why I am not a Hindoo

[Thomas Eckhardt]

But, Courtney, this was my point: No orthodox Roman Catholicism but syncretism -
that is, if we are dealing with a religious view of the world here at all. If
Pynchon is indeed up to this, the interesting question would be whether this
syncretism can be contained within Catholicism, including the less orthodox
strands of that belief, whether it is dominated by an overall - aesthetically,
ethically and certainly overall very complicated - RC point-of-view, or whether
there lies some kind of world-view at the heart of this novel that would be
fundamentally opposed to RC  ideology (and, as everybody knows, fundamental
opposition to RC ideology usually is a Pavlovian response to a RC upbringing).

Thomas

P.S. Will read chapter 11 as soon as I find the time for it.