Month: June 2004

I . . . Have Returned

Just got back from Illinois
Lock the front door, oh boy
Got to set down, take a rest
On the portch.
Imagination sets in
Purty soon I’m singin’
Doo-doo-doo, lookin’ out my back door.

Or so says the song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Actually, I was listening to this song on the Chronicle, Vol. 1 by Creedence Clearwater Revival when I was travelling through Illinois on my way back from the vacation I just took (finally, after ages and ages of not taking one).

This song perplexes me a little because it’s got a really toe-tapping tune, but if you read between the lines of the lyrics, it’s basically a ’60s-’70s drug song (“There’s a giant doing cartwheels, A statue wearing high heels. Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn. Dinosaur Victrola listening to Buck Owens. Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band. Won’t you take a ride on the flying spoon?”).

I like the tune, and I don’t mind the psychedelic imagery, but don’t at all like the drug subtext of the song.

The way the song is written, the drug subtext is only required if you read between the lines. If you read the lines themselves, it isn’t there. In fact, all the bizarre things that the singer sees are explicitly attributed to the imagination of a road-weary traveller, not to drugs. This, no doubt, is a “plausible deniability” lyric included in the song to give kids listening to the song a defense to present to their parents (and also to keep CCR from getting in trouble for corrupting the youth–further than they already were, that is).

My solution is to enjoy the song by refusing to accept its subtext. In other words, to take it at face value and focus on the lyrics instead of what they would have meant in the socio-cultural context in which they were written. Yes, I know that the song was originally about drugs, but I don’t have to accept that just because it’s what the songwriter intended. I can take the song in whatever sense I want in the privacy of my own mind–especially when he’s put a harmless interpretation into the lyrics themselves.

It’s kind of like that episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 where Joel points out to the ‘Bots that you don’t have to accept the ending of the movie that the filmmakers give you. You can write your own ending, if you don’t like theirs.

I guess just about every conscientious Christian has to do something like this when appreciating items of popular culture that contain elements not in accord with the faith. Whether it’s a song, a movie, a TV show, a novel, or what have you, virtually everything has something bad in it. And that’s how it’s always been. It was the same in the Middle Ages, too. (In fact, when he was dying, Chaucer apologized for having included so much non-pious material in The Canterbury Tales). But that’s what we have to do, whether we’re dealing with art or simply with other people: “Test everything, and hold fast to what is good,” in the words of St. Paul.

So that’s how I handle “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.”

I was tickled to realize that, like the traveller in the song, I had “just got back from Illinois” (at least, I passed through Illinois). What was even more surprising to me, though, was something that happened with a different song on the CD: “Down on the Corner,” which is about a group of poor kids who have their own band. At one point in the song the lyrics say: “Poorboy twangs the rythm out on his kalamazoo.” I have no idea what this means. I suppose it was just John Fogerty being playful and needed a rhyme for
“kazoo” (which he uses in the next line of the song).

As it happens, I was listening to this song on my trip, looked up, and realized what town I was in at the moment: Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Weird, man. Weird.

John Paul II on President Bush

Some Catholics report that they feel unable to support President Bush in his re-election bid on the grounds that he would allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life. These positions are wrong and contrary to the Church’s teaching, but do they from the Church’s perspective place him in the same category as an ardent supporter of abortion like Clinton, Gore, or Kerry? Or does the fact that Bush opposes the vast majority of abortions make a difference and allow Catholics to form a different moral estimation of him?

During the Clinton administration, when President Clinton met with the pope, John Paul II was known for bringing up the topic of abortion and stressing the need to end it, which was widely recognized as a deliberate–if diplomatic–public scolding of the American president.

What has John Paul II said regarding President Bush when they have met? Has he similarly scolded Bush for failing to be 100% pro-life, or has he recognized that–though Bush (who is not a Catholic) is imperfect–that his position regarding abortion is nonetheless pariseworthy?

When the two met earlier this month, the pontiff had this to say to the president:

I also continue to follow with great appreciation your commitment to the promotion of moral values in American society, particularly with regard to respect for life and the family (source).

Though the pope does not issue political endorsements of candidates for office, his remarks might be taken to as an attempt to recognize and reward the fundamentally different, if still imperfect, approach taken by President Bush to this issue.

Vatican Takes Liturgy Survey

The Holy See is curculating a preparatory document (known as a lineamenta) for next year’s synod of bishops, which will be focusing on the liturgy. The document contains, among other things, a list of questions that the Holy See wants answered regarding the liturgy.

Though the document is issued to bishops and is principally for bishops, it also states:

This Lineamenta is intended to encourage episcopal conferences, the Eastern Churches sui iuris, the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the Union of Superiors General to invite the participation of all in the Church so that they can enter into discussion and take a pastoral inventory. In this way, the responses of these entities to the questions in the Lineamenta might be indicative and complete, thereby ensuring a fruitful synod.

Since it says that it is encouring the bishops to invite the participation “of all in the Church,” one presumably could send one’s answers to the questions to one’s bishop or to the bishops’ conferences for forwarding to Rome. Or one could forward them to the Synod of Bishops offices oneself, presumably.

The questions indicate the Rome is continuing its focus on improving the quality of liturgy and eliminating liturgical abuses. Among the questions are these:

4. The Shadows in the Celebration of the Eucharist: In the Encyclical Letter Ecclesia De Eucharistia (n. 10) the Holy Father mentions “shadows” in the celebration of the Eucharist. What are the negative aspects (abuses, misunderstandings) existing in Eucharistic worship? What elements or actions done in practice can obscure the profound sense of the Eucharistic mystery? What is the cause of such a disorienting situation for the faithful?

5. The Eucharistic Celebration and Liturgical Norms: In an attempt to be personal and avant-garde, do priests manifest any attitudes in their celebration of Mass which are explicitly or implicitly contrary to the liturgical norms established by the Catholic Church (cf. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal, Chapter IV; Instruction for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches)? In your estimation, what are the underlying reasons for such behaviour? What elements or actions during the celebration of Holy Mass, and also in Eucharistic worship outside of Mass, according to their respective norms and dispositions, should receive attention so as to highlight the profound sense of this great Mystery of the faith hidden in the gift of the Eucharist?

6. The Sacrament of the Eucharist and The Sacrament of Penance: Conversion is necessary to participate fully in partaking of the Eucharist. What is the faithful’s understanding of the relationship between the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of the Eucharist? Holy Mass is also the celebration of salvation from sin and death. For the return of sinners, above all on Sundays, what is provided so that the faithful can celebrate the Sacrament of Penance in time to participate in the Eucharist? Do Christian communities often display a casual approach to receiving Holy Communion or do they unjustifiably refrain from receiving it? What is being done to assist the faithful to discern if they have the proper dispositions to approach this great Sacrament?

8. Holy Mass and the Celebration of the Word: In parishes awaiting a priest, how widespread is the practice of celebrating the Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of the Eucharist, over which a lay person or Eucharistic minister often presides? What specific formation do those responsible receive? Are the faithful able to understand the difference between such celebrations and Holy Mass? Do they have an adequate knowledge of the distinction between an ordained and non-ordained minister?

9. The Eucharist and the Other Sacraments: To what measure and with what criteria are the other sacraments celebrated during Holy Mass? When the sacraments and sacramentals are celebrated during Holy Mass (Matrimony, Funerals, Baptisms, etc.) with non-practising Catholics, non-Catholics and unbelievers present, what steps are taken to avoid a casual attitude or even carelessness towards the Eucharist?

10. The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist: Have the faithful in your parishes preserved faith in the Lord’s Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist? Do they have a clear understanding of the gift of the Lord’s Real Presence? Do situations exist in Eucharistic Liturgies or the Worship of the Eucharist which might lead to a diminished regard for the Real Presence. If so, what might be the reasons?

11. Eucharistic Devotion: Does the Worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament have a due place in parish life and communities? What importance do pastors give to adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament? To Perpetual Adoration? To Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament? To personal prayer before the tabernacle? To processions on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ? To Eucharistic devotion in parish missions?

13. Dignity at Eucharistic Celebrations: Is attention given in your Churches to the liturgical environment for Eucharistic celebrations? What is the artistic-architectural setting in which the Eucharistic liturgy is celebrated both on solemn occasions and on weekdays? Do the surroundings give a clear indication that the Eucharistic banquet is truly a “sacred” banquet (Ecclesia De Eucharistia, 48)? How frequently and for what pastoral reasons is Mass celebrated outside of this place of worship?

14. The Eucharist and Inculturation: To what measure must attention be given to inculturation in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist so as to avoid a misunderstood creativity which leads to peculiar and strange practices. What criteria are followed in inculturation? In the Latin Church, are the norms proposed in the Instruction De Liturgia Romana et Inculturazione given adequate consideration? What is the experience of the Eastern Churches in the inculturation of the Eucharist?

16. The Eucharist, Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and the Sects: Considering the ideas on the Eucharist held by our separated brothers and sisters in the West and the challenges of other religions and the sects, how is the mystery of the Most Blessed Sacrament preserved and presented in its entirety, so as not to cause confusion or misunderstanding among the faithful, particularly at ecumenical and interreligious meetings?

17. The Eucharist and Ecclesial “Intercommunion”: “The celebration of the Eucharist cannot be the starting-point for communion” (Ecclesia De Eucharistia, 35). How are the norms of intercommunion applied (cf. The Code of Canon Law, canon 844)? Are the faithful aware of the norm that a Catholic cannot receive the Eucharist in communities which do not have the Sacrament of Orders (cf. Ecclesia De Eucharistia, 46)?

Other questions, too are devoted to improving the quality of liturgical life.

For the full text of the lineamenta, see here.

For a news story on it, see here.

WHOA! DUDE! Tessellating Animation From Japan!

cats3Okay, so there’s this site in Japan, y’see. And it’s run by a guy named Makoto Nakamura. And the thing is, he’s like really, really interested in tessellating images. Y’know, like M. C. Escher used to make, what with all those interlocking, identical animals completely filling a space and stuff? And like, Mr. Nakamura is SO into tessellating images that he’s, like, made up a whole bunch of them and put them on his site and stuff? And the thing is, he’s ANIMATED a bunch of these, so they’re likely a bunch of little tessellating MOVIES that you can watch and stuff.

Anyway, go watch them and stuff.

Start here.

Here’s his top page.

2004 World Religious Freedom Report Card Out

The U.S. Commission on International religious Freedom has issued its annual report on the state of religion in the world.

This year’s report focuses paritcularly on ensuring religious freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, and notes that there has been more success in promoting it in the former than in the latter (which is not surprising since Iraq has been home to substantial Christian and Jewish minorities for centuries, whereas Afghanistan was the recent home of the Taliban).

The problem areas of the world continue to be–as one would expect–the Muslim and Atheist (i.e., Communistic) regions. In regard to the former, the report notes:

Freedom of religion or belief as an individual, as opposed to a group, right is not well protected in the Middle East or among countries where Islam is the religion of the state. Many constitutions of these states protect religious belief only, rather than both belief and practice, as required by international norms. Moreover, rights are usually expressed in general terms rather than in the form of explicit guarantees of rights for each person. Nevertheless, there are exceptions: Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Malaysia—states where Islam is the state religion—have constitutional guarantees that compare favorably with international standards, as do several other predominately Muslim countries such as Albania, Azerbaijan, Mali, and Senegal.

I’m not sure by what criteria some of these statements are judged. I happen to know that in Malaysia, for example, though you can’t be executed for converting to Christianity from Islam, you can be imprisoned. I wouldn’t call that “compar[ing] favorably with international standards.”

There’s still a lot of work that need to be done to allow the gospel to spread freely in these lands.

RECORDING INDUSTRY: Please Place Your Fingers On The Touchpad

Excerpts from article:

Not content with asking for an arm and a leg from consumers and artists, the music industry now wants your fingerprints, too. The RIAA is hoping that a new breed of music player which requires biometric authentication will put an end to file sharing.

“In practical terms, VeriTouch’s breakthrough in anti-piracy technology means that no delivered content to a customer may be copied, shared or otherwise distributed because each file is uniquely locked by the customer’s live fingerprint scan,” claims the company.

RIAA officials also have announced plans for an even higher level of copy protection, involving voiceprint, DNA, and brainwave authentication. The new technology will require neurosurgery to implant cerebral probes to prevent the use of falsified brainwaves.

“But the good news is that the cerebral probes will also function as transmitters for the music, giving listeners the highest fidelity presentation of recorded sound ever!” enthused Rip Burnley, an RIAA spokesman.

Copyright lawyers for the RIAA also noted that the new, brain-based system would achieve the industry’s longstanding goal of eliminating the practice of “ear piracy,” which they explained was the overhearing of music that one had not properly paid for and licensed.

RECORDING INDUSTRY: Please Place Your Fingers On The Touchpad

Excerpts from article:

Not content with asking for an arm and a leg from consumers and artists, the music industry now wants your fingerprints, too. The RIAA is hoping that a new breed of music player which requires biometric authentication will put an end to file sharing.

“In practical terms, VeriTouch’s breakthrough in anti-piracy technology means that no delivered content to a customer may be copied, shared or otherwise distributed because each file is uniquely locked by the customer’s live fingerprint scan,” claims the company.

RIAA officials also have announced plans for an even higher level of copy protection, involving voiceprint, DNA, and brainwave authentication. The new technology will require neurosurgery to implant cerebral probes to prevent the use of falsified brainwaves.

“But the good news is that the cerebral probes will also function as transmitters for the music, giving listeners the highest fidelity presentation of recorded sound ever!” enthused Rip Burnley, an RIAA spokesman.

Copyright lawyers for the RIAA also noted that the new, brain-based system would achieve the industry’s longstanding goal of eliminating the practice of “ear piracy,” which they explained was the overhearing of music that one had not properly paid for and licensed.

BBC: Geologists Add New Era To Earth's History

(Slightly rearranged) Excerpts from article:

Geologists have added a new period to their official calendar of Earth’s history – the first in 120 years.

The Ediacaran Period covers some 50 million years of ancient time on our planet from 600 million years ago to about 542 million years ago.

It officially becomes part of the Neoproterozoic, when multi-celled life forms started to take hold on Earth.

Professor Ogg said many of the new life forms that appeared in the Ediacaran seem to be simple organisms, probably related to present-day sponges.

“They appear to be lying flat on the seafloor and people think they may have had photosynthetic symbiosis much like corals do today,” he explained.

“These organisms were probably ripped to shreds when the first predators came along. That probably happened in the Cambrian Period.”

However, Russian geologists are unhappy their own title – the Vendian – which was coined in 1952, was not chosen.

The Russians added that geological time was invented just outside Moscow, near the location of the Garden of Eden. “In the twenty-third century, everybody knows that,” said visiting scientist Pavel Chekhov.

Meanwhile representatives of the Institute for Creation Research of El Cajon, California decried the creation of the new era and refused to research it.

Others are keen to research and commercially develop the new period. Billionnaire developer John Hammond immediately announced plans to extract DNA from fossilized cells of the invertibrate life forms that thrived in the Edicaran Period, clone them, and build a multi-million dollar theme amusement center known as Edicaran Park, which he described as a wading-pool petting zoo filled with soft, harmless sponges for children to enjoy touching.

Hammond’s plans were immediately denounced by Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician and disgruntled ex-employee of Hammond, who said his former boss was “Making all new mistakes” that were sure to lead to mayhem and destruction. “His last three parks have all ended in disaster,” Malcolm said.

But Hammond was unperturbed. “Dr. Malcolm is a reactionary,” he stated. “He expects the genetic resequencing in the cloning process to lead the sponges to grow hundreds of feet tall and become mobile, capable of menacing entire cities, and as sponges be immune to all forms of modern weapons, only to reproduce when cut in pieces. That’s crazy,” Hammond assured nervous reporters. “That will never happen.”

BBC: Geologists Add New Era To Earth’s History

(Slightly rearranged) Excerpts from article:

Geologists have added a new period to their official calendar of Earth’s history – the first in 120 years.

The Ediacaran Period covers some 50 million years of ancient time on our planet from 600 million years ago to about 542 million years ago.

It officially becomes part of the Neoproterozoic, when multi-celled life forms started to take hold on Earth.

Professor Ogg said many of the new life forms that appeared in the Ediacaran seem to be simple organisms, probably related to present-day sponges.

“They appear to be lying flat on the seafloor and people think they may have had photosynthetic symbiosis much like corals do today,” he explained.

“These organisms were probably ripped to shreds when the first predators came along. That probably happened in the Cambrian Period.”

However, Russian geologists are unhappy their own title – the Vendian – which was coined in 1952, was not chosen.

The Russians added that geological time was invented just outside Moscow, near the location of the Garden of Eden. “In the twenty-third century, everybody knows that,” said visiting scientist Pavel Chekhov.

Meanwhile representatives of the Institute for Creation Research of El Cajon, California decried the creation of the new era and refused to research it.

Others are keen to research and commercially develop the new period. Billionnaire developer John Hammond immediately announced plans to extract DNA from fossilized cells of the invertibrate life forms that thrived in the Edicaran Period, clone them, and build a multi-million dollar theme amusement center known as Edicaran Park, which he described as a wading-pool petting zoo filled with soft, harmless sponges for children to enjoy touching.

Hammond’s plans were immediately denounced by Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician and disgruntled ex-employee of Hammond, who said his former boss was “Making all new mistakes” that were sure to lead to mayhem and destruction. “His last three parks have all ended in disaster,” Malcolm said.

But Hammond was unperturbed. “Dr. Malcolm is a reactionary,” he stated. “He expects the genetic resequencing in the cloning process to lead the sponges to grow hundreds of feet tall and become mobile, capable of menacing entire cities, and as sponges be immune to all forms of modern weapons, only to reproduce when cut in pieces. That’s crazy,” Hammond assured nervous reporters. “That will never happen.”