Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 331

Chaz Chucked

Patrick Archibold comments here about someone called Chaz Bono, who is the offspring of celebrities Sonny and Cher, who used to be a woman but is now a man, who is upset because he/she was chucked off a TV show called Dancing with the Stars. Chaz is upset because people on the show are prejudiced--not against gay people or transgendered people or lesbian people or queer people--but against fat blokes.



Geesh, my prejudices started way back with 'offspring of Sonny and Cher'. They continued with 'TV Show called Dancing with the Stars'. I'm not offended by Chaz getting chucked. I'm offended that they made such a program to start with. In fact, I'm offended by TV generally--the way you might be offended by the picture of the  double chili bacon cheeseburger jalapeno ranch meal at some puke making burger joint.



I mean, does anyone actually watch TV? When we moved here from England five years ago we didn't know the channels, didn't know the shows, didn't know the people on them, and decided not to have a TV.



Its not that we're puritanical or anything. We just didn't see the point of wasting time watching trash. But forgive me. Maybe I've now offended both fat blokes and people who like watching TV.

ECUSA Stats

68% of Episcopal parishes have an average Sunday attendance of fewer than 100. Only 4% have average Sunday attendance over 300. The Episcopal Church used to be the seventh largest and wealthiest Protestant denomination. Does anyone know their present ranking?

Holy Trinity

Cool image of the Holy Trinity from Belmont Abbey.




Note the triangular composition set in an oval nimbus.






The Father in absolute white to indicate his total purity and divine essence. One hand raised in blessing. The other holding a scepter.




Christ the Son to the right hand of the Father. You can see the nail prints in his hands. One hand receiving all things from the Father. The other hand giving all things to the Holy Spirit






The Holy Spirit in Pentecostal red, pointing with one hand to the dove on his breast, and with the other hand pointing to the earth below--where he will be sent.

Why Monks?

The words 'monk' comes from 'monos' or 'alone'. In other words, 'alone with God'. Nobody but me and God. Everything else and everyone else given up for God. Alone with God. God alone.



This example was first set by the desert fathers in the early fourth century. Christianity had become fashionable. The emperor and his mother embraced the faith. People were converting in order to be part of the inside circle. So St Anthony took off to the desert to live in a cave.



The desert fathers of Egypt therefore set an example of renunciation. They deliberately walked away from the power, the privilege, the prestige, the prosperity and the pride that could have been theirs. Instead they lived in caves, did quiet, repetitive work, kept silence and learned to pray.



Now the thing I have always loved about the monastic founders--whether it was St Anthony of Egypt or Pachomius or Benedict--is that they didn't set out to start a 'movement'. They just did what they had to do. They were faithful to their vocation and calling. That others joined them, and that a movement developed was not only an unexpected growth, but often an unwelcome one at that.



Furthermore, they changed history, and that is also something they didn't set out to do. Anthony and Pachomius and Benedict went out to mind their own business, work hard, pray hard and study and be true to themselves and their God. They ended up preserving classical learning, laid the foundation for a new christendom, and established a refuge for what was left for civilization, thus planting a seed for a new civilization.



You thought monks were just cutting themselves off--doing something radical and a little bit misanthropic. In the meantime they were doing something beautiful for God. Hidden away in the desert, they are cultivating the power of prayer and planting the seed of God in the world.

Can I Have Another Life Please?

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Why can't we have at least two lives--to put right the mistakes and wrong turnings? Why can't we have two lives to love the things we could not have because one choice ruled out another?



 I love my wife. I love my children. I love my home. But I also love celibacy and monasticism, and leaving everything to love God alone.

More photos from Clear Creek monastery here.

Architect for OLR

Christian LeBlanc, the architect of record for our new church at Our Lady of the Rosary parish writes here about Romanesque churches of Germany. Christian is the architect behind the very interesting First Baptist Church in Taylors, SC. This is a guy who convinced Baptists to do something other than the usual neo-classical front porch with pillars and a spire. Go here for pictures of the new OLR and regular updates on our project.

The Really New Atheism

I wonder if the 'new' atheists ever wonder what they have to pass on to the next generation. The fruit of their campaign will be the ones who come after them--the ones they have taught. The old guys like Dawkins who will soon enough disappear from the scene will then be the 'old' atheists. (They are already to tell the truth) The next generation will be the real new atheists, and I wonder what they will be like.



The problem with the atheists is they have no creed so they can have no catechesis. They have no community so they can have no church. Since they have nothing positive to believe in they have nothing positive to pass on. The atheist position is a reaction against something rather than a position for something. It is the option of emptiness and without the energy of rage it has nothing to keep it going. Without religion--especially without the Catholic Church--there would be nothing for them to talk about; nothing for them to write books about; nothing for them to protest; nothing for them to get rich speaking gigs for; nothing for them to get worked up for; nothing for them to fear.



"Ah," they say, "without religion we would be able to live in peace and freedom and help mankind move on to a higher plane of consciousness and goodness." They can do that now without being religious. Why don't they just get on with it and leave the religious people alone? "But" they protest in their self righteous way, "religious people are the ones who cause all the grief and violence and abuse in the world. We want to stop that."



I don't know. There seems to be plenty of grief and guilt and violence and abuse in the world that is done by non-religious people. Why don't they belt up and get on and help all the non-religious people who are victims of violence and rage and abuse or go on a campaign to stop all the non religious people being selfish, violent, abusive and nasty?



The atheist's problem is that without their anti-God, anti-religion rage they don't really have much staying power. Their next generation will soon drift into what I call the "real atheism"--not raging and writing books and mocking Mother Theresa and the Pope--not taking cheap shots at televangelists and Protestant fundamentalists.



The really new atheism will be the sluggardly torpor of despair. The real atheists are the seemingly sub human souls who get up in the morning; go to work; come home; watch TV; eat; have sex; sleep and start again tomorrow--never once giving God or religion or morality or the life to come one thought. Ever. These are the really new atheists, and these poor souls will be the legacy of the 'new' atheists.



And these seemingly soul less brutes are with us even now, living like zombies--and just as frightening to see.

Happy Catholic

Here's another book from a blogger. Julie Davis blogs at Happy Catholic, and she has compiled a sweet little daily reading book based on her blogging. She draws from a wealth of happy sources from St John Vianney to Alice Cooper to the Simpsons. This is the refreshing strength of blogging: ordinary people with talent draw together insights about life from life.



Julie's contribution shows us what the new media is contributing to our world: no more are we bound by the dull views of the career journalists, the writers who are on the inside of the publishing world, the predictable intelligentsia and the yawn inducing academics. Julie stands things on their head and helps you to see the world in a new way in the new method of communicating in the new media: bite sized chunks.



I plan to use this book as a daily reader. I'll keep it by my side when I'm doing the office of readings and after the Divine Office and prayer, I'll dip into Happy Catholic.



The only thing I will warn Julie about is that in return for the positive review of this book I will probably be stealing a lot of ideas from her.



I haven't read the whole book because I'm going to dip into it day by day, but from what I've seen so far it's terrific, and expect to hear more about it here on Standing on My Head.

Twitter Tweet Whatever

I'm still not sure what the point of Twitter is, but I'm in and learning and you can follow my tweets if it suits you.

Occupy the World

Are you fed up with the greed of bankers, corporate giants, and stock market wheeler dealers? Would you like to protest publicly against the corruption of politicians, the violence of the military establishment and the wanton disregard for the poor?



Would you like to join a worldwide movement that lives a life that publicly subverts the establishment and endorses freedom from corruption, greed, violence and negativity of all sorts?



Would you like to grow a beard, wear sandals, put on cool, but trashy clothes and 'relate' to the poor? Would you like to do all this with a spirit of happiness and peace, develop a deep spirituality and also have a job for life?



Would you like to do all this in the heart of New York City--the capital of capitalism?



Fuhgeddabout OSW.  Join the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.