Good Works & what Weber actually wrote

[Terrance Flaherty]

David Morris wrote:
> 
> God knows what you mean by "hostile anti-Catholicism" on this list.
> EVERYTHING is subject to critical analysis, including Roman Catholicism.

It is,  as I have said many times, a given:  You simply can't avoid it
if you are going to subject Western Civilization to critical analysis.
No problem with me. 

As to the Anti Catholicism on this list. If you want examples from the
archives I'll provide them. 

And another thing, while I can agree with the sound and wise reminder
from Jbor that M&D is also not Anti Agnostic or Anti Atheistic (and I
agree with this) the novel, being a "historical novel" set in the 18th
Century in America, is full of anti-Catholic and Anti-Pietist,
Anti-Jesuit, Anti-Quaker, and so on, statements by the characters that
can be misconstrued and have been and have been misapplied to the the
sentiments of the author of the fiction. 

Couple this with the fact that America has a very long and horrible
history of Anti-Catholicism and Anti-Jesuitism and the fact that Pynchon
deliberately foregrounds (setting the Jesuits at the center of
conspiracy) this history in the text and we have the potential for a
terrible misreading of the fiction that would have some on this list
(again, I will provide the posts if need be) confusing Jesuits with
Standard Oil of New Jersey and misreading the development of the
American economy as the Invisible Hand of Rome.