V.V. (8-9) Re: religious vilification

[jbor]

In the same context I also wonder about that there Fra Fairing converting
(and consuming) his "parishioners" under the streets of Nueva York. I
wouldn't call it "vilification" as such, but Fairing's mooted pretext for
such an endeavour ("During the Depression of the 30s, in an hour of
apocalyptic well-being, he had decided that the rats were going to take over
after New York died." 117.4up) seems to be a fairly barbed satire on the
missionary/imperialist mentality of many of Christendom's varied envoys and
Crusaders of ages past -- certainly as anatagonistic as the satiric attitude
exhibited towards some of the pseudo-bohemian atheist/agnostic members of
the WSC (if not indeed more so). I like particularly the oxymoron
"apocalyptic well-being" (as though the extremist religious ethos actually
thrives in times of suffering and despair perhaps?), but there is also a
real poignancy about much in Fairing's journals, and in the sewer stories
which have generated around him, which leavens the parody somewhat imo.

Allowing a possibility that rats, alligators and elephants (78.10) have
"souls" would be heresy to most Christian denominations, wouldn't it?

best

ps Welcome aboard!

----------
>From: Eric Rosenbloom <ericr at sadlier.com>
>

> I missed what started this, but Christianity is a system as hierarchical
> and stultifying (and comforting) as any Raketenstadt. When the Stystem
> becomes more important than the people is serves it is no longer good,
> in balance. I couldn't find the place in Gravity's Rainbow, and they
> certainly aren't words of vilification, but somewhere in there Pynchon
> does comment on the false premises and promises of Christ.
>
> A hero-pig rooting in the earth is more his style, I think . . .