MDMD(1): Questions

[Paul M]

Doug wrote

> 8.16 `a parsonickal Disguise'
> It's not uncommon for a priest, preacher, minister, monk, etc. to
> have doubts about his or her own faith and religious practice,
> especially when comparing him or herself to the ideals held up by
> the faith itself. Nor is it uncommon for such a person to feel the
> distance or gap between the self acting in the role of "priest" or
> "preacher" and the self that, in prayer or meditation or ceremony,
> seems to be in contact with the higher power -- then to interpret
> that gap as "hypocrisy" or, to use Cherrycoke's word,
> "Impersonation."  Cf. Elmer Gantry; Thomas Merton; and others.

I am not sure I buy the explanation that this can be explained in
terms of religious self-doubt, or at least solely so. It might be
useful t examine the precise (as well as  the colloquial) meaning of
parson. The Ecclesiastical definition of parson  given in my
dictionary is "a holder parochial benefice in full possession of its
rights and dues; a rector" i.e a parish priest who had the right to
the tithes of the parish rather than their  being under the control of
another person or body. - so literally speaking the Rev'd would be
presenting a disguise if he presented himself as a parson since he his
no parish, and, as he points out, is effectively is under the
financially induced control of his grandfather. 

 More important,however, is the historical impact of this right on the
 
colloquial use of the word parson. Though parson was used as 
a general term for a clergyman man, it often carried  disparaging
connotations, conjuring up images of gluttony,laziness, stupidity and
venality. Historically the right of parsons to control the tithes of
their parish was often a source of resentment since it was liable to
be abused to further the lifestyle of the parson rather the well-being
of his parishioners. This sometimes reached quite staggering
proportions, (especially as many appointments were in the control of
local rich families who appoint their non-inheriting sons in order
specifically that they had the means to maintain their lifestyles) -
the village of Wittington (as in Dick BTW), not far fron where I grew
up is renowned for its rectory which is some four to eight times
larger than the church it supposedly serves.  

I do not think it is to far fetched to suggest that such corruption
may have been a suitable subject for The Rev'd Cherrycoke's
broadsheets and there may be a hint of the Rev'd attacking his fellow
clergy for claiming so much for performing" a Handful of actor's
tricks" - however the suggestion seems mainly to me to  be that in the
intervening years since his departure from England he has grown to too
closely resemble something which he had started imimtating in oreder
to conceal his opposistion to it - so busy disguising himself that he
can no longer tell the difference and can now only regret the wasted
opportunities. 

This then might form a figure which sheds light on the passage that
follows. As the  Rev'd produces "a Scarr'd old Note-book" - his
'Spiritual Daybook' surely - we are taken back to the  time when he
was  writing it ( for it is a diary not a memoir) - at which point he
is comparing his exile  to a kind of death and rebirth into a new
world full of possibility, but at the time we are hearing it, years
later, it turns out the the rebirth was no such thing, indeed the
opposite is true , he has ended up becoming what he might have been if
none of it had hapened  - the proverbial country parson. Thus his
telling of the story is a case of too late, too late. His only option
left is to haunt his own past looking for an answer to where it all
went wrong, with only his unreliable memories as a guide and no hope
of redemption.

Paul M (who has just realised how late it is exactly).


> 8.34-9.7
> The passage on hanging and resurrection is all in the subjunctive
> we've noted before -- "Had I been...I should closely resemble the
> nomadic Parson you behold today" . Cherrycoke may be saying that the
> experiences he's been through up to this point in his life can be
> compared to being hanged and resurrected "into an entirely new
> Knowledge of the terms of being, in which Our Savior...though not
> present, would not have figur'd as pre-eminently as with moth
> sectarians" -- leaving room for enlightment of Eastern religions
> that Cherrycoke refers to elsewhere.
> 
> Cordially,
> Doug
> 
> At 1:38 PM 6/11/97, Steven Maas (CUTR) wrote:
> >> MDMD(1): Questions
> >
> >> 8.16 `a parsonickal Disguise' implying that Wicks is not really a
> >> clergyman? Note how he claims that he should have been hanged and
> >> resurrected to justify his current `parsonickal' appearance.
> >> Perhaps the suggestion is that the only person fit to give moral,
> >> spiritual and/or religious guidance is Christ.
> >
> >(I know there was some discussion about this so please bear with me
> >if I'm reploughing old furrows.)
> >
> >This passage seems somehow quite important, and I still don't get
> >it.  The "parsonical disguise" I think I'm comfortable
> >with--basically it seems he feels he hasn't lived up to his
> >potential.  Now as for the hypothetical hanging. . . .  The Rev'd
> >starts the story of the hanging as if he is delivering a valuable
> >lesson--and yet he ends with "[if this had happened] I should
> >closely resemble the nomadic Parson you behold today. .  ." as if
> >such an occurence would hardly have changed him at all.  So I'm not
> >sure what this hypothetical hanging has to do with anything. 
> >Andrew's suggestion may be the answer but somehow it doesn't sound
> >right to me.
> >
> >        Steve Maas
> 
> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> D
> O U G  M I L L I S O N<<<<<>>>>>millison at online-journalist.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
Paul M.                 tallpaul at hiatus.demon.co.uk
"You have no expectations until you come face to face
with what you're looking at, and then everything about you
says 'I wasn't expecting this' "
Ann E Imbre Spoken In Darkness"