Right, the baby-like cherub is a product of the Renaissance and incorrect
Traditionally.
r


--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, Joshua Gonnerman
<jgonnerman85@...> wrote:
>
> No, cherubs do not look like children.  The cherubs the Bible is talking
> about look more or less like sphinxes with wings.
>
> http://www.bibleandscience.com/archaeology/images/cherub.jpg
>
> Regards,
> Joshua
>
> On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 11:55 AM, Angelica
> <angelica.bright@...>wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > And you shall make two cherubs of gold. Exodus 25:18
> >
> >
> >
> > Cherubs look like children -- this was to send us the message that, when it
> > comes to learning about how to be better people, we should consider
> > ourselves as children. No matter how much we already know, compared to what
> > there is to learn, we have only just begun!
> >
> >
> >
> > Blessings,
> >
> > Angelica
> >
> > Support Israel this holiday season!
> >
> > www.IBuyIsraeli.com <http://www.ibuyisraeli.com/>
> >
> > 10% off <http://www.ibuyisraeli.com/#sign_up> your first order!
> >
> >
>

Does anyone know if there is a website or blog dedicated to the intersection of
high literature and spirituality? I keep thinking that there MUST be a site or
blog out there that serves as an on-line book club discussion site that provides
lists and commentary on the very best of classic literature that focuses on
spirituality. A site that focuses on authors such as Dostoyevsky and O'Conner as
opposed to works like The Shack.

I've done some googling but haven't had much luck. Has anyone else ran across
anything like this? Thanks!

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, Joshua Gonnerman
<jgonnerman85@...> wrote:
>
> No, cherubs do not look like children.  The cherubs the Bible is talking
> about look more or less like sphinxes with wings.
>
> http://www.bibleandscience.com/archaeology/images/cherub.jpg
>

That's pretty creepy!

And you shall make two cherubs of gold. Exodus 25:18

Cherubs look like children -- this was to send us the message that, when it comes to learning about how to be better people, we should consider ourselves as children. No matter how much we already know, compared to what there is to learn, we have only just begun!

Blessings,

Angelica

Support Israel this holiday season!

www.IBuyIsraeli.com

10% off your first order!

I recommend Believing Scholars: Ten Catholic Intellectuals, edited by James L. Heft, S.M. New York: Fordham University Press, 2005.

Following the advice of my late Catholic friend Helen Jones, I usually do not read anthologies of essays by more than one author. However, this is an exception.

This is a collection of essays originally delivered by recipients of the annual University of Dayton Marianist Award. The addresses generally concern the encounter of faith and profession. For me, the essays report biographical experiences such as those of the anthropologist Mary Douglas, frame important aspects of Catholicism such as the essay by Charles Taylor, or add nuance to issues such as the essays by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels and Peter Steinfels. Rereading the essays yesterday outlined some of the perspectives that I think influence some responses to my posts in this group. The other essays are generally as rich. I think these fit generally with the notion of Catholic literature and define the context for what makes particular literary works Catholic.

Mary Douglas helps me understand the sectarian response to some of my posts. Charles Taylor argues why there cannot be "modern Catholicism". Peter Steinfels explains why "liberal Catholicism" has deeper meanings than those given it my critics of liberal Catholicsm like the late Fr. Richard Neuhaus and Cardinal George.

This morning, I was thinking about my two favorite books by Walker Percy—The Moviegoer and Lancelot. I think his essays are usually too abstract for my taste, though not always; I think that his novels are sometimes a tad too clever. His first novel, however, is like a Monarch butterfly hovering above and feeding from a Buddleja flower growing on a vacant lot next to the old bakery in Mandeville, at the edge of Lake Pontchartrain. The novel has a light, ironic touch, but, like the Monarch, it files the distance.  

For me, that is how Catholicism works best—with nuance and wisdom, not compulsion. (Where the Church pushes and where it is suggestive concerns some of the background to my understanding of Crusader's remarks.) Because Dr. Percy read Sűren Kierkegaard closely, but as a Catholic with a Baptist background, I think he might serve sometimes as a mediating figure between Protestant and Catholic grasp of foundational experiences and questions—topics that literary writers explore in their works.    

One line that I read frequently in remarks Catholics make about Western society is that it celebrates "autonomy, untetheredness, and unencumberedness".  I think that is true, even though making sense of the complaint depends upon context. When I read it, I discern all too often that the complaint from Catholic essayists refers to being something other than Roman Catholic.

As a student of one of Paul Tillich's graduate assistants, I think of the relationship between religion and society in terms of theonomy, autonomy, and heteronomy. Tillich thought heteronomy was worse than autonomy.

A clinical psychologist, with whom I did therapy well over 40 years ago, told me that I was "a highly autonomous" person. He found that positive. I suspect that I still am, but I am neither untethered nor unencumbered, even though I think many people in modern society are.

Even though Catholicism obviously shaped many non-Catholic writers who were at one time in their lives Catholic, I believe that being a Catholic writer ought to involve some identification with Catholicism, but that might well be something to explore here. For example, Catholicism clearly shaped Anaïs Nin, naming her a Catholic writer seems (to me at least) bizarre, but naming James Joyce a Catholic writer might make sense.  

Anyway, I think looking at conflicts between heteronomy and autonomy and confusion between heteronomy and theonomy might help us better understand how Catholic and non-Catholics respond in different ways to what we read. I think also that it might help us differentiate dissentient writers such as Huub Oosterhuis, Hans Kung. Or Adolf Holl from conformist Catholic writers. Tillich's distinctions might help.    

Well it started as an observation made on your post, which didn't seem to have
much to do with literature either.  If you are truly baffled by "buzz words",
tell me which ones you mean and I will gladly attempt further elucidation
off-group.

r

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, Ted Michael Morgan
<TedMichaelMor@...> wrote:
>
>
>       What does this have to do with literature? What does it have to do with
my post? Why do you fill your post with "buzz" words if you want me to think?
>
>
> Ted Michael Morgan
>
> http://fragmentednotions.blogspot.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/tedmichaelmorgan1
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD
> Join me
>
>
>
>
> To: literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com
> From: crusader149@...
> Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2009 19:33:30 +0000
> Subject: [Literate Catholics Unite] Re: Matthew Lickona's Alphonse #2 is now
out
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, "Ted Michael Morgan"
<TedMichaelMor@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I am not competent to unravel your post to know precisely how to react to
your comments. I do not really understand your post.
> =========
>
> Sorry, didn't think I was being so obscure.
>
> What I am observing is simply that there is a modern fashion of morality to
condemn the excessive indulgence of some physical appetites but not others. I am
thinking specifically of the very chic self-loathing American who speaks
contemptuously of America's population of obese slobs, waddling out to their
SUVs with a sack of Whoppers, going home to their McMansions and 50" plasma TVs.
Such an individual would nevertheless, in all likelihood, reject as backwards
zealotry the idea that sex can be overindulged in, as much as the eating of
juicy, delicious, rare, red meat.
>
> That is -- the modern vegetarian/environmentalist/climate alarmist/[insert
whatever kind of professional do-gooder you choose] scowls upon Gluttony, Sloth,
and Avarice as darkly as any Inquisitor, and does not hesitate to preach at
length about the evils of consumerism and capitalism, etc. Yet the suggestion
that sexuality might somehow be subject to the same moral analysis is viewed as
Medieval oppression. There is, it seems to me, a severe discontinuity of thought
which separates the analysis of this one physical appetite from that of the
others.
>
> [It should be noted that what Christianity identifies as sins are not the
activities themselves, but specifically the >overindulgence<, whether of food,
or rest, or sex. Also, most societies and cultures have proscribed the same
overindulgences, whether under the designation of 'sin' or some other term. For
example, in the USSR having what the State considered an excess of food was
punishable as a "crime against the People," essentially a secular sin.]
>
> I hope that makes it clearer. BTW, I am not expecting you to "react", or even
to "feel", I am expecting you to "think".
>

The director of Saint Vincent DePaul in Baton Rouge says that demand for homeless services and meals is higher this year than any recent years. He reports families seeking help. I believe him. In America, we often do not see need behind our opulence and waste.

   I like Charles Taylor's statement that "modern Catholicism" is impossible (see the essay by Professor Taylor in my prior post). I think what he says makes sense. I think that there can be "Catholic modernism", as an answer to a question he asks.  

   Baton Rouge, the city where I live, has many examples of creative, useful, and beautiful church architecture. I think that at least two of the best examples are Catholic churches within this diocese, both modernist designs. Our Louisiana Catholic writer the late Walker Percy was a master of modernist writing. Some of the best modernist writers are either overtly or indirectly Catholic.

   What do you folks think makes a Catholic writer a good Catholic writer? What makes a Catholic writer a Catholic writer?  

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, "Ted Michael Morgan"
<TedMichaelMor@...> wrote:
>
>
> I am not competent to unravel your post to know precisely how to react to your
comments. I do not really understand your post.
=========



Sorry, didn't think I was being so obscure.

What I am observing is simply that there is a modern fashion of morality to
condemn the excessive indulgence of some physical appetites but not others.  I
am thinking specifically of the very chic self-loathing American who speaks
contemptuously of America's population of obese slobs, waddling out to their
SUVs with a sack of Whoppers, going home to their McMansions and 50" plasma TVs.
Such an individual would nevertheless, in all likelihood, reject as backwards
zealotry the idea that sex can be overindulged in, as much as the eating of
juicy, delicious, rare, red meat.

That is -- the modern vegetarian/environmentalist/climate alarmist/[insert
whatever kind of professional do-gooder you choose] scowls upon Gluttony, Sloth,
and Avarice as darkly as any Inquisitor, and does not hesitate to preach at
length about the evils of consumerism and capitalism, etc.  Yet the suggestion
that sexuality might somehow be subject to the same moral analysis is viewed as
Medieval oppression.  There is, it seems to me, a severe discontinuity of
thought which separates the analysis of this one physical appetite from that of
the others.

[It should be noted that what Christianity identifies as sins are not the
activities themselves, but specifically the >overindulgence<, whether of food,
or rest, or sex.  Also, most societies and cultures have proscribed the same
overindulgences, whether under the designation of 'sin' or some other term.  For
example, in the USSR having what the State considered an excess of food was
punishable as a "crime against the People," essentially a secular sin.]

I hope that makes it clearer.  BTW, I am not expecting you to "react", or even
to "feel", I am expecting you to "think".

Dear group,

We all know stories (sometimes they are our own!!) of people who are suffering
financially in these difficult times. Those who are more fortunate can help by
donating to others. However, it is important to give kind words and
encouragement to people experiencing financial setbacks, in addition to money.
People need to unload their burdens -- we do a double kindness when we help them
out AND lend an ear!

Blessings, Angelica
www.IBuyIsraeli.com
Dreidles , menorahs , and jewelry   from Israel!

I am not competent to unravel your post to know precisely how to react to your comments. I do not really understand your post. However, I do have a reaction. I think my reaction is positive.  For the record, I do have a problem with selfish and destructive sexual conduct. I just happen not to think that using birth control pills or an IUD is destructive. I most certainly do not think that masturbating is sinful. I think that all mammals enjoy it.

Even though Foucault's views influence even Catholic philosophers such as Charles Taylor and I find Foucault's thinking penetrating and disturbing of easy moralizing, I still resist his Nietzsche like point-of-view. There are riches within the Catholic tradition that might well offer a suitable substitute. That is one reason I still read Catholic theology.    

There are people who perhaps feel that enumerating sins is old-fashioned or even out-of-date. I am not one of them. I think naming a sin makes great sense. I agree with those who agree a return to a Greek and medieval tradition of virtues such as those expounded by Aristotle has immense appeal. Certainly, morally has meaning only within the intellectual domain of community and mutuality--with a strong focus on individual responsibility and individual character.

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, "crusader149" <crusader149@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> --- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, "Ted Michael Morgan" TedMichaelMor@ wrote:
> >
> >
> > Though I disagree with Catholic teachings on sexuality, ...
>
> I always find it interesting and peculiar that 'liberal Protestants', along with agnostics and atheists [mind you now, Ted, I am not accusing you of any of those, just using your comment as a point of departure]don't seem to have any problem with the traditional Christian/Catholic teaching on any of the other 'seven deadly sins'. In fact, if "Gluttony" were considered with "Avarice" to include all appetite for excess so as to include Cadillac SUVs as well as Big Macs, I think our friends on the religious/social/political left would be downright Puritanical.
>
> As for Avarice, well, Wall Street has certainly been made to do penance for that, hasn't it? Pride? I certainly don't hear the rejection of Pride howled down as an example of benighted Medieval ignorance: in fact, on a national level, our current president is doing a good job on his "Sackcloth & Ashes" Worldwide Apology Tour.
>
> As for the rest, I certainly don't hear, or expect to hear, self- described 'progressives' pontificating to the masses that moral boundaries restraining the impulses of wrath, envy, or sloth are ignorant delusions, and that those urges must actually be indulged to their fullest to achieve fulfillment as a human person [and in the event of untoward consequences, that a full remedy may be chosen at taxpayer expense].
>
> Indeed, to be morally consistent, one would expect certain socio-political factions insisting that Americans have a Constitutional Right [somewhere in those protuberances and penumbras] to liposuction on demand, regardless of one's ability to pay.
>
> As noted, though, "Gluttony" is treated by those same people with the scorn of the Pilgrim Fathers. Only the idea that sexuality should be kept within careful bounds is decried as some sort of crime against nature, a dehumanizing oppression by those dreadful Dead White Men.
>
> Might be an interesting phenomenon for a psychological study.
>
> r
>

*The Anvil*

"Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

"'How many anvils have you had?' said I,

'To wear and batter all these hammers so?'

'Just one,' said he; then said, with twinkling eye,

'The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.'

"And so I thought the anvil of God's word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows are herd,

The anvil is unharmed -- the hammers gone."

(Unknown)

r

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, "Ted Michael Morgan"
<TedMichaelMor@...> wrote:
>
>
> Though I disagree with Catholic teachings on sexuality, ...

I always find it interesting and peculiar that 'liberal Protestants', along with
agnostics and atheists [mind you now, Ted, I am not accusing you of any of
those, just using your comment as a point of departure]don't seem to have any
problem with the traditional Christian/Catholic teaching on any of the other
'seven deadly sins'.  In fact, if "Gluttony" were considered with "Avarice" to
include all appetite for excess so as to include Cadillac SUVs as well as Big
Macs, I think our friends on the religious/social/political left would be
downright Puritanical.

As for Avarice, well, Wall Street has certainly been made to do penance for
that, hasn't it?  Pride?  I certainly don't hear the rejection of Pride howled
down as an example of benighted Medieval ignorance: in fact, on a national
level, our current president is doing a good job on his "Sackcloth & Ashes"
Worldwide Apology Tour.

As for the rest, I certainly don't hear, or expect to hear, self- described
'progressives' pontificating to the masses that moral boundaries restraining the
impulses of wrath, envy, or sloth are ignorant delusions, and that those urges
must actually be indulged to their fullest to achieve fulfillment as a human
person [and in the event of untoward consequences, that a full remedy may be
chosen at taxpayer expense].

Indeed, to be morally consistent, one would expect certain socio-political
factions insisting that Americans have a Constitutional Right [somewhere in
those protuberances and penumbras] to liposuction on demand, regardless of one's
ability to pay.

As noted, though, "Gluttony" is treated by those same people with the scorn of
the Pilgrim Fathers.  Only the idea that sexuality should be kept within careful
bounds is decried as some sort of crime against nature, a dehumanizing
oppression by those dreadful Dead White Men.

Might be an interesting phenomenon for a psychological study.

r

Though I disagree with Catholic teachings on sexuality, I like good,
forceful, and creative expression of  those teachings. Cartoons make
sense.


--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, Ted Michael Morgan
<TedMichaelMor@...> wrote:
>
>
> Is this what Catholicism has become?
>
>
> Ted Michael Morgan
>
> http://fragmentednotions.blogspot.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/tedmichaelmorgan1
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD
> Join me
>
>
>
>
> To: literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com
> From: jgonnerman85@...
> Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:26:18 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Literate Catholics Unite] Matthew Lickona's Alphonse #2
is now out
>
>
>
>
>
> I have to say, it sounds rather tacky... Anything that comes from
Umbert the Uninteresting is aesthetically suspect!
>
> Regards,
> Joshua
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 7:18 PM, blaargh_42 no_reply@yahoogroups.com
wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Did I ever mention Matthew Lickona's new graphic novel series
"Alphonse"? It's about an aborted fetus given superpowers because of his
mother's drug abuse.
>
> The July CNA story on Issue #1 begins:
>
> 'Matthew Lickona, author of “Swimming with Scapulars: True
Confessions of a Young Catholic,†is now releasing a five-part
comic series about a fetus named Alphonse who survives an abortion
attempt and “sets out on a mission of revenge,†while his
only friend persistently reminds him that payback isn’t the
answer.
>
> 'The first issue, titled, “Untimely Ripp’d†is
described as a story about the intersection of eight lives following an
attempted abortion on Alphonse.'
> ====
>
> I found Issue #1 to be unsettling in many imaginative ways. I'm not a
comic book connoisseur, but I recommend it.
>
> Who can resist that MacBeth / MacDuff reference?
>
> The issues may be purchased at
>
http://www.indyplanet.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=alph\
onse
>
> Those interested in patronizing this creative effort can donate to
Issue #3 at
> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441510546/alphonse-issue-three
>
> Come to think of it, Alphonse would have made a bizarre handout for
Halloween Trick or Treaters. Some kids get boring pamphlets from the
neighborhood fundamentalist. Others get... This!
>
> ====
>
> Now, the rest of the CNA story from
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16503
>
> "Catholic author creates comic to foster abortion discussion"
>
> ...For readers unfamiliar with the Japanese cartoons known as
“Manga,†the powers attributed to Alphonse might seem
ridiculous. But the exaggeration of emotions, actions and powers is part
and parcel of the Manga style, which has become quite popular with
American youth in the form of “Anime.â€
>
> The comic’s website explains that Alphonse is "grotesquely
abnormal" due to his mother’s “use of controlled
substances†which has left him “both sentient and
coordinated.â€
>
> “He is also deeply wounded, twisted by fear and rage after the
attempt on his life, and bent on revenge,†the site says.
“But violence begets violence. Alphonse is pursued even as he is
pursuing, and haunted by the claim that there may be another way...
.â€
>
> Alphonse is “a living nightmare†Lickona explained in an
interview with CNA. The author likened the character to “‘the
Misfit’ in Flannery O’Connor’s short story
‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ â€" a twisted, violent
soul who nonetheless bears a kind of prophetic witness, both in spite of
the violence and, in a way, through it.â€
>
> Inspiration
>
> The idea for Alphonse was created when Lickona, who also writes for
The San Diego Reader, saw Gary Cangemi’s “Umbert the
Unborn†in the National Catholic Register.
>
> He explained to CNA that when he read about Umbert, the wheels in his
head began to turn: “What if there really was a sentient fetus,
suspended upside down in the dark, barely able to move, completely
dependent on its mother for sustenance and care, and constantly aware of
the fact that, at any moment, it could be killed? That if Mom made the
fateful choice, there was nothing - not even the law - standing between
it and violent death? Month after month in the dark, wondering when the
axe might fall. What would that experience be like? What would it do to
a person?â€
>
> “Alphonse was born out of that question,†he explained.
>
> Lickona began to build on the initial inspiration to draw in all sides
of the abortion discussion. He explained to CNA that in his own
experiences with the topic of abortion left him feeling that
“each side was dug in so deep that they were each left shaking
their heads in wonder at the wrongheadedness of the opposition.â€
>
> In order to help each side enter into the other’s experience,
Lickona created each of the eight characters to be as genuine as
possible so people on both sides of the abortion debate can “find
a way into the story.â€
>
> The author also addressed the perceived graphic nature of the comic
with CNA.
>
> He acknowledged that there “are limits to what is helpful to
show in art,†and that “there are levels of graphic violence
that do a disservice to the story by removing the readers from the story
and plunging them into awareness of their own revulsion.â€
>
> “Some people thought The Passion of the Christ crossed a line.
Others did not. Alphonse is a lot less bloody than The Passion, but it
is not bloodless. It's a visceral subject,†Lickona responded.
>
> “I did my best to have the violence in Alphonse serve the
story, and many people whose judgment I trust think I managed to do it.
Others may disagree. All I can say is that I'm not out to rub anybody's
face in the muck.â€
>
> Readers can access the first issue of Lickona’s comic at
IndyPlanet.com
>
> ======
>
> It's startling that a grotesque like Alphonse came out of NCRegister's
sweet little "Umbert the Unborn." But that's art for you.
>
> -Kevin
>
> http://twitter.com/kevinjjones
>

As a follow-up to an earlier thread about historical study of scripture, I recommend a collection of essays on the subject edited by the distinguished Catholic Bible scholar Michael J. Gorman. This is Scripture: An Ecumenical Introduction to the Bible and Its Interpretation (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishing, 2005). One advantage of this work is that the text explaining various modes of interpretation contains notable objections in the explanations. Many of the contributors are Catholic religious in good standing with the Church.   

The cartoons are funny.

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, Ted Michael Morgan <TedMichaelMor@...> wrote:
>
>
> Is this what Catholicism has become?
>
>
> Ted Michael Morgan
>
> http://fragmentednotions.blogspot.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/tedmichaelmorgan1
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD
> Join me
>
>
>
>
> To: literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com
> From: jgonnerman85@...
> Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:26:18 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Literate Catholics Unite] Matthew Lickona's Alphonse #2 is now out
>
>
>
>
>
> I have to say, it sounds rather tacky... Anything that comes from Umbert the Uninteresting is aesthetically suspect!
>
> Regards,
> Joshua
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 7:18 PM, blaargh_42 no_reply@yahoogroups.com wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Did I ever mention Matthew Lickona's new graphic novel series "Alphonse"? It's about an aborted fetus given superpowers because of his mother's drug abuse.
>
> The July CNA story on Issue #1 begins:
>
> 'Matthew Lickona, author of “Swimming with Scapulars: True Confessions of a Young Catholic,†is now releasing a five-part comic series about a fetus named Alphonse who survives an abortion attempt and “sets out on a mission of revenge,†while his only friend persistently reminds him that payback isn’t the answer.
>
> 'The first issue, titled, “Untimely Ripp’d†is described as a story about the intersection of eight lives following an attempted abortion on Alphonse.'
> ====
>
> I found Issue #1 to be unsettling in many imaginative ways. I'm not a comic book connoisseur, but I recommend it.
>
> Who can resist that MacBeth / MacDuff reference?
>
> The issues may be purchased at
> http://www.indyplanet.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=alphonse
>
> Those interested in patronizing this creative effort can donate to Issue #3 at
> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441510546/alphonse-issue-three
>
> Come to think of it, Alphonse would have made a bizarre handout for Halloween Trick or Treaters. Some kids get boring pamphlets from the neighborhood fundamentalist. Others get... This!
>
> ====
>
> Now, the rest of the CNA story from http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16503
>
> "Catholic author creates comic to foster abortion discussion"
>
> ...For readers unfamiliar with the Japanese cartoons known as “Manga,†the powers attributed to Alphonse might seem ridiculous. But the exaggeration of emotions, actions and powers is part and parcel of the Manga style, which has become quite popular with American youth in the form of “Anime.â€
>
> The comic’s website explains that Alphonse is "grotesquely abnormal" due to his mother’s “use of controlled substances†which has left him “both sentient and coordinated.â€
>
> “He is also deeply wounded, twisted by fear and rage after the attempt on his life, and bent on revenge,†the site says. “But violence begets violence. Alphonse is pursued even as he is pursuing, and haunted by the claim that there may be another way... .â€
>
> Alphonse is “a living nightmare†Lickona explained in an interview with CNA. The author likened the character to “‘the Misfit’ in Flannery O’Connor’s short story ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ â€" a twisted, violent soul who nonetheless bears a kind of prophetic witness, both in spite of the violence and, in a way, through it.â€
>
> Inspiration
>
> The idea for Alphonse was created when Lickona, who also writes for The San Diego Reader, saw Gary Cangemi’s “Umbert the Unborn†in the National Catholic Register.
>
> He explained to CNA that when he read about Umbert, the wheels in his head began to turn: “What if there really was a sentient fetus, suspended upside down in the dark, barely able to move, completely dependent on its mother for sustenance and care, and constantly aware of the fact that, at any moment, it could be killed? That if Mom made the fateful choice, there was nothing - not even the law - standing between it and violent death? Month after month in the dark, wondering when the axe might fall. What would that experience be like? What would it do to a person?â€
>
> “Alphonse was born out of that question,†he explained.
>
> Lickona began to build on the initial inspiration to draw in all sides of the abortion discussion. He explained to CNA that in his own experiences with the topic of abortion left him feeling that “each side was dug in so deep that they were each left shaking their heads in wonder at the wrongheadedness of the opposition.â€
>
> In order to help each side enter into the other’s experience, Lickona created each of the eight characters to be as genuine as possible so people on both sides of the abortion debate can “find a way into the story.â€
>
> The author also addressed the perceived graphic nature of the comic with CNA.
>
> He acknowledged that there “are limits to what is helpful to show in art,†and that “there are levels of graphic violence that do a disservice to the story by removing the readers from the story and plunging them into awareness of their own revulsion.â€
>
> “Some people thought The Passion of the Christ crossed a line. Others did not. Alphonse is a lot less bloody than The Passion, but it is not bloodless. It's a visceral subject,†Lickona responded.
>
> “I did my best to have the violence in Alphonse serve the story, and many people whose judgment I trust think I managed to do it. Others may disagree. All I can say is that I'm not out to rub anybody's face in the muck.â€
>
> Readers can access the first issue of Lickona’s comic at IndyPlanet.com
>
> ======
>
> It's startling that a grotesque like Alphonse came out of NCRegister's sweet little "Umbert the Unborn." But that's art for you.
>
> -Kevin
>
> http://twitter.com/kevinjjones
>

The history of salvation is not a small event, on a poor planet, in the immensity of the universe. It is not a minimal thing which happens by chance on a lost planet. It is the motive for everything, the motive for creation. Everything is created so that this story can exist – the encounter between God and his creature. In this sense, salvation history, the covenant, precedes creation. During the Hellenistic period, Judaism developed the idea that the Torah would have preceded the creation of the material world. This material world seems to have been created solely to make room for the Torah, for this Word of God that creates the answer and becomes the history of love. The mystery of Christ already is mysteriously revealed here.... One can say that, while material creation is the condition for the history of salvation, the history of the covenant is the true cause of the cosmos.

Benedict XVI, speaking in a recent meditaton on Psalm 118, cited in Schott W. Hahn, Convenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI (Brazos Press, 2009), p.23. Quoted from Faith and Theology Blog  http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0

As the blogger says, "Sounds like Karl Barth."

--- In literatecatholicsunite@yahoogroups.com, Joshua Gonnerman
<jgonnerman85@...> wrote:
>
> I have to say, it sounds rather tacky...  Anything that comes from Umbert
> the Uninteresting is aesthetically suspect!
>
> Regards,
> Joshua
>


Was I that unclear? Alphonse is more like a gargoyle horror version of Umbert.
Is there such a thing as tacky gothicism? Gothic fiction is usually too
conscious of the failure to meet standards of quality.

-Kevin
http://twitter.com/kevinjjones

Did I ever mention Matthew Lickona's new graphic novel series "Alphonse"? It's
about an aborted fetus given superpowers because of his mother's drug abuse.

The July CNA story on Issue #1 begins:

'Matthew Lickona, author of “Swimming with Scapulars: True Confessions of a
Young Catholic,” is now releasing a five-part comic series about a fetus named
Alphonse who survives an abortion attempt and “sets out on a mission of
revenge,” while his only friend persistently reminds him that payback isn’t
the answer.

'The first issue, titled, “Untimely Ripp’d” is described as a story about
the intersection of eight lives following an attempted abortion on Alphonse.'
====

I found Issue #1 to be unsettling in many imaginative ways. I'm not a comic book
connoisseur, but I recommend it.

Who can resist that MacBeth / MacDuff reference?


The issues may be purchased at
http://www.indyplanet.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=alphonse

Those interested in patronizing this creative effort can donate to Issue #3 at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441510546/alphonse-issue-three


Come to think of it, Alphonse would have made a bizarre handout for Halloween
Trick or Treaters. Some kids get boring pamphlets from the neighborhood
fundamentalist. Others get... This!

====


Now, the rest of the CNA story from
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16503

"Catholic author creates comic to foster abortion discussion"


...For readers unfamiliar with the Japanese cartoons known as “Manga,” the
powers attributed to Alphonse might seem ridiculous. But the exaggeration of
emotions, actions and powers is part and parcel of the Manga style, which has
become quite popular with American youth in the form of “Anime.”

The comic’s website explains that Alphonse is "grotesquely abnormal" due to
his mother’s “use of controlled substances” which has left him “both
sentient and coordinated.”

“He is also deeply wounded, twisted by fear and rage after the attempt on his
life, and bent on revenge,” the site says.  “But violence begets violence.
Alphonse is pursued even as he is pursuing, and haunted by the claim that there
may be another way... .”

Alphonse is “a living nightmare” Lickona explained in an interview with CNA.
The author likened the character to “‘the Misfit’ in Flannery
O’Connor’s short story ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ â€" a twisted,
violent soul who nonetheless bears a kind of prophetic witness, both in spite of
the violence and, in a way, through it.”

Inspiration

The idea for Alphonse was created when Lickona, who also writes for The San
Diego Reader, saw Gary Cangemi’s “Umbert the Unborn” in the National
Catholic Register.

He explained to CNA that when he read about Umbert, the wheels in his head began
to turn:  “What if there really was a sentient fetus, suspended upside down in
the dark, barely able to move, completely dependent on its mother for sustenance
and care, and constantly aware of the fact that, at any moment, it could be
killed?  That if Mom made the fateful choice, there was nothing - not even the
law - standing between it and violent death?  Month after month in the dark,
wondering when the axe might fall.  What would that experience be like?  What
would it do to a person?”

“Alphonse was born out of that question,” he explained.

Lickona began to build on the initial inspiration to draw in all sides of the
abortion discussion.  He explained to CNA that in his own experiences with the
topic of abortion left him feeling that “each side was dug in so deep that
they were each left shaking their heads in wonder at the wrongheadedness of the
opposition.”

In order to help each side enter into the other’s experience, Lickona created
each of the eight characters to be as genuine as possible so people on both
sides of the abortion debate can “find a way into the story.”

The author also addressed the perceived graphic nature of the comic with CNA.

He acknowledged that there “are limits to what is helpful to show in art,”
and that “there are levels of graphic violence that do a disservice to the
story by removing the readers from the story and plunging them into awareness of
their own revulsion.”

“Some people thought The Passion of the Christ crossed a line. Others did not.
Alphonse is a lot less bloody than The Passion, but it is not bloodless.  It's a
visceral subject,” Lickona responded.

“I did my best to have the violence in Alphonse serve the story, and many
people whose judgment I trust think I managed to do it.  Others may disagree. 
All I can say is that I'm not out to rub anybody's face in the muck.”

Readers can access the first issue of Lickona’s comic at IndyPlanet.com

======

It's startling that a grotesque like Alphonse came out of NCRegister's sweet
little "Umbert the Unborn." But that's art for you.

-Kevin

http://twitter.com/kevinjjones