Chapter 45: Angels

[Otto]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terrance" <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Monday, April 08, 2002 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: Chapter 45: Angels
>
>
> Otto wrote:
> >
> > Young Nathe McClean, who has fallen in love for a milkmaid and seems to
> > think 'God must have sent me an Angel', a very popular phrase in popular
> > music by the way, asks RC at the end of the chapter:
> >
> > "tho' we know the Duck has been transform'd by Love, what of the
Angels,--
> > that is, may they...um..."
> > "Aye, they do that, Lad, and they drink and smoke, and dance and gamble
> > withal. That ev'ryone knew that." (451.5-8)
> >
> > No, this was new to me and I dare to question if it's official Christian
> > doctrine, or:
>
> What is **official** Christian doctrine?
>

The one that tells us that a guy called Jesus of Nazareth has been "nailed
to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a
change" (D. Adams, HGG, 15), that Angels are free from sin.

>
> Anyway, there is sin in heaven, angels can have sex, eat, drink, sin.
> Don't trust that movie DOGMA, it's only hollywood, like the Ten
> Commandments. And of course, being Angels, when they fart they can blow
> entire cities off the map, their shields are as large a the moon and
> their arrows longer than the red trees of California, their machines
> make A-bombs look like toys.
>

So I've never heard of a farting Angel and what's the use of machines in
Heaven? Very confusing.

>
> Good place to find all this is in the bible.
>

I doubt that. Can you give me the textpiece with the farting Angel?

>
> As below and above and all around with guardian love, moma said there
> would be angels.
>
> The RC read lots of books across the comparative religion spectrum.
>
> Here is one he read:
>
> The Wandering Scholars
> By Helen Waddell
>

I doubt that too but it seems to be an interesting book with a nice cover
illustration:
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486414361.html

Otto