Bible thumpers, old and newuaker, Catholic,

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

Lapsed Quaker, Southern Baptist, Catholic, Atheist, and now 
absorbed into the kind of Hodge-Podge of assimilated multiple 
spiritual systems that is the market place of New Age thinking, 
I'm the oppsite of a Bible-Thumper, having spent some time 
disproving the existence of a historical Jesus. I've spent much 
more time reading Pynchon, more than any other author. My 
take, in part, is in this posting:

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0703&msg=116746&keywords=satire%20cy
nics

Pynchon's Biblical references are usually in the satirical mode---he 
ain't C.S.Lewis, folks---and his style of writing, first and foremost is 
satire. I suspect that his knowledge and absorbtion of Qabalistic 
systems points to an involvement in occult practice. It's true that 
there's plenty of Biblical references in AtD, but even more than GR, 
the uses of Bibilcal references are usually satirical, and are 
overwhelmed by occult references and references to spiritual 
systems of an altogether preterite nature. If Pynchon's a Christian, 
I'm a Hottentot.


Bekah:
As a lapsed Lutheran and used-to-be Quaker.   I know the Bible fairly 
well and am also interested in Pynchon's take on spirituality and 
reading such parts as appear to appropriate to that.   Historically, 
Christians have not been politically aligned as they are today - in 
fact,  until about 1925 they were a big part of the Progressive 
movement in the US and today there continue to be small pockets of 
radical Christians, opposed to much of what the right-wing (and 
stolen middle) is doing.

At 1:05 AM -0400 5/24/07, Joseph Tracy wrote:
>Not a thumper per se,  kind of a non pietist Quaker, sentient 
>rockster, medieval craftsman type with a large capacity for useless 
>information, but I know the Bible well and have written several 
>posts pointing out  what appear to me to be strong Biblical 
>references in ATD. Still somewhat mystified by Pynchon's take on 
>spirituality, but he seems to regard spiritual dimensions as quite 
>probably real, coexistent, interactive and humorously strange, sadly 
>misunderstood, and tragically hopeful.
>
>I, for one , look forward to the possibility that "Friend Tom " will 
>arrive again, well read in the ways of the Pynchon and ready to 
>bring us some good news.
>
>On May 21, 2007, at 1:45 PM, Penny Padgett Harper wrote:
>
>>Bryan Snyder asks:
>>
>>>Are there any bible thumpers (no offense) on the P-List??  Their
>>>take on some stuff would be very interesting indeed.
>>
>>Define "bible thumper," then we'll talk.
>>
>>Penny