Church vs. RC
It's not even close anymore. Church is so much more enjoyable now that I'm no longer on the Vestry. And so much has happened since the last Moonshot: Bing and I have never been better buddies; it's the rare e-mail that doesn't get answered right away. And, I think there are some lingering worries about Crosby's future. I mean, it's probably not a rational feeling; Crosby always has a way of landing on his feet, no matter what. But, Bing's worries probably won't go away entirely until both his children are safely married.
In the meantime, Bing sends me all sorts of information about writing gigs at his magazine. And, I can safely count on him to read just about anything I send him. His comments are always insightful and positive. He said, "Sit Where You Eat" (aka, "The Acolyte") was full of "Fellini-esque" touches. That doesn't mean it's commercial, but, it reinforces my intuition that I was on the right track. Maybe, a full-scale screenplay is not the way to go. Maybe, as last year's Jesus was suggesting at Coffee Hour the other Sunday, a small one-act play is the way to go?
And, my art showing is getting the kind of boost from St. Michael's that I should be getting from RC, but, really am not. Maybe, it's because one of the priests is from my family's home and, as I recently found out, their parents are patrons of the gallery where my work will be shown in less than a month.
All of which is my roundabout way of saying, that St. Michaels's shows every indication of being a warm and inviting place whereas, RC, well - doesn't. I think the problem is RC's obsession with materialism and economic determinism. It may well be a throwback to its founder's youthful dalliance with the Communist Party during the years preceding World War Two.
When challenged on its political focus, old-timers will point out that RC's only requirement is that one have regular sessions and that everything else is secondary. But, it does get uncomfortably dour at times. A perfect example is last weekend's Tri-Regional workshop on Environmentalism.
As reported back by two members of my class who attended (Susan and Laila, the latter of whom dropped everything in order to attend both the weekend and to appear in class for the first time in weeks), the premise of the weekend was that the earth is headed for destruction and that Capitalism is the principal destructive agent.
The irony here, of course, is that both RC and Christianity share at least one core belief: that the present reality is not sustainable. Death and Economic Dislocation will intervene. The only problem is that Death is pretty certain whereas, theorists have been waiting for the next "thing" that will ultimately succeed capitalism for as long as anyone can remember. Capitalism has been limping along for almost three centuries and almost always seems to figure out a way of keeping most workers happy or distracted long enough to evade violent revolution. So, the question sort of begs itself: Shouldn't loyal economic determinists be thrilled that Capitalism-As-We-Know-It is about to go up in flames? And, hopefully be succeeded by something better?
During the entire course of their reports of the weekend, there was not a single word regarding the importance of voting for elected officials who support the environment. When I think of Christianity, it's hard not to think of martyrdom, of people and saints who seem almost happy to die. When I think of RC, I think of Mme. LaFarge knitting furiously as she eagerly awaits the next aristocrat's beheading in, "A Tale of Two Cities". There is a kind of ghoulish happiness in that image, too.
In the meantime, Bing sends me all sorts of information about writing gigs at his magazine. And, I can safely count on him to read just about anything I send him. His comments are always insightful and positive. He said, "Sit Where You Eat" (aka, "The Acolyte") was full of "Fellini-esque" touches. That doesn't mean it's commercial, but, it reinforces my intuition that I was on the right track. Maybe, a full-scale screenplay is not the way to go. Maybe, as last year's Jesus was suggesting at Coffee Hour the other Sunday, a small one-act play is the way to go?
And, my art showing is getting the kind of boost from St. Michael's that I should be getting from RC, but, really am not. Maybe, it's because one of the priests is from my family's home and, as I recently found out, their parents are patrons of the gallery where my work will be shown in less than a month.
All of which is my roundabout way of saying, that St. Michaels's shows every indication of being a warm and inviting place whereas, RC, well - doesn't. I think the problem is RC's obsession with materialism and economic determinism. It may well be a throwback to its founder's youthful dalliance with the Communist Party during the years preceding World War Two.
When challenged on its political focus, old-timers will point out that RC's only requirement is that one have regular sessions and that everything else is secondary. But, it does get uncomfortably dour at times. A perfect example is last weekend's Tri-Regional workshop on Environmentalism.
As reported back by two members of my class who attended (Susan and Laila, the latter of whom dropped everything in order to attend both the weekend and to appear in class for the first time in weeks), the premise of the weekend was that the earth is headed for destruction and that Capitalism is the principal destructive agent.
The irony here, of course, is that both RC and Christianity share at least one core belief: that the present reality is not sustainable. Death and Economic Dislocation will intervene. The only problem is that Death is pretty certain whereas, theorists have been waiting for the next "thing" that will ultimately succeed capitalism for as long as anyone can remember. Capitalism has been limping along for almost three centuries and almost always seems to figure out a way of keeping most workers happy or distracted long enough to evade violent revolution. So, the question sort of begs itself: Shouldn't loyal economic determinists be thrilled that Capitalism-As-We-Know-It is about to go up in flames? And, hopefully be succeeded by something better?
During the entire course of their reports of the weekend, there was not a single word regarding the importance of voting for elected officials who support the environment. When I think of Christianity, it's hard not to think of martyrdom, of people and saints who seem almost happy to die. When I think of RC, I think of Mme. LaFarge knitting furiously as she eagerly awaits the next aristocrat's beheading in, "A Tale of Two Cities". There is a kind of ghoulish happiness in that image, too.