Love in the Ruins predicted all of this – the split in
just about every group in America. Religious, political, especially. The
Leftpapas and the Knotheads. What more accurate description can you give
the state of American politics today? Both 2000 and 2004 elections were essentially
50-50. While Obama seems to be a few points ahead, I’m wary of
predicting outcomes even now after the last two elections. And, it’s
still too close to 50-50 due to the ideological split in American
society.
Why – because of paradigm shift a couple of hundred years
ago (a la Kuhn) in which science and a literal interpretation of creation and
the rest of the Bible seem to conflict. So, what do you have? A group
of people (religious fundamentalists and political conservatives) who won’t
let go of an outdated and disproven paradigm – and a group of people who,
having faced reality, realize that that paradigm is outdated and disproven, yet
have no paradigm to replace it that contains a set of morals and values that can
guide our lives and actions (the reason Percy chose the Catholic church).
There is no reigning paradigm in America today – only the conflict of
two.
In the 21st century, a county adjacent to mine
actually had a legal proceeding approved to insert into a high school science
textbook that evolution was “only a theory.” The ignorance involved
in this is unspeakable. First of all – the definition of “theory”
was not understood by any of the parties involved – of course evolution
is a theory, as is all of scientific paradigms, it is just the best explainable
theory we have as it is supported by the most evidence. That is what we
call “science” – only the best explainable theory that we
have today, based on the most congruence to the evidence available today.
Second of all, the insertion of religious paradigms, scientifically unproven
and with little congruence to available scientific evidence and facts, into a
public scientific classroom funded by taxpayer dollars, is amazing.
This is less to do with the Second Coming (or a second coming) than
it is with splits. A lack of moderation in every way. Anticipation of a
fulfillment of scriptural prophecy like an Armageddon and the second coming is
a scary scary thing in that some say that some conservative politicians will
try to precipitate this to fulfill “scripture” and feel no
compulsion to quell (some even say are actively involved in sparking) unrest in
the middle east.
Karey
From:
percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On
Behalf Of RHONDA MCDONNELL
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 9:12 PM
To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 59, Issue 2
Two quick thoughts--Given that we're on the
eve of a new presidency, and it looks likely to go to Obama, can we quit with
Bush already?
Secondly, I wonder if Percy might see all this as the beginning of the end. He
did, after all, believe in that Christ walked the earth, that he rose again,
that the communion is the body and blood of Christ via transubstantiation, and
that Christ will come again. Considering that, I doubt he thought Christ would
ride in on a rainbow. The prelude to the second coming is predicted to be messy
(okay, that's an understatement). Many people think that the Middle East will
be the locus of the mess.
--Rhonda
"You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual,
because in spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not
the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing."
Walker Percy
> From: marcus AT loyno.edu
> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 16:03:24 -0600
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 59, Issue 2
>
> Forced...Religious...Reconciliation?
>
> I'm sorry. I lived in Beirut for six years.
>
> You do not understand what you are saying.
>
> Marcus Smith
>
> ----- Original Message Follows -----
> From: percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org
> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Percy-L Digest, Vol 59, Issue 2
> Date: Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:21:30 -0500
>
> > Send Percy-L mailing list submissions to
> > percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/percy-l
> > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help'
> > to
> > percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >
> > You can reach the person managing the list at
> > percy-l-owner AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >
> > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more
> > specific than "Re: Contents of Percy-L digest..."
> >
> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> > 1. Re: Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9 (Tommy
> > Armstrong)
> > 2. Re: Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > (Eckert, Robert G SPC MIL USA FORSCOM)
> > 3. Re: Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9 (Wade Riddick)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > ------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2008 13:52:51 -0400
> > From: "Tommy Armstrong" <tfa AT brickengraver.com>
> > Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > To: "'Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion'"
> > <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Message-ID:
> >
> > <!&!AAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAE/eb95kvntOisVHhysY03/iwQAAEAAAAI
> > CCMAWkZ45OjTe08LpJmBIBAAAAAA== AT brickengraver.com>
> >
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "You do not seem to have much use for your fellow
> > Christians, to say nothing of Ku Kluxers, ACLUers,
> > Northerners, Southerners, fem-libbers, anti-fem-libbers,
> > homosexuals, anti-homosexuals, Republicans, Democrats,
> > hippies, anti-hippies, senior citizens."
> >
> > That's true-though, taken as individuals, they turn out to
> > be more or less like oneself, i.e., sinners, and we get
> > along fine.
> >
> > Even Ku Kluxers?
> >
> > Sure"
> >
> >
> >
> > Questions They Never Asked Me
> >
> > Signposts In A Strange Land
> >
> > Page 418
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Sounds to me like Mr. Riddick has a bit of ideological
> > rigidity himself when he writes:
> >
> >
> >
> > 3. Bush has an ideological rigidity/born-again
> > certainty/willful
> >
> > ignorance/autistic negligence that leads him to stumble
> > through life like
> >
> > Don Quixote on meth.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The same could equally apply to Pelosi, Obama, Barney
> > Frank, Ted Kennedy, Common Cause, etc. as well as Bush,
> > Cheney, et al.
> >
> > But then again much of that statement could apply to
> > everyone as we stumble along our journey. I have never met
> > an individual in my life that did not reflect to one
> > degree or another those "qualities".
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Tommy Armstrong
> >
> > BrickEngraver LLC
> >
> >
> >
> > www.brickengraver.com
> >
> >
> >
> > Jack Aubrey:
> >
> > "Oh dear oh dear, I seem fated to move from one blunder to
> > another today. I shall hold my tongue or what remains of
> > it."
> >
> > Stephen Maturin:
> >
> > "Where would conversation be if we were not allowed to
> > exchange our views freely and abuse our neighbors now and
> > again."
> >
> >
> >
> > Patrick O'Brian Forturne of War--Patrick O'Brian
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
> > Wade Riddick Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2008 04:03
> > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > URL:
> >
>
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/attachments/20081101/c61212f9/attachment-0001.htm
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:44:15 -0500
> > From: "Eckert, Robert G SPC MIL USA FORSCOM"
> > <robert.g.eckert AT us.army.mil>
> > Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> > <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Message-ID: <f6f88f6ab93.490cdbbf AT us.army.mil>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> >
> > It was a Thursday evening, not a Wednesday afternoon--but
> > my excuse still is boredom.
> >
> > Percy was a philosopher, not a philosopholigist. He would
> > be debating this war.
> >
> > The premise for the war was presumably false. CBRN WMD
> > have not been found. (Although absence of evidence is not
> > evidence of absence).
> >
> > What may be occurring is a forced reconciliation between
> > Sunnis and Shiites. 1300 years of conflict within Islam
> > being dealt with.
> >
> > There is a time for meeting aggression with greater
> > aggression in order to reduce aggression. Every cop knows
> > this.
> >
> > War is controlled aggression. Messy, yes. But no army
> > conducts themselves better under such strenuous
> > circumstances as the US Army.
> >
> > The US Army is in a unique position to force a world
> > peace. We are the most powerful, and also the most
> > multicultural army the world has ever seen. The only
> > ethnic group I have not seen represented is the aboriginal
> > Australians. And I bet there is at least one in our Army.
> >
> > BTW, the most decorated soldier in my unit is a Muslim
> > from Ghana.
> >
> > This war goes way beyond American Imperialism, it is
> > religious reconciliation stuff.
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: marcus AT loyno.edu
> > Date: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:49
> > Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >
> >
> > > I think Bob has every right to raise the questions he
> > > does (though not sure they warrant posting on this list)
> > > , but I think using WP as a reference point or
> > > touchstone for verification of events and policies in
> > > the present world--such as the decision to invade
> > > Iraq--is asking for impossible. My experience with Percy
> > > is that he was predictable and unpredictable, always
> > > nuanced in ways that caught me by surprise. And the
> > > reason for this is that he remained alert and
> > > ingtellectually (and spiritually) active all the way to
> > > the end.
> > > I think Percy probably would not see history an
> > > allegorical figure. "Will history agree...."
Obviously,
> > > yes and no for a very long time. Maybe forever. Does
> > > "history" agree on the Crusades? Are you going to
submit
> > > this question to Southern Baptists? Moslem scholars?
> > >
> > > Other may have different opinions.
> > >
> > > Marcus Smith
> > > New Orleans
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message Follows -----
> > > From: percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > Subject: Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > > Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:21:33 -0400
> > >
> > > > Send Percy-L mailing list submissions to
> > > > percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > >
> > > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web,
> > > > visit
> > > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/percy-l or,
> > > > via email, send a message with subject or body 'help'
> > > > to percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > >
> > > > You can reach the person managing the list at
> > > > percy-l-owner AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > >
> > > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is
> > > > more specific than "Re: Contents of Percy-L
digest..."
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Today's Topics:
> > > >
> > > > 1. War :Christianity, Islam and Judaism
> > > > (Eckert, Robert G SPC MIL USA FORSCOM)
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > > > ------------
> > > > Message: 1
> > > > Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:44:10 -0500
> > > > From: "Eckert, Robert G SPC MIL USA FORSCOM"
> > > > <
> > > > Subject: [percy-l] War :Christianity, Islam and
> > > > Judaism To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > Message-ID: <
> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> > > >
> > > > List,
> > > >
> > > > Would Percy consider the present war in Iraq a waste
> > > > of time or the beginning of something good?
> > > >
> > > > Are we wasting lives and money on foolishness, or are
> > > > we beginning the process of communication and
> > > > community formation between disparate cultures that
> > > > has since time immemorial begun with bloodshed?
> > > >
> > > > Can Islam, Judaism and Christianity find common ground
> > > > upon which we cooperate with each other, not kill each
> > > > other?
> > > >
> > > > I think Bush made the right decision. Mistakes, of
> > > > course.
> > > > Will history agree that the effort and lives and
> > > > injury and labor of our service members was worth it?
> > > >
> > > > Bob
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -------------- next part --------------
> > > > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > > > URL:
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/attachments/20081030/cdc619e2/attachment-0001.htm
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Percy-L mailing list
> > > > Percy-L AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/percy-l
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > End of Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > > > **************************************
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at
> > http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 3
> > Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 02:04:05 -0600
> > From: Wade Riddick <wriddick AT usa.net>
> > Subject: Re: [percy-l] Percy-L Digest, Vol 58, Issue 9
> > To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> > <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Message-ID: <v04003a01c532e876f99d@[192.168.0.5]>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> > Name: not available
> > Type: text/enriched
> > Size: 5102 bytes
> > Desc: not available
> > Url :
> >
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/attachments/20081102/a4c1f3d6/attachment-0001.bin
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Percy-L mailing list
> > Percy-L AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/percy-l
> >
> >
> > End of Percy-L Digest, Vol 59, Issue 2
> > **************************************
> --
> An archive of all list discussion is available at
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
>
> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
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