From Words to live by:
"In Decatur, stay-at-home mother Lisa Cronic also has been studying 'Purpose' with her church group. But she is also one of the millions who have been unable to put down 'The Da Vinci Code.' As part of that novel, Brown writes that the Christian church suppressed goddess worship and that we are no longer in touch with the 'sacred feminine,' a message that has appealed to many female readers.
'I think a lot of women don't want to think that religion is just male-dominated,' Cronic said. 'Women are so rarely even discussed. You have the Virgin Mary or the whore Mary Magdalene. It makes you want to grab on to someone and say, 'How valid is this?' '
So many people have been intrigued by 'Da Vinci,' or confused by it, that an entire counter-'Da Vinci' industry has sprung up to discuss -- and more often rebut --its version of history. At least six new books aim to debunk Brown's presentation, with titles such as 'De-coding Da Vinci' and 'Cracking Da Vinci's Code.'
'It has this veneer of sophistication and intellectualism, and it makes people feel smart about art and history, even though it's just as superficial as the next work of pulp fiction,' said Amy Welborn, author of 'De-coding Da Vinci.'"
Monday, May 24, 2004
Amy's Op-Ed in the Dallas News Sunday Edition
From the Dallas News:
Dan Brown finally broke his silence last week. Having declined interviews for months, the author of The Da Vinci Code spoke publicly about his best-selling novel to a New Hampshire audience.
Besides revealing the awfully exciting news that his next novel will feature – wait for it – Freemasons, Mr. Brown told his listeners that there's more to the story than he chose to reveal in his novel. What he spared the public was his finding that perhaps Jesus had survived the crucifixion!
Well, pardon us if after enduring all of Mr. Brown's breathless theorizing about Jesus-the-preacher-of-the-sacred-feminine, husband of Mary Magdalene who was herself revered as a goddess and whose secret (and bones) has been protected by a secret society for 2,000 years – yes, pardon us, if we're inspired to meet Mr. Brown's latest "shocker" with a shrug.
I've been writing about The Da Vinci Code for a year now, and whenever I do, I'm challenged by some to just calm down because, hey, "It's only a novel."
The trouble, however, as I've found through the questions that I'm constantly asked, is that more than a few readers of The Da Vinci Code come away with the impression that it is, indeed, much more than a novel, and contains credible scholarly thinking. They believe this partly because of the novel's use of scholars as characters, but also because Mr. Brown has made such claims himself.
Dan Brown finally broke his silence last week. Having declined interviews for months, the author of The Da Vinci Code spoke publicly about his best-selling novel to a New Hampshire audience.
Besides revealing the awfully exciting news that his next novel will feature – wait for it – Freemasons, Mr. Brown told his listeners that there's more to the story than he chose to reveal in his novel. What he spared the public was his finding that perhaps Jesus had survived the crucifixion!
Well, pardon us if after enduring all of Mr. Brown's breathless theorizing about Jesus-the-preacher-of-the-sacred-feminine, husband of Mary Magdalene who was herself revered as a goddess and whose secret (and bones) has been protected by a secret society for 2,000 years – yes, pardon us, if we're inspired to meet Mr. Brown's latest "shocker" with a shrug.
I've been writing about The Da Vinci Code for a year now, and whenever I do, I'm challenged by some to just calm down because, hey, "It's only a novel."
The trouble, however, as I've found through the questions that I'm constantly asked, is that more than a few readers of The Da Vinci Code come away with the impression that it is, indeed, much more than a novel, and contains credible scholarly thinking. They believe this partly because of the novel's use of scholars as characters, but also because Mr. Brown has made such claims himself.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Christian Nearly Fed to Aligator in Florida
From News4Jax:
A pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Lutz, Fla., is recovering Monday after being attacked and pulled under the water by a 6-foot alligator.
Rick Cabot was going for a morning swim in a nearby lake as part of his triathalon training when he said he felt a gator bite him and then pull him under.
Cabot said he punched the alligator on the nose until he was released.
"I don't know if it was trying to kill me -- it could have done a better job," Cabot said. "I was underwater this whole time, but I don't remember ever feeling panicked or short of breath or anything. I do remember thinking, 'I cannot believe a gator has my leg,' and I think that's when I punched it in the nose."
A pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Lutz, Fla., is recovering Monday after being attacked and pulled under the water by a 6-foot alligator.
Rick Cabot was going for a morning swim in a nearby lake as part of his triathalon training when he said he felt a gator bite him and then pull him under.
Cabot said he punched the alligator on the nose until he was released.
"I don't know if it was trying to kill me -- it could have done a better job," Cabot said. "I was underwater this whole time, but I don't remember ever feeling panicked or short of breath or anything. I do remember thinking, 'I cannot believe a gator has my leg,' and I think that's when I punched it in the nose."
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Liturgy Abuse of Pouring Out Consecrated Wine
It is interesting that this story is emphasized and from my experience at a number of churches still being ignored.
From CNS STORY: LITURGY-WINE May-19-2004 (1,100 words) With photo. xxxn:
"Following up on its recent instruction on the Eucharist, the Vatican has ordered a change in U.S. liturgical norms.
It has ordered that any wine to be used for distributing Communion under both kinds be poured into the individual chalices during the preparation of the gifts, before it is consecrated.
It reversed a widespread custom, codified in U.S. norms approved in 2002, that called for distribution of the consecrated wine into the chalices at the time of the breaking of the bread, just before Communion.
Msgr. James P. Moroney, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Liturgy, said the revised norms are effective immediately, but it is up to each bishop to determine how to implement any liturgical change in his diocese."
From CNS STORY: LITURGY-WINE May-19-2004 (1,100 words) With photo. xxxn:
"Following up on its recent instruction on the Eucharist, the Vatican has ordered a change in U.S. liturgical norms.
It has ordered that any wine to be used for distributing Communion under both kinds be poured into the individual chalices during the preparation of the gifts, before it is consecrated.
It reversed a widespread custom, codified in U.S. norms approved in 2002, that called for distribution of the consecrated wine into the chalices at the time of the breaking of the bread, just before Communion.
Msgr. James P. Moroney, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Liturgy, said the revised norms are effective immediately, but it is up to each bishop to determine how to implement any liturgical change in his diocese."
Friday, May 21, 2004
New Auxiliary Bishops for Newark
From the Vatican Information Service:
Appointed Msgrs. Thomas A. Donato, spiritual director of the Major Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in South Orange, U.S.A., and John W. Flesey, director of permanent formation for the clergy of the archdiocese of Newark, U.S.A., as auxiliary bishops of the same archdiocese (area 1,328, population 2,809,267, Catholics 1,319,558, priests 929, permanent deacons 198, religious 1,667), U.S.A. Bishop-elect Donato was born in 1940 in Jersey City, U.S.A., and was ordained a priest in 1965. Bishop-elect Flesey was born in 1942 Jersey City and was ordained in 1969. They succeed Bishops Charles J. McDonnell and David Arias, O.A.R. whose resignations from the office of auxiliary were accepted upon having reached the age limit.
Appointed Msgrs. Thomas A. Donato, spiritual director of the Major Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in South Orange, U.S.A., and John W. Flesey, director of permanent formation for the clergy of the archdiocese of Newark, U.S.A., as auxiliary bishops of the same archdiocese (area 1,328, population 2,809,267, Catholics 1,319,558, priests 929, permanent deacons 198, religious 1,667), U.S.A. Bishop-elect Donato was born in 1940 in Jersey City, U.S.A., and was ordained a priest in 1965. Bishop-elect Flesey was born in 1942 Jersey City and was ordained in 1969. They succeed Bishops Charles J. McDonnell and David Arias, O.A.R. whose resignations from the office of auxiliary were accepted upon having reached the age limit.
Must Be Something in the Water Here
Up at 3:58 as though an alarm had gone off...
Just to clarify, I've been at the Archabbey of Saint Meinrad the past few days. Unlike the Trappist, they do not begin Lauds and Vigils until 5:30 A.M., so there is no reason to get up at 4:00 A.M. when you are here and I haven't wanted to get up at 4:00 A.M.--just have both days and have stayed up until 10:30 P.M. after a fairly strenuous days of hiking around the property with a photographer who is shooting pieces that will be used in upcoming projects.
I love lauds and vigils, but would love it even more if I could keep myself asleep until about fifteen minutes before it started.
Just to clarify, I've been at the Archabbey of Saint Meinrad the past few days. Unlike the Trappist, they do not begin Lauds and Vigils until 5:30 A.M., so there is no reason to get up at 4:00 A.M. when you are here and I haven't wanted to get up at 4:00 A.M.--just have both days and have stayed up until 10:30 P.M. after a fairly strenuous days of hiking around the property with a photographer who is shooting pieces that will be used in upcoming projects.
I love lauds and vigils, but would love it even more if I could keep myself asleep until about fifteen minutes before it started.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Porter Marries Former Nun in Prison
I like how SpiritDaily refers to these type of stories as "Our Strange Times"...
From Duluth News Tribune:
Former priest James Porter, a convicted pedophile who once lived in Minnesota and is now awaiting trial on the state's bid to keep him locked up indefinitely as a sexually dangerous person, got married in prison this week.
Porter married Anne Milner, a former nun he met more than 40 years ago while he was a young seminarian. The two met again three years ago after Milner wrote him a letter in prison.
Porter, 69, was convicted in 1993 of sexually abusing 28 children. Although he completed his prison sentence in January, Porter has remained in custody while state prosecutors seek to have him committed.
From Duluth News Tribune:
Former priest James Porter, a convicted pedophile who once lived in Minnesota and is now awaiting trial on the state's bid to keep him locked up indefinitely as a sexually dangerous person, got married in prison this week.
Porter married Anne Milner, a former nun he met more than 40 years ago while he was a young seminarian. The two met again three years ago after Milner wrote him a letter in prison.
Porter, 69, was convicted in 1993 of sexually abusing 28 children. Although he completed his prison sentence in January, Porter has remained in custody while state prosecutors seek to have him committed.
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