No quarter asked ...

[Paul Mackin]

Dave Monroe wrote:

> No quarter asked, no quarter given.  But, hey, I'm not
> only well aware of the problemnatics (to say the
> least) of Roman Catholicism (which has suffered its
> own persecution at times, places, as I've been
> reminded), Christianity, Christianities, Religion,
> religions, Spirituality, spiritualities, what have you

At least Catholicism and/or Christianity has got one thing right--it has
defined satisfactorily in my opinion the problem of earthly existence
namely  the doctirne of ORIGINAL SIN    . It's put it in quite archaic
metaphor but the formulation is 2000 years old for heaven's sake. In
more modern terms the world is dying as are all who inhabit it. (Sound
familiar?)  The thing of it is of course that the correct definition of
the problem is where my love affair with Christianity ends. I can't be a
believing (or more accurately a hoping) Christian because I can't accept
a central article of faith namely the RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. I've got
myself much too hopelessly immersed in materiality for that.  So to
conclude, Original Sin I feel is a very poetic statement of the human
predicament--basically that our existence is founded on nothing. Sound
familiar. Very postmodern or even poststructural if I may toss a couple
of terms around without defintition.

As far a antiCatholicism is concened I'm resigned to it. It's NOT imho
equivalent or symetrical to antisemiticsm or racism or homophobia or
sexism. In a way being anitCatholic or antiChristian is like being
antiWestern.  It's understandible but rather pointless.

                    P.