Friday, May 30, 2008

Paganism - Then and Now

At Chronicles of Atlantis, I post a three-part series entitled, Paganism - Then and Now. Here are the links: Part I Part II Part III

6 comments:

David Nybakke said...

WOW! Great job of putting this together. I only wish this was a venue where many threads could tie more and more layers onto this great foundation of Girard's work.

Thank you Ath.

Athos said...

Thanks, Aramis. These grew out of a combox "conversation" with someone elsewhere. Perhaps they will come in handy if anyone wants the short-hand version of Girardian thought.

David Nybakke said...

Dear Ath,

A problem we have to be careful with in "short-hand versions of Girardian thought" is that you can end up with lackadaisical - even liberal distortions (as we are so familiar with from other lists that we know about). Funny, I just finished the Alex Jones conversion story and he talks a lot about how his Protestant and Pentacostal background fell way short of the fullness of Truth, the fullness of Truth found only in the Catholic Church. It was a termenduous struggle for him and if it were not for his perseverance in prayer and obedience to the Lord Alex would have settled for less. And in our instant gratification culture we are taught and encouraged to settle for quick-fix-sound-bites rather than the Real Thing.

As you have acknowledged, you have really captured a short-hand version of Girardian thought that we can reference and use as a spring board for expanded conversations. Thank you!

Athos said...

Okay, so I go from WOW! Great job of putting this together. to a lackadaisical - even liberal distortion. Or, weren't you talking about my posts in particular?

If you find such there, bring it up and we'll talk about such errors or "distortions".

I agree such CAN and do happen, as you point out. If mine do, I'll gladly take the correction. What my intention was, however, was to portray the originary scene, process of hominization, and effect of the Gospel (a) leaving out some things, but (b) not distorting mimetic theory from its greater source of the Magisterium of the Church.

David Nybakke said...

No dear Athos, your posts here do not fall into a lackadaisical - even liberal distortion of Girardian thought. And if one reading these posts stay true to you and your source as they go deeper into the many facets of MT (side-by-side with the Magisterium of the Church) NO PROBLEM!

However, sadly, why is it, whether short-hand version or the original long-hand version so many folks, including those who we are well aware of, for some strange reason, settle for "Protestant" versions that do not have the fullness of truth?

So, no Ath, your posts are right on.

Athos said...

Yes, why indeed? Why indeed veer off into Protestantism? The "reformation" could be revisited by a capable historian informed by mimetic theory and viewed as a gargantuan "problem of the doubles", a scandalous (to God's Kingdom) sacrificial event.

Clare Asquith's Shadowplay not only looks at Shakespeare's dangerous historical venture of weaving the events of the English reformation into his plays, but also looks at the complacent way that Catholicism in England needed a swift kick.

This is a topic near and dear to your heart: how the Catholic Church is culpable for the West's demise. Shakespeare saw it, apparently, so you're in good company, my friend!