iDol

I am a big fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, even going so far as to buy the companion work "The Silmarillion". I'm also the sort of guy who actually reads Prefaces, Prologues, Footnotes and the like. In the version of "The Silmarillion" that I have, there is given, as a sort of Preface, part of a letter that Tolkien sent to a prospective publisher of his book explaining his intent and I found it most interesting. He writes:

"...all this stuff is mainly concerned with Fall, Mortality, and the Machine. ... By the last I intend all use of external plans or devices (apparatus) instead of developments of the inherent inner powers or talents - or even the use of these talents with the corrupted motive of dominating: bull-dozing the real world, or coercing other wills. The Machine is our more obvious modern form though more closely related to Magic than is usually recognized."

The last line really struck me. The Machine is more closely related to Magic than is usually recognized. Magic is something that I know enough to steer clear from. Magic is not foolishness, in the sense of being a farce, but rather is something dangerous. I have often noticed that the issue with Magic or the Occult is that there always seems to be a question or who is in charge. Are we really controlling powers to work on our behalf, or are we being seduced into handing ourselves over to powers we absolutely and essentially cannot trust? This is the archetypal story of selling your soul to the devil. I have a good level of sensitivity to this danger.

But Tolkien is saying here that the Machine is just a modern form of Magic and that is something I have not been sensitive to. Machines seem to me to be someone aspiritual, as if there is some logical inconsistency to bring up machines when discussing spiritual matters. But I have often thought that it seems that all of these modern conveniences - cell phones, laptops, iPods, Wi-Fi - don't ever seem to deliver what they promise. If you look back 30 to 40 years ago, there was this idea that modern technology would somehow allow people to have more and more time on their hands since we would be more and more effective at getting our work done. But this has never happened, and at this point, I don't think it will. A cell phone doesn't generally add convenience, rather it adds stress. Computers haven't made it easier for engineers to get their work done faster so that we can go home and spend more time with our families. Rather, they have readjusted managements expectation of how long it should take to get things done and now people just ask for things faster.

Most recently, there is the rise of the personal electronic devices - the iPods and iPads, which seem to promise tremendous convenience. But these are accompanied with unprecedented access to pornography, whether explicit or implicit in music.

And pornography is slavery.

Who is really in control in regards to technology?

The Pursuit of Meaning

Living in America as a Catholic creates a certain tension. In America we believe very much in our three fundamental rights - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. But it seems to always happen that the idea of Pursuit of Happiness becomes identical to the idea of Pursuit of Pleasure. We see this when people "make it" in America: they build large houses for themselves that are essentially large pleasure centers. We never stop to ask the question: "Is the Pursuit of Happiness the same thing as the Pursuit of Pleasure?". I think there is a realistic argument that the Fathers of the Country didn't necessarily see it in this way. The freedom they had in mind was a "freedom for" to pursue the good, as opposed to our modern notion of a "freedom from" rules which might inhibit your Pursuit of Pleasure.

This is a point that bears revisiting in the present time. I think what we need to get back to now is that America offers and opportunity for, yes Life, yes Liberty, but instead of the Pursuit of Happiness, we ought to call it the Pursuit of Meaning. This can be a point of intersection with the Church because the Church, in the cross, brings the ultimate meaning to this life. Ironically, the Church also holds up the same ideals: Life - Yes, Liberty - Of Course, but with the deeper understanding that Liberty is only possible when the pursuit of pleasures is held in check. The inordinate pursuit of pleasure actually costs us our Liberty. It is a fatal flaw in the American ideal that if we are not clear about what the pursuit of Happiness means, it will, in the end cost us our Liberty.

Just give me a "J"...

Several years ago a friend invited me to a Christian rock concert held at Wayzata high school in the school auditorium. It was an evangelical event with good music interspersed with a salvation message. The musicians really were talented.

The final act of the night was a family group (four or five brothers) who had a sort of heavy metal tone to them. I don't know if their songs were original or if they were covering others but one thing is certain - they could rock. Toward the end of the show they were on a long jam session - one of those songs where the different members of the band get to show off what they can do. It was good.

At one point the lead singer brought it all back together and the volume was amped way up. I remember the guy screaming into the microphone something to the effect of "Put your hands together for Jesus, get up on your feet!" Spontaneously, everyone stood up and the band proceeded to light it up. The song was back and forth with the audience something to the effect of:

[lead singer] JUST GIMME A "J"!

[crowd] "J"!

[lead singer] JUST GIMME A "E"!

[crowd] "E"!

and so on as we spelled out the word "Jesus" and then it tipped over and we did:

[lead singer] NOW WHO'S YOUR LORD?

[crowd] JESUS!

[lead singer] WHO'S YOUR MASTER?

[crowd] JESUS!

etc.

Trust me, ALL CAPS are warranted here to relate the experience.

This back and forth went on and on for a few minutes. We were literally doing the heavy metal concert head bang with our hands over our heads. I don't remember if an actual "mosh pit" formed or not, but it sure could have. My wife and I had been bantering during the night that we felt like the only Catholics in the place (of course not true) and when everyone stood up, just before it went deafeningly loud, I said to my wife (tongue in cheek) "Get up and pray with the Protestants!"

I think it was midnight when the concert ended and we got home late. The next morning I had my early Eucharistic Adoration hour (5 AM). It was a surreal experience as the song from the night before was still echoing in my head in the silence of the chapel:

[whisper] "just gimme a 'J', just gimme a 'E'..."

It's a big church.

Modern Marvels

I have noticed that in many, if not all instances, the statues and stained glass windows in modern Catholic Churches are done in a cartoonish style. I think this causes a disconnect between the people in the pews and the people depicted in the art. The images in the windows become somehow remote. Would anyone even notice if, instead of cartoonish windows showing Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we had windows depicting George Washington and Abraham Lincoln? Or maybe even Superman and Batman? What really is the difference between Abraham the patriarch and Superman anyway? At least the superheroes would keep the kids happy.

Statues are intended to convey something about the person that is depicted. Even fictional persons. A life size statue of Batman, as depicted in the newer, cooler movies about batman, will convey something. Same with Spiderman. Iron man.

But Abraham?

The problem with Abraham is that we are somehow less sure he exists than the superheroes in Marvel comics. Batman doesn't have a mountain of "critical exegesis" smothering him while searching for pseudo-Batman and asking whether or not the "Robin" tradition was part of the earliest source material in the Batmanian school or was grafted in later as the batmanites encountered the larger english speaking world.

Batman just stands for what he stands for and we get it.

The begging question is "What did Abraham ever do?". Oh little stuff like talk the Most High God of the entire universe, from whom he received a PROMISE that his [spiritual] descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Or chat up Melchizedek who nobody is sure whether he was a human being or some kind of angel. Win multiple battles against odds that nobody in their right mind would accept. Have the obedience to set up to sacrifice his ONLY child because God said so. And then have an actual angel stop him from doing it.

Maybe the Church would do well to let Marvel Comics tell the story of Abraham? At least design the statues and windows!