Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 159

Nietzsche and Narcissism

Here is my latest article for Imaginative Conservative on the triumph of Nietzschean narcissism in our society. What is “Nietzschean Narcissism”? It is a nihilistic relativism that does not believe in anyone or anything but the self. “I’m better than everybody else” is the disturbing theme underlying Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film Rope. Dostoevsky developed the same [Read More...]

Cardinal Bertone’s Grand Palace?

Kathy Schiffer (who knows everybody) takes us on a fascinating tour inside the Vatican to expose the media lies that Cardinal Bertone is living in palatial splendor while Pope Francis is fuming. London’s Independent leads with the story here saying, Pope Francis is reportedly furious at the plans of a former senior member of the clergy, [Read More...]

Whenever Men are Right They Are Not Young

may my heart always be open to little birds who are the secrets of living whatever they sing is better than to know and if men should not hear them men are old may my mind stroll about hungry and fearless and thirsty and supple and even if it’s sunday may i be wrong for [Read More...]

A Modern Mad Monk?

This article by Ed Cumming, a young journalist writing in the Daily Telegraph, goes on about how he adopted a ‘monastic’ lifestyle. I clicked through to read it and soon realized that all he was doing was downsizing. He moved into a flat and started with nothing but a mattress on the floor. When I [Read More...]

Mrs Brady on Catholic In-Fighting

 Mrs Brady, Catholic Old Lady is one of Standing on My Head’s guest bloggers Why look who it is! Michael and Janie! You know I was down here on my knees doing the weeding and just wishing someone would drop by and give me a good reason to quit, and how here the two of [Read More...]

What Happens When You Don’t Believe in Christ…

…you don’t believe nothing. You’ll believe anything. I’ll leave the Chesterton fans to quote the exact quote. Someone else has observed that the rise of rationalism in a society will always bring about more superstition. Another observation was that when sacraments are denied witchcraft starts to be on the rise. Here’s a cautionary tale about [Read More...]

Up Up and Away…

…for Ascensiontide here is a chapter from my book The Quest for the Creed. We say “What goes up must come down,” but if that which is goes up must come down, then according to the divine cosmic principles (which stand all expectations on their head) then what comes down must go up. That is to [Read More...]

Duane Mandible on Neo Catholics

Guest blogger, Duane Mandible is a contributing editor to The Truth Hurts, a bi-monthly journal of politics, economics and opinion. He also contributes regularly to Freedom Monthly; Illuminations and The Sojourner. Duane is the author of Guns and Knives will Save Your Children’s Lives. He is Vice President of the Sacred Society of St Philibustre, and enjoys hunting rattlesnakes, square dancing [Read More...]

Should the Pope Tweet?

Here is my latest article for Aleteia, commenting on the down side of the Pope’s informal communication style. Pope Francis is the most informal and accessible pope in the history of the papacy and much of his instant accessibility is due to modern communications. The pope uses his cell phone to make personal phone calls, [Read More...]

From a Priest at the Altar

Sometimes in the midst of my incredibly busy life the door opens and I have a glimpse of what it is really all about. Quite often this happens on a Wednesday. On Wednesday evening I hear confessions and then say Mass. I celebrate the Mass ad oriented. It is the only time in the week I do [Read More...]