MDDM Ch. 65 strange inconsistencies

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/28/02 2:11:27 PM, paul.mackin at verizon.net writes:

<<My question is: would it be positively shocking if Pynchon did turn out to 
have
some kind of Christian belief?  Garry Wills who is as accomplished a historian
and essayist as Pynchon is a novelist claims in Why I Am a Catholic to accept
what he calls "the Creed" of which resurrection of the body is at least 
arguably
the most important element.  Of course Pynchon hasn't stated any such thing 
about
himself but what if someday he does?>>

This seems almost to be a rhetorical question, or one
you're hankering to answer yourself. I have no particular
answer for it, except to acknowledge that if he were to
suddenly make such a public statement about his beliefs,
then he would become like many other people who feel
the same way.

>>What if he happened for some reason to NEED to believe in something (outside
himself, I mean)?<<

I don't think that believing in the reality of the world at
large- that which will still be around after one's own 
particular rocket crosses that final Liebnizian infinitesmal-
is the same as religious belief, which would seem to
include some sort of universal agency beyond a simple
belief in "external" existence.

>>Some people hope for the revolution of the proletariet. Some for getting 
cleared
through Dianetics.  Why not everlasting life. Why is that crazier  than 
anything
else?<<

Did someone say it is? Crazier, I mean? They all seem 
about on equal footing to me. But since no one has 
satisfacorily defined "life," granting it the status of 
"everlasting" seems to me to be taking something for
granted, although I'm not sure exactly what.


<<And who knows what mental reservations people have when they say they 
believe in
something. Maybe all they are saying is that maybe Christianity or Marxism or
whathaveyou is a good thing for me to believe in.>>

It is a little worrisome picturing people with mental
reservations living everlasting lives. And if it's just
some sort of Cartesian resurrection of "the body"
that is being proffered, will everyone appear like a
strutting star of the WWF? What about the misshapen,
will they be given extra beauty and strength to cover
their current deficits?


>>Religious beliefs are freely made and freely unmade. They are not like 
belief in
gravity. Or the consequences of gravity. We are not free to lean too far out 
the
window. Not if we don't want to die.<<

P.<<

But I don't think all this has much to do with the question
of whether or not Pynchon's texts demonstrate support
for any religious beliefs, including the christian dogma.