An Aid To Memory

I wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day. May we remember those who have given their life for our freedom, and those who have given their life for things worth dying for.

I took this photo earlier this year.

This weekend I turned 28. It was nice, even though it is hard to believe I have been on this earth that long! Jonathan visited for the weekend and the whole family and some friends went out to eat. I ate way too much this weekend. With the birthday money I got I bought the Fourth Season DVD of the Andy Griffith Show. It was fun to watch a few of them this weekend.

Jennifer got me a 15 volume book set. It is a The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger. information about the set is available here. It is very impressive!

I am still waiting to hear about some jobs I applied for. Prayers are appreciated.

Pat Robertson says A Major Storm or Tsunami will hit the United States this summer, if he heard God correctly.

Pat Robertson seems like a nice enough guy, but he hurts the credibility of Christians by saying things like these.

Why is it that whenever a thread or discussion starts off as an anti-Catholic conversation, the anti-Catholic forces eventually turn on each other? I have seen this time and time again.

A few examples: On Paltalk there is a room called “No Salvation in Roman Catholicism.” Just so you know, I rarely enter the room because while there are rational and charitable folks who oppose the Catholic Church, this room is not run by them, but by ignorant, sarcastic, troublemakers. Anyway, it seems like they start off united against us Catholics but eventually they turn on each other, devouring one another about the Trinity, Calvinism, and so forth. Also, Chad recently e-mailed me a discussion he was having on a forum (the same forum as his recent post on his blog, but a different thread). The first 15 pages of discussion stayed on topic about Catholicism, but the last 2 pages are members of the same church turning on each other and bickering about the proper way to appoint leaders.

The moral here: If you are in the middle of an anti-Catholic discussion, just wait it out a little and the same folks will soon devour someone of their “own kind.” Soon, they won’t even notice you!

Did you all have a great Mother’s Day? We didn’t do anything special. We have eaten out a lot lately and mom just wanted to have a quiet evening at home, which was fine by me. I hope everybody took time to thank their mothers and give thanks for them. And of course, we mustn’t forget the Mother of Jesus and of the Church: the Virgin Mary.

Charlie Wingate has posted some excellent observations on Episcopal church politics (and I think the post reflects mainline politics, and even all politics). The article is entitled, A Right-Wing Conspiracy, Of Course.

He is talking about accusations by a progressive Episcopal minister that the Institute for Religion and Democracy, a conservative mainline protestant interest group, is an angry, threatening organization motivated by fear. I am not a huge fan of the IRD myself. However, the condemnation of the IRD by the protestant left for using the left’s favorite tactics is ridiculous. Here is my favorite part of Mt. Wingate’s post, a true and cutting critique:

So let’s go back to Fr. Webster’s earlier article on the subject. At that time, he said:

But this article started with power and control. Liberation theology, feminist theology, inclusivity of all whether they be homosexuals, people of color, the poor, have all threatened the “power holders” throughout church history.

I shall be blunt: this is all so much bullshit. Liberation theology has been accused, in my opinion with utter justification, of being upper middle class dabbling in leftist politics. Feminist theology is likewise an upper middle movement, straight out of the academy, which is ensconced in the power structures of ECUSA in the form of the Office of Women’s Ministry: an organization seemingly impregnable in spite of numerous incidents of dabbling in non- and anti-Christian religion. Homosexuals in the church are not, by and large, powerless people. Black bishops in ECUSA are commonplace and unremarkable, reflecting their ascent into the gentry decades ago. Black bishops in the communion are of course the norm now– but that seems to have become a problem. All in all, the liberals are borrowing the grievances of the downtrodden, but without the actuality of oppression or poverty.

Exactly Charlie. As I have always said, a bunch of rich, white, highly-educated men and women in an air-conditioned suburban church moaning about “oppression” while drinking fine coffee and fancy pastries is totally hypocritical. Then Charlie goes on to say:

Given the actuality of strictly religious arguments about sexuality and femininity (race having, in practice, passed entirely out of the discussion in these latter days) I must conclude that the Real Agenda of the Wealthy Right Wingers is to protect their position and their pocketbooks. I’ve already discussed how they and the liberal powerful share position, so let’s move on to money. To a great degree, they share that too. Oh, the lawyer’s wives (and ex-lawyers) may not be living on trust funds, but the Ordination Process that prevails in the big, urban, liberal dioceses largely guarantees that only the comfortably well-off can afford to pursue ordination. It’s already clear that the powerful in ECUSA are not going to give up their bishop’s palaces and their beautiful old rectories and their handsome faux-gothic churches. They will not move into apartments and walk-ups and storefronts, but they expect the opposition to do so.

Once again, he is right on. The IRD behaves just like the liberal agenda groups, and both groups are run by wealthy folks who have known very little oppression in their entire lives. It is very expensive to get ordained in the Episcopal church. I can tell you this from first-hand experience. This essentially screens out poor applicants. I am sick of liberal mainline leaders complaining that conservatives have started using the same tactics they pioneered. Both sides are well-funded too, and there is nothing I dislike more than two angry rich people going at it, even if one side does claim to be on the side of the oppressed (but wouldn’t hang out with the oppressed if they had to)!

A lot of people are saying that instead of listening to what others say about the Da Vinci code, I should “read it for myself.” I do agree that if a person really wants to form an advanced opinion on something, it is best for her to read it for herself. For instance, there are times I want to just stop a conversation or debate with a “bible-believing” Christian and say “when you have actually read the Bible cover-to-cover as I have, we’ll continue this conversation.” I say this because many “bible-believers” have only read small portions of the Bible, yet have strong opinions about it. 

However, I do have a few issues with the whole “read it for yourself” wisdom. First, it is the “read it for yourself” mentality that has led to the creation of hundreds, if not thousands, of differing Christian denominations and ideologies. A person will read the Bible “for himself” and start a new church a week later based on his novel way of reading the Bible. Second, what if I could care less about the issue or book at hand, and don’t want to take the time to form an advanced opinion on the matter? What if I want the issue or book summarized for me by others whom I trust? I often hear, “don’t listen to what Christians are saying about the Da Vinci code; read it for yourself!” However, what if I could care less about the Da Vinci code? Honestly, I see it as just another fad, and like most popular fads, I don’t see what the fuss is about. Plus, I don’t read much fiction, and I don’t get to the library that often. I have a “waiting list” of books I need to read that dates back to 1999. I don’t have the time, will, or effort, to read the Da Vinci Code “for myself.” I do, however, trust the opinion of others to help me make an informed, but limited, decision about the book. Therefore if someone asks me what I think about the book, I can give my limited opinion. Now, if I were teaching a class on it, or writing a book about it, I would be sure to read the book. In fact, if I teach about it in class, I will definitely read it. Just some thoughts…

I really like music, so here a few of my favorites:

Five Favorite Albums
Desire - Bob Dylan
Byrds Boxed Set - Byrds
Decade - Neil Young
Hot Burritos - Flying Burrito Brothers
Barry McGuire Anthology - Barry McGuire

Five Favorite Artists
Bob Dylan
The Byrds
Joe South
Barry McGuire
Vigilantes of Love

Five Favorite Unknown/Unpopular Artists
Rod McKuen
Albert Hammond
Kent
Badfinger
Terry Jacks

… I won’t stay in a world without blogs.

I admit that I love reading and writing blogs. I have always been a bit of a news buff, but I have found mainstream news a little sterile. I mean, if you want to respond to something you heard you have to a)write a letter to the editor that may or may not be published, b)call into a show, hoping that you get on air, or c)become a guest on a show. With blogs, you can comment immediately and get in discussions with others.

Blogs are also a way for me to express myself without paying 20,000/yr for the privilege (the cost of grad school). Reading blogs is a way for me to connect with other thinkers whom I would otherwise never meet.

I love blogs. I also have been listening to AM radio lately. That is scary…I am turning into my dad. Of course, it isn’t helped by the fact that FM radio repeats the same 10 songs over and over, no matter what station or genre involved!

Almost 2 years ago (boy time flies!), I wrote a little bit about Catholic and Orthodox unity. I think these two reflections are still relevant, and linking to them is easier than coming up with anything new! Click on the links below to get the complete texts:

That They May Be One (8-10-04)
Christian unity is essential. Jesus laid it out clearly in his high priestly prayer when he said, “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20-21, RSV)…

How Well Are We Breathing? (7-25-04)
As many of you know, I will be received into the Catholic Church on August 14th, which is (at least in the US) the vigil of the Feast of the Assumption / Dormition of the Blessed Virgin. Western Christians might take some pause at the word “Dormition” used here, because the feast in the Western Church is called the “Assumption.” This highlights something I as a Western Christian have had to face as I journey into the Catholic Church from Anglicanism: the Eastern Churches (Orthodox and Eastern Catholics) matter…