings at my own friends (Lint Hatcher, John Morehead) being vilified on those comment threads over on Slice of Laodicea. Your point is well taken; I myself don’t much appreciate being called a “Romist”, “papist”, or “among the ranks of lost souls deceived by the Whore of Babylon”, so I’m happy to use whatever name you’d like me to use in order to ensure a civil and respectful tone to our conversation. Actually, I haven’t heard from Dwayna, so I don’t know if she was in fact offended by being described as a fundamentalist, if that makes any difference.<br /><br />Re: Spurgeon et al.: I don’t doubt in the least that these men were smart - all smarter than me, in fact. However, it’s my understanding that they all held to very strict Calvinist theological structures and interpretations of Scripture which contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church, which is why I disagree with them and with the vision of humanity and culture as seen through their lens. I don’t doubt that they all loved Jesus and believed in the Bible, but in my view, they came to erroneous conclusions about the nature of man and of God’s grace. For example, I believe that man is born with the stain of <a href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/406.htm">original sin</a>, but not in total depravity. This difference has huge implications for how we as Christians engage the cultures of the world, including our own. I can go into this further at a later date, if you like.<br /><br /><b>Though I'm sure I don't agree with Dwayna on everything, I'm pretty sure we agree on the essentials of the faith and I am very concerned that you don't hold those essentials in as high esteem. I like what Walter Martin once said in describing the essentials (fundamentals of the faith). The essentials are the line of demarcation between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the cults. I guess each of us have to ask which kingdom we're walking in. Pretty big question if you ask me. Thanks and God bless, Marc</b><br /><br />You seem to be wondering whether I’m in the Kingdom of God, or if I really care. Let me assure you, I do care quite a bit. The question we should look at first, though, is: How is a person saved? How do you get into the boat that sails to the other side, to the Kingdom of Light? Catholics answer this question with the following Scripture: "<i>Baptism</i>, which corresponds to [the Flood in Noah’s time], <i>now saves you</i>, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (I Pet. 3:21). This does not mean that all people who receive a Christian baptism (in water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) have a free ticket to heaven; by no means. Baptism is the beginning of the process of being saved. In the New Testament, various Greek verb tenses are used to describe salvation (“you have been saved” [Eph. 2:8], “us who are being saved” [I Cor. 1:18], “we shall be saved” [Acts 15:11]) – that’s past, present, and future. What Protestants regard as a two-step process (first justification, then sanctification), Catholics regard as one single path (e.g., “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” [Phil. 2:12]). Baptism is the start of the journey, but you’ve got to persevere in faith in order to get there – sort of a combination of the Baptist “once saved, always saved” idea and the necessity for the “perseverance of the saints”.<br /><br />Thus, since Catholics don’t see a line in the sand between “saved” and “not saved”, but regard folks as being at various stages in the process, we’re reluctant to judge whether a person is going to end up in heaven or hell. We consider it our responsibility to point people in the right direction and encourage people toward whatever light of truth they have or can grasp, and we trust the Holy Spirit will bring other people and ideas along to keep them going forward. It’s the Holy Spirit that converts and changes people’s hearts, after all.<br /><br />Below is a concise statement of what I believe to be the essentials of the faith, and I honestly believe it with my whole heart:<br /><br />I believe in God, the Father Almighty,<br />And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.<br />He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,<br />Born of the Virgin Mary,<br />Suffered under Pontius Pilate,<br />Was crucified, died, and was buried;<br />He descended into hell.<br />On the third day He rose again from the dead.<br />He ascended into heaven,<br />And is seated at the right hand of the Father.<br />He will come again to judge the living and the dead.<br /><br />I believe in the Holy Spirit,<br />The holy catholic Church,<br />The communion of saints,<br />The forgiveness of sins,<br />The resurrection of the body,<br />And the life everlasting. Amen.<br /><br />This statement, by the way, is called the <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01629a.htm">Apostle’s Creed</a>, the oldest creed that church historians know of (it was written sometime before A.D. 100), and it serves as the foundation of all orthodox Catholic and Christian theology. I offer it here in hopes that it will challenge you, and anyone else reading, to ask: Do I have any “lines of demarcation” of my own with regard to the truth about Christ and His Church? How can I progress to deeper faith in Him?<br /><br />God’s blessing be yours, Marc. Thanks for the chance to chat.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1154243605432135382006-07-29T22:51:00.000-07:002006-07-30T15:51:50.603-07:00My Summer Vacation (and its aftermath)<a href="http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/imaginarium/2006/img/fest_pix/sm/yellowskull.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/imaginarium/2006/img/fest_pix/sm/yellowskull.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Four weeks ago, my husband and I returned home from <a href="http://www.cornerstonefestival.com">Cornerstone Festival</a>, a Christian music and arts festival run by <a href="http://www.jpusa.org">Jesus People USA</a> . It happens right around Fourth of July weekend every year, and I’ve only missed a few years since I started attending in 1993. Gary and I have a special attachment to Cornerstone because that’s where we (providentially) ran into each other in the summer of 1996 and picked up the friendship we had in college – which led to our marriage the following year. (I’ll tell you all that story sometime.)<br /><br />The festival is a huge event – it takes place in western Illinois on the site of an old 500-acre farm. They fill a dozen stages with bands from 2:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. for five days. The majority of attendees camp on the grounds, and numbers regularly top 20,000. Among longtime festgoers, Cornerstone is known by the apropos nickname of “Lolla-Ja-Pusa” (after the ‘90s hardcore music fest Lollapalooza).<br /><br />During the day, there are several lecture tracks that are housed in smaller tents scattered about the campus. Most of these focus on aspects of Christian living, mission work, cultural engagement, and spiritual growth. Every moment of the festival is filled with fascinating things to do and people to see – it’s impossible to take in a whole Cornerstone in a week, which is why so many of us return again and again.<br /><br />Despite the many choices we have, the place where Gary and I hang out for nearly all five days is the tent called the <a href=" http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/imaginarium/2006">Imaginarium</a>. It’s the place where Christians of all stripes meet to study, dissect, and celebrate popular culture – everything from Godzilla to Flannery O’Connor to the X-Files to Lord of the Rings to Frankenstein to Jason and the Argonauts to Jules Verne to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The conversation covers all aspects of the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres – all sliced, diced, stewed, seasoned, and served with the commentary of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, and other modern Inkling-type authors and speakers. <br /><br />This lecture series was inspired by the late, great <a href="http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/i/jimhenry1973/wonder/archive/archive.htm">WONDER Magazine, the Children’s Magazine for Grown-Ups</a>. Authors <a href="http://www.rod-bennett.blogspot.com">Rod Bennett</a> and <a href="http://excusemeghidorah.blogspot.com">Lint</a> <a href="http://www.lulu.com/linthatcher">Hatcher</a>, through their great devotion to monster movies and weird tales of all sorts, deep reading in Church history, much soul-searching, and tragic rejection by Southern evangelical culture, discovered that the questions being asked in their beloved science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories were the same questions being asked by philosophers and theologians: What is man’s purpose? Is there a God? Do I have a soul? What happens when we die? How should I order my life with others? What does love require? In the mid-1980s, Rod and Lint began to write about these ideas and published 12 issues of the coolest Christian magazine on Earth… until the money ran out in 1996. But luckily, before its demise, the magazine was discovered by members of JPUSA who created the Imaginarium lecture series at Cornerstone as a venue devoted to just these sorts of explorations.<br /><br />Gary and I love the Imaginarium. It was there that I first met Rod and Lint, and their friendship and companionship on my road to Rome has been most precious to me. It was through Imaginarium lectures on the lives and work of Tolkien and Lewis that I discovered the concept of sacramental theology – the idea that God uses symbol and ritual to break into our space and time. I learned that the subcreated worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth were built upon a foundation of a pattern of Christian symbols – the same symbols and patterns embedded in traditional Catholic and Anglican liturgy. And it was there that Gary and I discovered the delightful sense in which, through the power of literary reiteration, <a href=" http://rod-bennett.blogspot.com/2006/07/king-kong-died-for-your-sins.html">“King Kong died for your sins”</a>.<br /><br />This year’s Imaginarium theme was <a href="http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/imaginarium/2006/report.htm">Days of the Dead</a>, exploring the cultural context of Halloween and the Mexican celebration of El Dia de los Muertos amidst a larger theme of “life amid the ruins”. <a href="http://johnwmorehead.blogspot.com/2006/07/imaginarium-cornerstone-and-days-of.html">John Morehead</a>, a missiologist and author with a keen interest in world cultures and dialogue with new religions, presented the cultural background for these celebrations; <a href="http://www.explorefaith.org/bio.sweeney.html">Jon Sweeney</a>, an Episcopalian with an affinity for Catholic saints, lectured on the life of St. Francis of Assisi and his call to “rebuild the Church”. Several other speakers also added colorful analyses of related topics including the classic sci-fi novel <i>A Canticle for Leibowitz</i>, the uses and abuses of archaeology, the hit TV series <i>LOST</i>, and commentary on the horror movies of producer Val Lewton (<i>Cat People</i>, <i>I Walked With a Zombie</i>, <i>The Body Snatcher</i>).<br /><br />Because these discussions take place in the context of Protestant evangelicalism (JPUSA is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church), theological debates sometimes arise between members of differing Protestant traditions. In the past, these have been taken well in hand by Imaginarium organizers Mike Hertenstein, <a href="http://www.imaginedat.net">David Canfield</a>, and Rod Bennett, who all have well-honed apologetic skills from their years of debate with Bible-only, cultural-separatist types. Disagreements during Q & A times are approached charitably, if not resolved amicably; in any case, the discussions are lively and educational.<br /><br />This year, however, a debate was ignited after the festival on the Internet by a lady named <a href="http://www.ltwinternational.org/DwaynaBio.htm">Dwayna Litz</a> and several of her fellow travelers. Dwayna would best be described as a Christian fundamentalist – a label I don’t believe she and her friends would be offended by. Her tradition dates from the turn of the 20th century, a reaction to the growing liberalism of mainline Protestant churches of the day; I’m sure she would describe herself as a “Bible-only” Christian, and her magisterium includes John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, D.L. Moody, A.W. Tozer, and Charles Spurgeon.<br /><br />She posted a <a href="http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/cwnetwork/article.php?&ArticleID=874">report online</a> on July 11 that tells the tale of how she and several of her friends “infiltrated” Cornerstone and the Imaginarium in order to “witness” to festgoers. (As several <a href="http://christian-skeptic.blogspot.com/2006/07/idiots-from-lighting-way-on.html">other bloggers</a> have noted, this was akin to “infiltrating” a baseball game by purchasing a ticket and sneaking into the bleachers to watch – in the midst of hundreds of other people who don’t know you from Adam or Eve and couldn’t care less if they did.) In this report, she detailed her experience and her impressions of Cornerstone; basically, she came away horrified and condemned Mike, Lint (who hosted the Imaginarium this year), and all those participating as minions of Satan. *Sigh. <br /><br />Ordinarily, this sort of thing rolls right over us longtime Imaginarium fans like water off a duck’s back, but these attacks on JPUSA, Cornerstone, and the Imaginarium were so wrong-headed and vitriolic that I’m compelled to respond. Herewith is my fisk of Dwayna Litz’ Cornerstone “expose”.<br /><br />[Litz in <b>bold</b>, me in regular font]<br /><br />***<br /><br /><b>“Days of the Dead” at Cornerstone “Christian” Youth Camp<br /><br />Below is a summary of our covert mission trip to witness at Cornerstone Festival 2006, owned by the “Jesus People USA” July 4-8, Bushnell, IL. The camp is held on 500 acres of land with a reported 25,000 youth from churches, seminaries, and Bible colleges in attendance.</b><br /><br />First, Cornerstone is not a “youth camp” in the traditional sense. It began as, and still primarily is, a music and arts festival attended by all ages. Over the years as the various lecture series have developed, programs geared specifically to youth and children have been established, but this is no cabins-with-a-counselor, one-schedule-all-day-for-everyone event. Ms. Litz puts it in a completely wrong category – and thus sets up the wrong criteria for judging it from any perspective.<br /><br /><b>The furtive mission trip to research behind the scenes teachings of Christians for Biblical Equality and “The Jesus People” (who are mostly teachers and members of CBE) could not have gone better! The Lord provided a way for us to walk in absolute freedom there to do the research covertly and distribute 500 fact sheets of “CBE vs. the Bible” to cars in the parking lots, all of the speakers’ tents, and then at last posting them on fences and port-a-potties all over the campground (while most of the CBE members were gathered with the other “Jesus People” watching a horror movie in the “Imaginarium” tent in celebration of “The Days of the Dead”).</b><br /><br />“Furtive mission trip”? “Covert” research? She seems to have been terrified at the idea of being ‘found out’ as ‘not one of us’. She obviously had no conception of the myriad of Christian denominations and non-denominations represented at Cornerstone, and even the differing theological interests and emphases of JPUSA leaders. How is it that she and her friends managed to feel so profoundly alienated from nearly <i>everyone</i> at Cornerstone? With every conceivable Christian expression from Anabaptists and Anglicans to Ukrainian Catholics and Universalists represented, feeling like a stranger there takes some effort. It seems that she made up her mind going in that this is how it would be, and she spent those few days focused on everyone who looked, spoke, or acted differently than her and her friends.<br /><br /><b>Does that sound Christian?</b> <br /><br />Ooh, <i>snap!</i> Don’t you love that question? The answer depends on how you define “Christian”, right? All-righty, then. Fasten your seat belts, folks – here we go.<br /><br /><b>People are going to be shocked at some of the teachings we heard there this week. Articles are forthcoming where I will quote the teachers verbatim in the contemplative, mystic error they were teaching the youth and others under the guise of “Christianity”. Here is a preliminary encapsulation of our mission trip to Cornerstone:</b><br /><br />Ah, the “contemplative, mystic error”. You mean the one that produced <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809123320/102-0096118-5604145?v=glance&n=283155">The Cloud of Unknowing</a>, a classic of Western literature from the 14th century? The one that undergirded the monastic revival of the concept of personal holiness in the medieval Church? The one that inspired <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Fox">George Fox</a> (founder of the Quakers) in his quest for peace and harmony in our troubled world? The one that drew <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/17721a.htm">St. Therese of Lisieux</a> to write an autobiography that caused her to be declared a “Doctor of the Science of Divine Love” by the Catholic Church? The tried and true Christian devotional practices that have produced and now sustain the work of all Christians in establishing God’s Kingdom throughout the earth? <i>Those</i> “errors”?<br /><br /><b>[Caveat: We could have NEVER done this in our own strength—never. We started off the days and ended them in prayer and Bible reading. After the mission was successfully accomplished, we all prayed together, thanking God, telling Him how much we appreciated Him using us.</b><br /><br />Oh, pardon me – I guess it’s just <i>other people’s</i> format and language of devotion that you find objectionable.<br /><br /><i>[snip]</i><br /><br /><b>We were greeted by a hard rock “Christian” singer who wore a t-shirt reading, “Kill it before it kills you,” right inside the gate. We had never seen so many teenagers dressed in black in our lives, nor had we ever seen so many tattoos—all at a “Christian” camp.</b><br /><br />Kids dressed in black and an attention-grabbing T-shirt slogan – it makes me wonder if she’s seen the inside of a public high school in the last few years. I actually like that saying, “Kill it before it kills you”. She doesn’t mention what “it” may have referred to, but it’s a great statement about, say, temptation. And with all the concerns about teenage obesity - Black is slimming, didn’t you know?<br /><br />Tattoos – now there’s a fundamentalist bugaboo. They’re a stumbling block to some conservative Catholics, too. They quote Leviticus 19:28 and insist that any sort of piercing or marking is sinful.<br /><br />I have a question for Ms. Litz and her friends, though – what were they thinking when they got their ears pierced? It’s acceptable, and almost a rite of passage, for women in Western culture to pierce their ears – why doesn’t the blanket prohibition apply? Because <i>it doesn’t mean anything</i> except that they wanted to conform to our shared Western cultural beauty ideal. In this, I completely agree - beauty should be the standard in all such cases. See <a href="http://cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=233">this page</a> for many sane ideas on the subject.<br /><br /><b>We learned that Gandhi was more Christian than he knew.</b><br /><br />See <a href="http://www.godspy.com/life/Gandhi-on-Sex-Marriage-and-Birth-Control-by-Daniel-Vitz.cfm">this link</a> for proof of the truth of this statement.<br /><br /><b>We were taught that it is common among “saints” to levitate! We were told how saints like St. Francis of Assisi experienced “miracles” from God such as levitations, and many saints had experienced levitations—it was a <i>common practice among the saints</i>. Someone raised her hand and added, “It reminds me of the weird stuff in some charismatic circles like the Toronto Blessing where people were getting ‘slain in the spirit’.” The teacher warned, “I think I have made it clear that we have no right to judge such experiences.”</b><br /><br />I was at this lecture by Jon Sweeney on the life of St. Francis, and I believe Ms. Litz misrepresents his meaning here. Sweeney did not say that levitation was a common or everyday occurrence in saints’ lives, nor that it was a “common denominator” among those saints canonized by the Catholic Church. He simply mentioned levitation as one of the miraculous occurrences in Francis’ life, and that other saint stories mention this as well, among many other types of miracles. (If Sweeney had really wanted to emphasize levitation, he would have mentioned <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14515b.htm">St. Teresa of Avila</a>, whose sisters had to sit on her in order to keep her from levitating during states of holy rapture, and <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08520b.htm">St. Joseph of Cupertino</a>, a fellow Franciscan who often levitated while saying Mass!) When another woman commented on the “Toronto Blessing” in this context, Sweeney did in fact reply, “…I think I have made it clear that we have no right to judge such experiences” - referring specifically to the holy laughter/slain-in-the-Spirit phenomenon. He was trying to avoid offense to any charismatics in the crowd who had experienced such things as an encouragement to their faith.<br /><br />Litz seems keen on the inadmissibility of such evidence of the power of God in the life of a believer, and like many of her co-laborers, she instinctively consigns any such story to the New Age trash heap, crediting demons with great powers of deception. <br /><br />She also seems to be champing at the bit to “judge” and evaluate these miracles. I hope she’ll be glad to find out that these days, though admittedly not so much in the time of Francis, the Catholic Church has a whole <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0445.html">department of folks</a> dedicated to just this task. Saints’ causes (e.g., the issue of whether two verifiable miracles have occurred as a result of the intercession of the heavenly candidate) are carefully investigated and argued, complete with an appointed “devil’s advocate” to explain the miracles away if possible. Another example would be the fact that, to my knowledge, the jury is still officially out on the Virgin Mary’s appearance at <a href="http://www.medjugorje.org">Medjugorje</a> in 1981, though many rank-and-file Catholics are convinced of its reality and are edified by encouraging messages published by its devotees. At the end of the day, however, we Catholics (and reasonable Protestants) have a category fundamentalists don’t have for private mystical revelations or experiences: “worthy of belief”, i.e. not dogma requiring assent (i.e. leafy green vegetables, necessary for your Christian growth), not evil to be avoided (hemlock, holly berries, antifreeze – deadly to the spirit), but “officially harmless” (Cheetos, Brussels sprouts, coconut cream pie, papaya, green apple-flavored Jolly Ranchers, catfish, sweet potatoes, liver & onions). If it agrees with you, fine – if not, no need to bother, feel free to just pass the plate. Ms. Litz’ scheme of things, however, doesn’t allow such luxuries – all mystical or miraculous manifestations are either of God or straight from the pit of hell.<br /><br /><b>One speaker said he was not comfortable “wearing the title of a Christian.” He was “an aspiring Christian,” but he was not comfortable wearing that title.</b><br /><br />I was not there to hear this comment and can’t speak to it directly. Cornerstone has in the past hosted professors and authors who were not professing Christians in order to hear them speak on topics related to their field. We had a fantastic presentation on the <a href="http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home">Mars Rover</a> in the Imaginarium one year by a member of the NASA team managing the project; I don’t know whether she was a believer or not. But, when a person like this is sharing his or her expertise and excitement about something momentous going on in our world, <i>does it matter</i> if he or she is a Christian? If he/she is not attempting to teach the Faith, what’s the big deal?<br /><br />This presenter’s comment actually strikes me as an attempt at humility - or perhaps an attempt to avoid precisely the sort of religious judgment Ms. Litz levels at him.<br /><br /><b>All of this was in the “Imaginarium” tent, which was Bob Passantino’s favorite tent, we were told, at the Cornerstone festival before he passed away. To give tribute to Bob, a skull was placed on the altar of the dead for him! Skulls and pictures were also placed to remember Mr. Rogers. However, it was not a beautiful day in the neighborhood! It was a satanic night in the “Days of the Dead.” But, then again, the other people there seemed to be having a fine time. I guess it was just our team of women who did not feel comfortable writing a name of a dead loved one on a sugar skull and placing it on the shrine.<br />A tribute was made to Batman. There were the pictures in the glowing dead shrine of everyone from Rosa Parks to Mr. Rogers. One woman walked up to the podium and gave a tribute to Flannery O’Connor and placed a flower on the altar for her. <i>Many would speak to the dead people saying, “I just want to thank ___for all he/she has taught me,” as if the person’s spirit was in the place to hear.</i> (No clarification was made on how we should not speak to the dead according to the Bible, of course).</b><br /><br />I was also there at the Day of the Dead remembrance time, and had actually been looking forward to it. I had recently learned a lot about it, since my Catholic parish is more than 50% Hispanic and we have a beautiful <i>ofrenda</i> (altar for offerings) each November in our sanctuary. When we read in the weeks prior to the fest about the plan to celebrate the Day of the Dead in the Imaginarium, Gary and I both planned to bring several items from home for the <i>ofrenda</i>. <br /><br />Because of this, as Mike Hertenstein (the JPUSA member who programs and produces the Imaginarium each year) gave his introductory spiel, I remember cringing inwardly at times – for completely opposite reasons than Ms. Litz. He explained that in his research on the Mexican cultural phenomenon of the Day of the Dead, he had discovered many fascinating aspects of it – but he couldn’t really offer us an authentic expression of it on its own terms, since we’re all “gringos”, after all. He then put forth the idea of piecing together “an Imaginarium version” of the tradition in an effort to “make a personal connection” with it on <i>our own</i> terms. I thought, <i>Isn’t this what we Americans always do – appropriate others’ cultural traditions without regard to their cultural meaning, and end up mangling them? Why must we build an artificial wall between authenticity and a personal connection?</i> (Also, due to past unrelated incidents at my church among the Anglo parishioners, I've become very sensitive to arbitrary rewrites of Scripture and the liturgy – and to my raw nerves, this smacked of yet another agenda-driven abuse of Catholic tradition.) I sighed, and then my attention returned to Mike and Dave Canfield, who were both very excited about the sugar skulls they’d found in a Mexican <i>tienda</i> and the adventure of seeing God work through this exotic, sensual way of remembering the dead. I took another deep breath and did my best to lay aside my personal reactivity, and Gary and I each took a few sugar skulls from the boxes being passed around. Mike encouraged us to write the names of both our living and our dead loved ones on the backs of the skulls, come to the microphone and share what they meant, and place them on the <i>ofrenda</i> at the side of the Imaginarium tent. <br /><br />Although I believe our Imaginarium Day of the Dead ritual began in Mike’s mind as a pastiche of sorts, a two-dimensional, pen-and-ink sketch of an n-dimensional, colorful, living religious/cultural reality, God took Mike’s offering, blessed it, broke it, and shared real spiritual food with all of us who participated in the celebration that evening. The Lord certainly was present and met each of us in the midst of the sharing time as we told stories of our families and friends, grieving their loss and proclaiming our continuing love for them. And as we entered humbly together into the trappings of this strange ritual and allowed God to somehow find us in it, the Lord opened His heart to us – <i>wherein the spirits of our loved ones do in fact live, move, and have their being</i>. His Presence in our midst brought all the living souls that we named back with Him. Jesus was powerfully proclaimed even as several people strove to honor some fictional characters, <a href="http://home.comcast.net/~krieg5208/Lewis/index.htm">Aslans of their own</a>, through which they saw Christ. <br /><br />It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Catholic or not; the communion of saints is real. You can’t get around that. From Ms. Litz’ point of view, it was very (properly) spooky and profound, and if it gave her the creeps, well… it wasn’t our fault. (<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04171a.htm">Here's</a> a further explanation of the Catholic view of the communion of saints.)<br /><br /><b>A skeleton was placed in a casket on the side of the room surrounded by trash on the floor.</b><br /><br />In response to the mention of skeletons, Mike Hertenstein has posted <a href="http://www.cornerstonemag.com/imaginarium/inklinks/ink010.html">this G.K. Chesterton essay</a> on the Imaginarium website. I’ll quote two choice paragraphs and let Ms. Litz et al. duke it out with GKC, if she cares to:<br /><br />The importance of the human skeleton is very great, and the horror with which it is commonly regarded is somewhat mysterious. Without claiming for the human skeleton a wholly conventional beauty, we may assert that he is certainly not uglier than a bull-dog, whose popularity never wanes, and that he has a vastly more cheerful and ingratiating expression. But just as man is mysteriously ashamed of the skeletons of the trees in winter, so he is mysteriously ashamed of the skeleton of himself in death. <i>It is a singular thing altogether, this horror of the architecture of things.</i> [emphasis mine] One would think it would be most unwise in a man to be afraid of a skeleton, since Nature has set curious and quite insuperable obstacles to his running away from it. <br /><br />One ground exists for this terror: a strange idea has infected humanity that the skeleton is typical of death. A man might as well say that a factory chimney was typical of bankruptcy. The factory may be left naked after ruin, the skeleton may be left naked after bodily dissolution; but both of them have had a lively and workmanlike life of their own, all the pulleys creaking, all the wheels turning, in the House of Livelihood as in the House of Life. There is no reason why this creature (new, as I fancy, to art), the living skeleton, should not become the essential symbol of life.<br /><br /><b>Celtic abstracts were posted on the walls, as well as excerpts from teachers such as Thomas Merton.</b><br /> <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton">Merton</a>, a 20th-century Catholic monk beloved by many for his <a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Thomas_Merton">wisdom</a>, needs no defense from me.<br /><br /><b>Someone mentioned the idea of singing a hymn and the teacher jeered, A <i>Hymn?</i> We can’t sing a hymn in the Imaginarium! The teacher heckled the comment extemporaneously as if hymns were too out of date and inappropriate! I would agree that the hymns would certainly not fit the spirit at work in the place. The hymns would oppose such a spirit for sure. Eerie music was played as the people walked up to the shrine/altar to place a sugar skull or flower on behalf of the dead.</b><br /><br /><i>We did in fact sing a hymn</i> in the Imaginarium at the end of our gathering that evening; I know because <i>I led the group</i> in singing the Doxology after Presbyterian pastor Paul Leggett offered a benedictory prayer in closing. Ms. Litz must have left by this time - had she been there, I bet she would even have recognized the music, since it was the version I learned growing up as a Baptist, to the tune of Old Hundredth. I’ll stick with this charitable thought instead of speculating on any other reason she left this fact out of her report.<br /><br /><b>Horror films were lauded, and we were taught from Gretchen Passantino that there was nothing wrong with celebrating Halloween since it was “All Saints Day,” so there was a night designated for costumes at the “Imaginarium” in celebration of Halloween. (We did not attend).</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.answers.org">Gretchen Passantino-Coburn</a> is also quite adept at defending herself, so I’ll not waste the space here. It’s too bad they didn’t come to our Halloween party the following day – I got all gothed out as Sister Bodily Death from St. Francis’ Canticle of the Sun, one gal brought a whole suit of chain maille, other folks improvised as they could. It was fabulous fun, but I guess our childlike dancing and playing wasn’t - holy enough? Is that it?<br /><br /><i>[snip]</i><br /><br /><b>In the “Prayer Tent” we were told to take off our shoes and walk the Labyrinth. No children under the age of 14 were allowed to enter without their parents. The teacher asked me if I would like to journal, and she handed me a mind-numbing maze to follow on paper on/in which to journal! At the end of the “prayer” walk, after the participants had been given a choice of verses to read over and over as they walked the “sacred ground”, they came back to report what God had shown them while walking the mantra path. One lady said, “As I walked along, I felt one thorny area, so I avoided that area…but then as I was almost done with the labyrinth walk I realized I should have walked on the thorns for God since Jesus suffered for me.” She looked like she was going to cry. The teacher nodded in sympathetic agreement. It was all I could do to remain silent and not explain to that poor woman that we were called to a different kind of suffering—suffering that makes one proud of one’s own humility is not the right kind of suffering! It was extremely hard to sit through all of these sessions and not say anything.</b><br /><br />Briefly about the labyrinth as a spiritual practice: These patterned pathways as a rule are not “mind-numbing mazes”. Traditional forms of the labyrinth, including the most famous one <a href="http://www.lessons4living.com/chartres_labyrinth.htm">in mosaic on the floor of Chartres Cathedral</a>, are comprised of a single winding pathway that one walks while praying – on any subject that comes to mind. It’s meant to be a representation of one’s path through life, one’s spiritual walk with God, with the goal of Heaven at the end. See my above comment about papaya, catfish, etc. – if you like it, fine. If not, no one’s shoving it down your throat, for Pete’s sake. And Ms. Litz’ comment about “suffering that makes one proud of one’s own humility” – actually, I completely agree (see her second paragraph above).<br /><br /><b>One day a woman on our team could not take it anymore and raised her hand to comment. She said to the CBE teachers, “Galatians 3:28 taken in context is only pertaining to salvation.” John Trott interrupted the conversation from the opposite side of the room to change the subject announcing, “But women have gifts, too!” The woman on our team thought, <i>Galatians 3:28 still only pertains to salvation taken in context</i>. We have found a popular tactic with the CBE teachers is to change the subject when they are wrong about something.</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/index.shtml">Christians for Biblical Equality</a> has their own lecture series at Cornerstone in a separate tent. I take Ms. Litz at her word as to what she heard in the CBE tent this year; since I wasn’t there, I don’t have much to say about it. From conversations I’ve had with CBE members and in looking at their publications, I actually am not a supporter of their stated goals, since I’m a Roman Catholic who accepts magisterial teaching on these sorts of issues (and loves Pope John Paul II’s <a href="http://www.theologyofthebody.net">Theology of the Body</a>). I’ve tangled with Jon Trott (his name is spelled incorrectly above) <a href="http://www.markshea.blogspot.com/2003_02_01_markshea_archive.html#88895473">over the issue of artificial contraception</a> in the past; I don’t feel the need to engage either him or Ms. Litz here, except that in regard to the flyer entitled <a href="http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/cwnetwork/images/articles/cornerstone_fact_sheet.html">“CBE vs. the Bible”</a> that we found on our car and read – I remember thinking that I didn’t agree with either the ideas represented by the CBE leaders’ quotes <i>or</i> how Ms. Litz and her friends were using Bible verses as sledgehammers to oppose them. (Jon has his own <a href="http://bluechristian.blogspot.com/2006/07/cornerstone-festival-2006-and.html">response to the kerfuffle here</a>).<br /><br />For the record, I agree wholeheartedly with Jon’s statement, “But women have gifts, too!” Of course they do; all baptized Christians do; I lectured in the Imaginarium myself <a href="http://www.mystagogia.net/beyond-bibleman.pdf">on this very issue</a> in 2001. (To learn more of the Catholic view of spiritual gifts, see the <a href="http://www.siena.org">St. Catherine of Siena Institute website</a>). Regarding women’s ordination, though, I’ve already got my dog in the fight between magisterial and modernist Catholics. Ain’t got no ‘nother dog to put in this here.<br /><br /><b>We learned that absolute truth can lead to problems! It often births self-righteousness and judgmental attitudes—we should accept everyone and not “push our truth off on anybody”. We were also taught to show kindness to people “with no motive for evangelism.”</b><br /><br />Again, since these lectures were not in the Imaginarium, I have no comment on them – except to say that from <a href="http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/index2.php">my limited knowledge of the Emergent Church phenomenon</a>, which many JPUSA leaders endorse, these statements are most likely the result of an effort to interpret the Scriptures and Christian history through a postmodern philosophical lens and do not represent rebellion <i>per se</i> against Jesus or the truth of the Gospel.<br /><br /><i>[snip]</i><br /><br /><b>We saw a sign that read “Anam Cara” in the merchant tent at a table for a rock group. I asked, “What does Anam Cara mean?” The boy who looked to be about fifteen answered innocently, “Someone told me it means ‘spirit friend.’” I asked, “What is the language?” He gave a popular answer there at the camp, “I don’t know.” Meanwhile youth were standing in line for tattoos and gauging. I asked, “What does gauging mean?” The girl who was plying the gauged holes in the ears of the “Christian” youth answered, “Oh, it means nothing.” I looked it up later and found that gauging is a practice of voodoo worship in African tribes.</b><br /><br />Once again, <a href="http://johnwmorehead.blogspot.com/2006/07/imaginarium-cornerstone-and-days-of.html">John Morehead</a> has lots of good stuff to say about this kind of thing. Again, since it didn’t occur under the auspices of the Imaginarium, I won’t speak to it.<br /><br /><b>While the others were researching on our last day there, I set out with the fact sheets, hitting two of the back parking lots, behind the main rock stage. Every single person was receptive! I saw normal looking Christian youth who were not dressed in black, absent nose rings and tattoos. It was obvious they had come to just camp out and be with friends. I gave the fact sheets to the youth leaders. They all thanked me. I put others on cars and tables and inside tents. I gave one to a youth leader who said, “It is interesting that you would give me this, because I am also a professor at Moody Bible Institute, and I was just discussing CBE’s inclusive language teachings with my youth group. I am very concerned about this error being taught.” He showed me his notes pertaining to the subject of CBE’s attempt to neuter God with inclusive language! A link to Walter Martin Ministries was at the bottom of our fact sheet, and he said, “Oh, yeah, Walter Martin, he was great.” I could tell he was really pondering the whole picture and counterfeit spirit at work. As I left he continued to discuss our fact sheet with the youth.<br /><br />One man took the sheet and looked over at his teenage daughter and nodded as if to say, “See? I told you.” He said adamantly, “Thank you very much. I knew something was not right about this place.” I told him that I had just been in a class in the Imaginarium where the teacher had taught that “saints” levitated in church history, and we should not judge such “miracles.” He shook his head in disapproval and was reading the fact sheet as I walked out of sight.</b><br /><br />You know, I’m honestly glad that Ms. Litz found someone to talk to that could relate to her point of view. She left Cornerstone refreshed by finding new friends in Christ. That’s what the Cornerstone experience is all about, in my book.<br /><br /><i>[snip]</i><br /><br /><b>Then, we all met back at the hotel, and we PRAISED THE LORD FOR USING US FOR HIS GLORY!! We got back on the plane the following morning and thanked the Lord for every little detail. We knew that God had accomplished all we had done for His glory, and He had protected our steps. We laughed at the airport leaving Peoria thinking about that girl’s testimony at CBE and commented in jest (realizing that CBE must have been in shock to find those flyers everywhere), “We are smart after all, and God has a big plan for our lives.” We giggled. (It was just a joke, in reference to the feminist girl going to seminary to show everyone how smart she is). IT IS ALL ABOUT HIM AND NOT ABOUT US. We knew that it had not gone so smoothly because we were smart or we were women, but we knew it had gone smoothly because the Holy Spirit had done this, for the GLORY OF GOD’S NAME.<br /><br />It felt great to be done with the mission, and it sure felt good to leave that camp! I had to weep down on my knees in the hotel as I prayed just thinking about that dark place. The fun will be in seeing what the Lord will do with our research, and the fun comes in trusting our precious Lord to use those 500 fact sheets to give His people the Truth and protect them from a lying counterfeit spirit at work to deceive. (Attached is the fact sheet we spread far and wide at that youth camp, leaving CBE in shock, no doubt.<br /><br />Galatians 1 and 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 encouraged my heart as I read those passages on the plane on the way back to Denver.<br /><br />To the praise of His glory, Dwayna</b><br /><br />It’s good to hear that Dwayna and her friends were comforted by Scripture on their way home. As my friends and I have discussed her report since she posted it online, we have also been comforted by Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, specifically these verses: “But because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage - to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” (Gal. 2:4-5, RSV)<br /><br /><i>[end]</i><br /> * * *<br /><br />On July 23, I attempted to post the response below on one of the original Cornerstone-related comment threads on <a href="http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/archives/2006/07/cornerstone_org.php">Slice of Laodicea</a>, but since I’ve checked back and haven’t seen it, I assume the moderator blocked it. Here it is for your perusal:<br /><br />=============<br /><br />I realize I've come quite late to this discussion, only after Lint (my friend, a real person, a graphic designer who lives with his wife and family in a medium-sized city in the Deep South) wrote to let me know what was going on in these circles.<br /><br />Probably you've all moved on by now - and I sincerely hope you have. I am writing to tell you all to <i>stop</i> slandering Lint and impugning his character. Stop attributing diabolical motives to his speaking, his writing, his attempts to dialogue with you. Engage his ideas however you like, but I know ("for a fact", Sister Karen) that: 1) Lint knows history, 2) Lint has studied the Scriptures thoroughly, 3) Lint knows and loves Jesus Christ, and 4) Lint <i>interprets the Scriptures through the Magisterium of the Catholic Church</i>, a very different lens than your own, which I realize you reject.<br /><br />One other thing I must make clear: <b>The Cornerstone Imaginarium is not geared toward youth ministry.</b> I have attended the Imaginarium since its inception at Cornerstone 10 years ago (and been a speaker myself), and I am 42 years old. The attendees at certain seminars sometimes include folks in their teens, but 20-somethings and older comprise most of the audience. No one is purposely trying to corrupt anyone's children.<br /><br />I beg you to listen to what John Morehead had to say in his summary of his experience at the Imaginarium this year. It is not the wisdom of God to divide the people and cultural artifacts of our world into categories of Good and Evil that map exactly with Us and Not Us, What We're Comfortable With and What Gives Us The Creeps. True spiritual discernment becomes impossible if you elevate your own spiritual sensitivities to the level of Dogma. (I know the majority of you won't receive that, but someone ought to tell you so that you might seek a more spiritually effective way to exercise this gift - even in your own midst.)<br /><br />Here's a quote from John Morehead's essay: <br /><br />…[O]ne of the reasons why Imaginarium explored [the Days of the Dead] theme was to explore how evangelicals are missing out on important aspects of what it means to be human. In our knee-jerk Reformation reaction against ritual and symbolism we are missing important aspects of expression... In the process we end up missing out on participating in the fullest dimensions of the human experience, and <b>we deny the full implications of the incarnation</b> [emphasis mine]. The Word came in the flesh to live among us and to participate in culture, including its ritual and symbolism. Evangelical overemphasis on the rational and the textual ends up denying the fullness of the incarnation that also embraces the imagination.<br /><br />Again, I realize that few of you will hear and receive this, but I share it in hopes that the Lord will touch your hearts - and if nothing else, that He will move you on to more spiritually profitable endeavors.<br /><br />Pray for us, as we pray for you.<br /><br />God bless you, KathleenKathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1150400941587469312006-06-15T11:57:00.000-07:002006-06-15T12:49:01.600-07:00More on Brian McLarenWelcome to Kevin Jones and others who've stopped in from CAEI. Make yourselves at home!<br /><br />Kevin sent me <a href="http://www.newpantagruel.com/issues/2.3/who_has_the_last_word_an_inte.php">this link</a> to another Brian McLaren interview. Kevin's right; he's kinda squirrelly on some issues. Here's what I picked up from that article:<br /><br />- The conversation about violence in the Bible is quite daring and interesting. I've never heard these issues discussed in this way, and both McLaren and Knauss acquit themselves well.<br /><br />- Although McLaren tries hard to be charitable and face questions squarely, his seeming deference and humility smack of an intense self-consciousness and airy superiority. It reminds me of something CS Lewis said: "The truly humble man does not think more highly of himself than others, nor does he consider himself lower. <i>The truly humble man does not think about himself at all"</i> - which is what enables a person with opinions to engage in debate and conversation without regard to self-protection or self-aggrandizement, and thus with respect to all comers.<br /><br />- Comparing this to the DVC interview, it's obvious where he stands with regard to "organized Christian religion"; he just couldn't bring himself to admit his views to Dan Knauss at tNP. <i>Disingenuous</i> is the word, I believe, to describe his answers here.<br /><br />- Knauss is right on the money when he detects an emphasis on the superiority of the parachurch/ecumenical entity in McLaren's "deep ecclesiology". This is precisely what the Protestant house church folks I was with (for four years before I became a Catholic) advocated - a "respect" for all expressions of Christian faith, but there was an assumed notion that our group, the small group, the "neighborhood church", the people who thought and worshiped like us - <i>we</i> were the <i>Real Church</i>. We thought it would be "rude" to say this directly to those other poor, unenlightened Christians, so we just kept it to ourselves, like nice people do.<br /><br />If you believe your vision of Church to be The True Church, you ought to have the cojones to come out and say so. At least, a meaningful debate can then be had about the issue. As time goes on, I have less and less patience with the sort of "tolerance" that begs the question in this way, that assumes the debate is over and you've won, and you're magnanimously extending your benevolence by refusing to engage ideas on the ground. It's precisely what they accuse the Catholic Church and other traditional churches of doing. The question that must be engaged is, <strong>On what authority do you stake your view of the Truth?</strong> Who has the right to call their interpretation of Scripture correct? If you allow flatly contradictory views to stand alongside your own, what does that say about the nature and knowability of truth?<br /><br />Like I said to a (currently) agnostic/apostate friend a while back, you can say "All roads lead to God" or "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere" all you like, but at the end of the day, no one believes that. Everyone believes in right and wrong; they just have different views of what those are. See how "tolerant" the hippie folks are if you walk into a tie-dye and incense store wearing a T-shirt with an American flag and "Support Our Troops" on it. Those folks surely do believe that some things are <i>just right</i> and some things are <i>just wrong</i>, and good for them. We all have a moral sense. We all have a sense that some things will guide us on the path to Heaven, and some things are distractions or impediments. And we all fight to preserve our perception of truth, whether we call it that or not. "Tolerance", as it's been sold to us, is a myth.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1150352661450160822006-06-14T23:20:00.000-07:002006-06-14T23:24:21.470-07:00Another brick on the DaVinci Code pileHi, friends. If you’re not too fed up with the tussle in the media over Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code by now, feel free to peruse this response I sent to a friend regarding <a href="http://www.sojo.net">an interview with Brian McLaren</a> (an “emerging church”/”post-evangelical”-sort of fellow) on DVC. Enjoy!<br /><br />==================<br /><br />Hi, <a href="http://www.magdalenescastle.blogspot.com/">Monique</a>. Hope you’re having a good day.<br /><br />I read the article. I’ve been following the whole DVC thing since the book was first published 3 years ago. I confess I haven’t read the whole book; I’ve read plenty of quotes and excerpts in other “debunking” sorts of books, though, and I’m thoroughly familiar with the themes and plot. I haven’t seen the movie either; we figured we wouldn’t spend money on it in the theatres and we’ll wait until it comes on cable, and maybe catch it then.<br /><br />I could go on for days about this whole thing because it strikes a nerve with me, but I’ll try to keep my reactions short and to the point here. (Strap yourself in, the ride might get bumpy...)<br /><br /> - Being a Roman Catholic, and actually one who believes that what the Church teaches is true, I find McLaren’s attitude toward DVC – well, exasperating. I do understand his point of view and what he’s trying to say about our human views of who Jesus is, but – I have a fundamental disagreement with him about who/what the Church is. I believe in a knowable, actual entity which is the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and that this entity finds its fullest expression in the human (though divinely instituted) organism called the Roman Catholic Church. He doesn’t believe this (and you don’t either, I would guess), which I understand and I'm OK with, but his reinforcement of the negative popular view of Catholicism as “status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion”, as well as characterizing it as “misogynist” and “anti-woman” is quite frustrating to me. These are precisely the things I have found not to be true of the Catholic faith, which is why I converted to become one.<br /><br /> - He seems to be using the publicity surrounding DVC as a platform to make the points that I’ve heard him make before, e.g. about the religious right and political stuff, etc. In DVC, Dan Brown actually completely ignores all expressions of Christianity besides the Roman Catholic Church as symbolized by “the Vatican”. It’s like the whole of Protestant history doesn’t even exist in the DVC universe. (If I were still a Protestant, I think I might have been a little miffed, even.) In comparing DVC to the “Left Behind” series, I don’t think McLaren’s correct in saying that the ideas in DVC aren’t worse than those in LB. In LB, at least they’re trying to grapple with the idea of Jesus Christ as Lord. In DVC, the very historical foundations of Christianity are attacked.<br /><br /> - McLaren’s dismissal of the book as “just fiction” is also distressing – and this attitude should give pause to anyone who considers him- or herself to be a serious artist. Of course the book is fiction (notwithstanding the fact that Dan Brown originally tried to market it as a “historical novel”), but it’s fiction in the sense that <em>Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em> (the book that Lincoln said “started the Civil War”) is fiction. It’s fiction in the sense that Oliver Stone’s <em>JFK</em> is fiction. It’s fiction in the sense that “The End”, that song I wrote (“There you are, at a corner table/Quiet, waiting...”) is fiction. It’s fiction in the sense that your poetry is fiction. <br /><br /> FICTION IS ALWAYS ABOUT REVEALING THE TRUTH. <br /><br />Sorry to shout, but this is important. We don’t read, watch, listen to, or write fiction because we like weaving pretty, intricate webs of useless lies about the world for our own entertainment, or to deceive other people. No. We write songs and stories and poetry and novels with fictional plots and characters <strong>precisely in order to get at the deeper truths</strong> of the heart, of emotion, of the psyche, of the human condition, of the spirit. DVC has hugely impacted popular culture – not because people believe it to be factually true or false, but because it has reached them on a deeper emotional level, confirming what they always felt they “knew” about Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular – that Jesus was really just a nice guy and wouldn’t have been as dumb or as mean as insensitive Christians or challenging Church doctrines they’ve encountered. It’s served to reinforce the prejudices they have against Christianity/Catholicism and made it easy for them to feel they’ve been let in on the secret – that they know “the truth” now. I’ve been on countless blog threads where people have been discussing this, and you’d be amazed at how many posts I’ve seen that say something like, “You stupid Catholics – it’s just fiction! It’s just a story! And anyway, <strong>it’s all true!</strong> You wouldn’t be so upset if Dan Brown hadn’t told all your deepest secrets, would you? And now the whole world knows that Christianity/Catholicism/YOU are all a bunch of lying, murderous, deluded maniacs bent on world domination and the permanent crushing of the human spirit!” (See above reference to “status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion”.) *Sigh. Thanks very much. NEXT.<br /><br /> - I do agree with McLaren on two of his points: 1) Christians desperately need to study and understand Church history better than they do. This would go a long way toward solving a host of problems facing the whole Church today. 2) Intelligent, respectful dialogue is a good thing and there should be more of it. And I applaud you for your effort in trying to foster it. I hope my contribution is suitable to the discussion, despite my strong feelings and statements on the subject.<br /><br />*Hoo. I think I’ll have myself a glass of something and calm down now. Sorry if this has been heavy – as I said, it strikes a nerve. If you ever want to discuss particular aspects of the above, please feel free to email or call – I do enjoy talking with you about these sorts of things, and I hope I’m successful in my efforts to be fair and charitable toward ideas I disagree with. If I’m not, do let me know. :) <br /><br />Peace of Christ, KathleenKathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1148609190996278312006-05-25T18:46:00.000-07:002006-05-25T19:09:57.860-07:00An experience with St. Therese of LisieuxHi, friends. I haven't posted in a while; I apologize for that. I'll do my best to make it up to you and try to make this an interesting little spot to visit on a regular basis.<br /><br />Here's a little something I wrote a few months ago; hope you enjoy it.<br /><br />------------<br /><br />Converts to the Catholic faith (such as myself) sometimes have difficulty with aspects of Catholic piety known as sacramentals - the tactile, real-world things having to do with the faith. We don’t grow up with things like saints and relics and Mary; for me, having been raised Baptist, the Christian life was all about knowing the Bible, being nice to people, and not using bad words. (Sex? “Um – well, no. Just don’t... uh... On second thought, read this – um, science-type book, and then we’ll talk, OK?”) Although all those things describe a believer’s behavior, the Christian faith for me was more an intellectual thing than a true lifestyle – a true way of being. The experience described below is one of the doorways God provided for me to begin to understand how certain pieces of the Catholic way of life - spirit, soul, flesh, and the practice of good that results in holiness and peace - fit together.<br /><br />In 1999, about 6 months after I became a Catholic, St. Therese of Lisieux’s relics were touring the world. She made a stop at a church near me called St. Joseph’s in Vancouver WA, and I went up there to – I don’t know, really – see her? See what all the fuss was about, maybe. Receive a blessing in a new sort of way, I hoped.<br /><br />I drove up there (about half an hour’s ride from Portland on the freeway) and stood in line outside the church for over an hour. It was November; very cold and sprinking a little, but not raining hard, thank God. I was standing next to two old ladies, and we struck up a conversation. We talked for half an hour before we realized we were part of the same parish! They were sweet and wonderful; sisters, one was widowed, but they were obviously very close. They told me some about St. Therese, since I didn’t know much of her story, and they gave me a pamphlet and a holy card with her picture.<br /><br />We finally got inside the church, and it was a big, long procession – a line filing down the aisle to the front and past the reliquary (a dark-colored wooden trunk) which contained her bones, and then up the far aisle and out again. At various positions around the sanctuary, there were Knights of Columbus standing at attention and watching everything, guiding people around, and handing out single-stem roses. I had heard of these folks, but I had never seen them do anything besides serve pancakes in the church fellowship hall before. Here, they were all cleaned up and decked out in their full regalia – tailcoats, white shirts, colored sashes, ceremonial swords, and huge black Napoleon-shaped hats with colored plumes. It almost looked weird and costumey, but then I realized that in this little world, the spiritual reality created by this strange intersection of history, mourning, hope, the sacred space, and the imagination, these guys were providing security for a visiting dignitary. Ah. The impression that settled on me was like the one you get at a really great “Roadside America” homespun tourist attraction – all the art, all the stuff, all the spectacle just bursts forth so honestly from the love of human hearts, you can’t help but respect it, even if it seems tacky or bizarre at first glance.<br /><br />Anyway, I slowly made my way up toward her. As I approached, I saw people take things like medals, jewelry, papers, and pictures and press them up against the glass museum case that enclosed the reliquary. All I could think of was the flower I’d been given by one of the Knights, and though I didn’t really know the protocol for this sort of thing, I supposed it’d be OK if I just touched that to the glass. (Looking back on it, I think anything I would have done would have been fine – it was people’s own personal expressions of devotion that they were enacting, after all.)<br /><br />I arrived at the reliquary and stared at it for a moment, and then gingerly touched my flower to the glass. I wondered if I’d miraculously be able to see inside, or if I’d hear her speak to me (with the answers to all my problems) in the same sort of way that I hear Jesus’ voice in my heart, or what. Nothing - except a small sense of excitement and warmth, like when you shake a celebrity’s hand and say “I love your work”, and you do sense a sincerity in their manner and response, but they’re busy, after all, and there are so many other people...<br /><br />If I could put the blessing I received into words, I think it came most from the way it led me to meditation on the Incarnation. Here were the bones of a person who suffered and was made holy by God, a true temple of the Holy Spirit. This didn’t go away after her spirit left her body; she was somehow still there – a presence, a will, an intention. The holiness and integrity that Christ had given her somehow imprinted and soaked into those bones, leaving a spiritual aroma that attracted us all, that we sensed as we gathered in faith to honor her. If I heard words from her in my heart, I guess they were, “Thanks for coming – it’s nice to meet you.” She seems to be someone who’s willing to travel with those who suffer – and wants to make a difference in people’s lives, even after she’s been dead almost 80 years.<br /><br />Sometimes I pity those who know Jesus but don’t realize the wealth of friendship and support we have through the heart of Christ in the communion of saints. Then I realize – that never stopped the saints before from loving us. It doesn’t stop them now. It can’t; it never will.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475840.post-1133416042537118202005-11-30T21:35:00.000-08:002005-11-30T21:47:22.560-08:00Michael McNamara at Cross Signals...... has <a href="http://crosssignals.blogspot.com/2005/11/is-it-getting-any-better.html">a very interesting post</a> on his new Cross Signals blog. Those of you who know my experience in Christian music circles won't be surprised that I just couldn't resist pontificating at length. Here I go:<br /><br />Hi there, Michael. Your questions are really interesting to me. It seems like Catholic music (as a pop subgenre, as opposed to classical or liturgical music with Catholic content) is where "contemporary Christian music" was about 15 years ago. Everybody loves to grab a guitar and sing, but it takes time to work out the issues regarding the interface of 1) art and business, 2) business and ministry, and 3) ministry and art. I think that we as Catholics have a lot more resources than Protestants do to work out and gain insight into these issues, and while we can learn from our brothers and sisters’ successes (and mistakes), there’s a fundamental difference in the way we approach these questions.<br /><br />First, in my experience, Protestant theology has difficulty with the concept of <strong>sacrament</strong> – the symbolic actions or rituals that we practice in obedience to the Lord’s command, and through which He comes down from Heaven, enters space and time, and interacts with us – sanctifying us in both soul and body. In Protestants’ rejecting of things like the Real Presence in the Eucharist and the apostolic succession through which Christ works to empower the priesthood, and the emphasis on “it’s just me and my own faith in Jesus”, there’s a strong tendency to drift toward the heresy of Manichaeism. That’s the “spirit good, matter bad” idea – all that matters is one’s belief, one’s faith. The body doesn’t matter – or if it does, it’s only a source of temptation, or an unwilling, surly slave of the good intentions of the soul. Salvation to many Protestants means <strong>permanent deliverance</strong> from our fleshly bodies, and along with that comes a fundamental distrust of the five human senses and of anything that appeals to them – especially art.<br /><br />On the flip side, we Catholics understand that Christ coming in the flesh, living, dying, and rising again means that “he will give life to our mortal bodies” and “raise them incorruptible” (I think that’s from I Corinthians). Through the sacraments, God’s Spirit infuses grace into us, into our bodies – not just our souls. God’s interested in redeeming matter, not rejecting it or just tolerating it for a short time. Even creation itself longs for redemption, and God promises this in Revelation with the creation of “new heaven and a new earth”.<br /><br />It’s my view that art is essentially this – <strong>the beginning of the redemption of creation</strong> by the spiritual man’s fashioning of the elements into beautiful things that glorify God. Not just that things are made beautiful, but are set right in a sense – this goes along with the idea that beauty has components of shape, contrast, and proportion. All members of the human race are called according to their human destiny to help in “redeeming the temporal order” and reshaping our fallen world in the pattern originally established by God. Each Christian, by virtue of his or her baptism, has been specifically gifted for this task in a specific way, and those given artistic gifts use their particular medium (language, sound, musical technique, paint, clay, stone, movement, etc.) to express this need and hope for God’s redemption of the world.<br /><br />Now to the heart of your questions, hopefully: <br />It’s my opinion that American popular culture (i.e., the mainstream media with its music, books, movies, etc.) has collided in a very strange way with the old Puritan work ethic. From America’s founding, there’s been a very strong idea that “whatever’s worth having is worth working hard for”. This is where the dedication to education and the image of the “working class hero” come from, and the “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” scenario. In classical Western culture, one had to undergo a good deal of education and training in order to become an artist – witness the schools under DaVinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and all the other great fine artists. Now, since about the turn of the century, the idea has taken root that “art” can be made by, for example, bolting a bicycle wheel on top of a stool, throwing a single splotch of white paint on a black background, or smashing a guitar. Though the avant-garde art community tried at first to make the case that “you have to know the rules in order to break them correctly”, most people realized that throwing paint randomly at a canvas or whacking a guitar to pieces takes no talent or training whatsoever. Putting these two ideas together, the thought appears: <strong>If “art” can be done with no training or even effort, then it’s not worth much.</strong> From this flows the instinct that many parents have when their son or daughter announces that they want to be an actor or a musician – “No, no, honey – why don’t you try to get a real job?” Art is discounted in education as an add-on, an elective – not really a serious pursuit, not really necessary for the core functions of society – not like politics or economics, or science.<br /><br />Yet, Pope John Paul II (the Great – Santo Subito, baby!) has said that the real battlefield for the heart of mankind across the globe isn’t politics, or economics, but culture. He himself was a writer, poet, actor, and playwright – he knew from experience the great impact that popular art can have on people’s hearts, either for good or ill. He strove to encourage us all to reach as high as we can in all our artistic endeavors, because through them and through our involvement in the mass media, we can be salt and light in the very places where it’s needed.<br /><br />So, if the endeavor of making art is what we believe it is, what Pope John Paul said it is (i.e. God’s work given to us to participate in His redemption of the planet), it is worth all our best effort, our best attention, our best resources. After 20 years of lagging behind the mainstream in production values, talent, and imagination, the Protestant CCM industry has finally begun to get a clue and is now producing recordings with professional-level production quality and mainstream appeal (Jars of Clay, MxPx, Sixpence None the Richer). Still, it’s very hard to get most Christians to understand the need to work hard to make really good artwork – to always do the best that we can do, whether we’re offering it to a mainstream audience or not, no matter what the subject matter. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve been in a church music rehearsal and something’s going really wrong, and the director shrugged his or her shoulders and said, “Oh, well – the Lord will fill in where we’re lacking.” The thing is, of course He will, but is He pleased when we throw together the equivalent of a mud pie with a dandelion in the middle when He gave us the talent to make a beautifully shaped and glazed porcelain vase, if we just took the time, spent the money, and made the effort?<br /><br />In closing, I guess I’ll just offer this thought: Because art is integral to human culture, art goes wherever people do. To me, this means that <strong>Christian artists must go wherever people go</strong> – including bars, community theatres, comedy clubs, cinema, radio, etc. The church administrator, gifted as she is with charisms of service, helping, and organization, will not be the one who has the chance to talk to their fellow actor after rehearsal about the love of Jesus. The gifted scientist, glorying in God’s creation and writing scholarly papers about orbital mechanics, will not be the one to fill in at the last minute for a sick backup singer and save the rear end of the opening act at the club. <strong>We need to be there.</strong> That’s our job. That’s our calling. “In the world, yet not of the world”, Jesus said – sadly, so often we find ourselves “of the world, yet not in the world”. Of course, we should be discerning about the subject matter and point of view of the projects we involve ourselves in, but I’ll leave that discussion for another time.<br /><br />Thanks so much for raising these questions, Michael. I look forward to continuing the conversation.KathleenLundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303049663665917728noreply@blogger.com1