Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

["Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>]

* * This communication is CONFIDENTIAL * *

I have enjoyed following the discussions here.  My interest in Percy,
I'll confess however,  is more casual than most of you.  I simply think
of him as a great writer of fiction, but I enjoy immensely his essays as
well.  Whether in fiction or nonfiction, I enjoy reading his thoughts
about life on the planet.

One thing has always  interested me, that I'm sure many of you have
insight into, and that  is the question of why Percy converted to
Catholism.  In asking this, note that I am not myself Catholic, but a
lapsed Presbyterian (though I like to think I possess strong spiritual
values).  I'm curious as to what attracted him to the faith and
practices of this church, and how that played out in his writing and
thought.  For example, to express it crudely, his observation that bad
news makes us feel good, and vice versa .... How does that intersect
with his faith? 


 I know this is a huge topic, but I'd be interested to hear anyone's
thoughts.  

Karl

 -----Original Message-----
From:   Tommy Armstrong [mailto:tfa AT brickengraver.com]
Sent:   Wed Jan 19 06:30:39 2005
To:     'Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion'
Subject:        RE: [percy-l] citation request (plus a book
recommendation)

I can't remember where I found it but I deal with "scientists" a lot and
thought good signature. It was on the walker percy website some where I
think as I remember copying and pasting.
 
 'To be born and to live is to be dislocated.'"
Pascal

  _____  

From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of JHForest AT cs.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:25 AM
To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [percy-l] citation request (plus a book recommendation)


In a message dated 1/19/2005 7:49:19 AM W. Europe Standard Time,
tfa AT brickengraver.com writes: 



"Science is extraordinarily stupid about people as people and the
consequence of this stupidity is going to do us all in if we don't do
something about it"
  Walker Percy



Could someone post the citation for the above quote? It's very timely.

Along these lines, let me mention that there's a book by Thomas Merton,
a
writer Walker Percy greatly admired, that explores this theme: "Peace in
the
Post-Christian Era." It was written 40 years ago but the head of
Merton's
order (he was a Trappist monk) banned its publication. At last it's in
print
and still quite a fresh read. The publisher is Orbis. The book's
foreword is
posted at this URL:

http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/jimsessays/foreword-merton/

Jim Forest

* * *
Jim Forest
Kanisstraat 5 / 1811 GJ Alkmaar / The Netherlands
e-mail: jhforest AT cs.com
Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org
Jim & Nancy Forest web site: http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/
* * *

The Wormwood File: E-Mail from Hell
At the end of C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters (1941), the recipient of
those
missives on the art of temptation, the junior demon Wormwood, was in a
pickle -- indeed, might become a pickle, so to speak, for his
uncle-advisor's hellish delectation. Jim Forest reveals that Wormwood
survived and now advises yet-more-junior tempters, including one
Greasebeek, whose first case is the subject of these e-mails. The
"client"
is
a young married man who, when the correspondence begins, has bought a
Gregorian chant CD. Not to worry, says Wormwood; most who buy such
things "barely listen to what is being sung" and even "give up on
Christianity simply because the music in actual churches doesn't measure
up." Besides, the client disfavors "organized religion": "What a useful
phrase that's been!" Wormwood crows. But, as in Lewis' classic, things
go
from bad to better for the client. As they do, Wormwood's comments on
both contemporary spiritual fashions and age-old temptations illuminate
by contrast the strengths of orthodox Christian belief. A worthy sequel
to a
perdurable popular-theology masterpiece.
-- Booklist review by Ray Olson

* * *

the introduction and several of Wormwood's e-mails are on the web at:

http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/books/the-wormwood-file-e-mail-from-
hell
/

* * * 




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