Sunday, July 31, 2011

Assumptions, Bible Verses, and a Little Research

A week or so ago, in a documentary about a particularly lethal cult, I ran into a familiar assertion. While the video showed a page from the Bible, the narrator intoned "Christians believe that..." and went on to describe what some of the 'end times are nigh' churches say they beleve about End Times, Rapture, and television documentaries.

Over the last half-century, I've noted that quite a few folks say - and quite likely believe - that fundamentalist and/or evangelical churches are Christian: and are typical of all Christians.

The first part, I agree with. Someone who worships Jesus the Christ, Second Person in the Trinity, can reasonably be called a Christian.

The second part, assuming that the various outfits that reporters call fundamentalists and/or evangelicals - or churches like the "God Hates Fags" one that's been disrupting funerals - are normal, typical Christians? That I can't believe.

'Pastor Bob Bombast' and the Pope: There's a Difference

It was hard to shake the impression that radio preachers who were endenic to the area where I grew up thought they were the only 'real' Christians around. Even if they did, and were quite sincere about it - that sincerity wouldn't make them right.

I've read what a fair number of outfits have written about themselves - and what others have written about them. To the best of my knowledge, the following is accurate:
Back to what "Christians believe" about the book of Revelation, End Times, Rapture, all that.

I realize that production schedules may not leave a lot of time for fact-checking.

On the other hand, when the documentary is about what some cult did - based on what some fellow thought a verse out of Revelation meant, back in the 20th century: I think someone might have bothered to do maybe 30 minutes of research.

My guess is that's about how long it would take an assistant toGoogle "end times," "final judgment," and a few other terms - and see what the Catholic Church, and some other churches, say they believe. Instead of going with what 'everybody knows.'

Related posts:
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On the Road to the Trade Show: Schedules, Attendees

I'm still on the road to the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show in/near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It's actually in King of Prussia, PA, I understand.

The trade show is open to visitors Wednesday through Friday, apparently. Some folks plan their family vacations around the show, sort of, so they can come in and check it out. I'm looking forward to visiting some of the booths, myself.

When I'm not gophering and booth-sitting for Spiral Light Candle Corp./Oasis Productions, that is.

Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show Floor Schedule

Trade Show Floor Open:
  • Wednesday, August 3
    • 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, August 4
    • 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
  • Friday, August 5
    • 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Who's at the CMN trade show:Just a few from the list of attendees:
  • America Digital Accessories Corp
  • Bless Our Faith Gifts, Inc.
  • Carolina Retail Packaging
    • CCC of America, Inc.
  • Liguori Press/Publications
  • Mr. Jon's Gift Shop
  • Wee Believers
And, of course, Spiral Light Candle Corp. Which I'm very interested in: since I'm not just the gopher, I'm a part-owner. (Remember those Hair Club for Men television commercials: 'I'm not just...I'm the president?' Or something like that.)

Here's a time lapse (and half-size) video of one of our special candles. The full-size video is on YouTube.

"Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (July 28, 2011)
video, 1:31

Nearly-related posts:More about the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show and me:Background:
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On the Road to the Trade Show: Accident in Indiana

I'm on my way to the Catholic Marketing Network's trade show near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: riding with my son-in-law and #2 daughter. I'm thoroughly enjoying the trip - in an RV with more comforts and luxuries than the first house my wife and I lived in. Second house, too, for the most part. Not as much room, quite: and that's another topic.

We used a rest stop on Interstate 80 - or 90 - or maybe 80/90 - around mile 40, for a noon(ish) break. The timing couldn't have been better, for us. Traffic was at a crawl, eastbound and westbound, from an accident that left the rest stop's exit clear. It looked like a semi had rolled onto the median - with a load of those enormous power line pylons.

The semitrailer was upright. It looked like the traffic issue was mostly a matter of gettiing the thing pullled out of the median - and the heavy machinery it takes to do that.

Nearly-related posts:More about the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show and me:Background:
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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Trade Show in Pennsylvania, Ecclesiastes, Software, and Schedules

I try to post something each day on this blog. For the next week or so, though: that may not be possible.

As I explained in my other 'daily' blog, Apathetic Lemming of the North, my son-in-law is taking me to a trade show in Pennsylvania: where I'll be the company gopher.

And manage streaming video from the convention. Using software that I didn't know existed last week. But hey: no pressure, right?

My plan is to use most of tomorrow through Friday, learning enough about the video software to be - competent. If it's as simple a process as I hope it is, I'll be able to get a post or two out. If not - that's why I'm blocking out three days for learning.

Business and the Practicing Catholic

I've posted about wealth, poverty, and getting a grip before. Including this trio:
Bottom line, as far as I can tell, is that it's okay to be poor - it's okay to be rich - what matters is what each of us does with what we've got. Going into a little more detail:
  • Human beings are equal
    (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1934, 1935)
  • But we're not all alike
    (Catechism, 1936)
  • And this is okay
    (Catechism, 1937)
I think that makes sense: provided folks accept the idea that there's more to life than wealth, pleasure, and status symbols. (May 14, 2011)

Isn't Money Evil?

First, remember: I've got the authority of "some guy with a blog."

Money, wealth, is okay - as far as I can tell. It's when someone worships the 'almighty buck' that problems start. The Catholic Church strictly forbids idolatry. (Catechism, 2112-2114, for starters)
"...Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc...."
(2113)
Maybe that's not what you've heard about 'those Catholics.' I'm not surprised, and that's another topic. (July 15, 2011, February 22, 2010)

You've probably heard the old saying, 'money can't buy happiness.' It's not a new idea: check out Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23, written about 23 centuries ago. Also my take on that not-cheerful book:I don't think it makes sense to sit on a pile of ashes, moaning about people who have more money than I do - or feel superior to folks who haven't had my material blessings. Never mind what I think, though. Here's part of what the Church says:
"Desire for true happiness frees man from his immoderate attachment to the goods of this world so that he can find his fulfillment in the vision and beatitude of God. 'The promise [of seeing God] surpasses all beatitude. . . . In Scripture, to see is to possess. . . . Whoever sees God has obtained all the goods of which he can conceive.'344"
(Catechism, 2548)

I'll be Back - God Willing, of Course

I'd planned to make this a short post about a trade show I'm going to next week. Somehow it wandered into Ecclesiastes and the beatific vision. It's getting late, so I'll wrap this up quickly.

We'll be showing off Spiral Light Candles at the trade show. This video shows what the things are, better (faster, anyway) than I could:

"Spiral Self Filling Candle"

(shown half-size: full version at YouTube)
anoasisproduction, YouTube (March 15, 2011)
video, 0:42

"A candle that burns around a hollow center and fills itself...."

I plan to be back, now and then, during the rest of this week. Next week I'll be at the trade show - and that's another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:
More about the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show and me:Background:
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Monday, July 25, 2011

Oslo, Utoya, and Assumptions: Norwegian Tragedy as a Rorschach Test

The Oslo bombing and shootings on Utoya island, near Oslo, have been called a terrorist attack. I think that's accurate: although the point could be debated.

I've read that Anders Behring Breivik's decision to kill a great many of his fellow-Norwegians is an example of a dire threat. Depending on who's writing, it's an example of the threat of:
  • The West
  • Globalism
  • Multiculturalism
  • Neo-Nazis
Also depending on who's writing, the (perceived) threat is either spelled out in detail; or implied.

If I dug around, I'd probably discover folks who believe that Muslims are 'really' behind the killings - somehow. Or that perennial favorite, the CIA.

A Strange Way to Save Norway

Breivik apparently thought he was saving Norway - by killing Norwegians. I've got few words to say about that.1

Ellis Island and 'American' Names

Maybe you've read about the infamous 'Ellis Island' renamings, where someone decided that Mirek Svoboda, for example, should be Mark Smith: an "American" name.

Which is an example of what multiculturalism is not.And I'm not getting off-topic so much as ahead of myself.

Names, Ethnicity, and the News

What I've seen in the news doesn't say much at all about the ethnicity of the victims. My guess is that most of them are the (usually) blue eyed, melanin-deficient folks I descended from.

We're not all tall and blond, by the way - which is another topic.

Judging from some online search strings I've run into, there's a story going around that the teens and young adults killed on Utoya island were Asian. Or African. Not 'ethnic Norwegian,' anyway. An official list of victims hasn't been released, as far as I know: but names that are in the news of people killed or missing and feared dead include:
  • Trond Berntsen
  • Johannes Buø
  • Tore Eikeland
  • Syvert Knudsen
  • Hanne Kristine
  • Tarald Mjelde
Those are not exactly Asian-sounding names. But maybe folks who emigrated to Norway gave their kids Norwegian names - in an effort to fit in?

Maybe.

Norway Massacre as a Rorschach Test

I think the appalling killings in Norway are a sort of Rorschach test, where what folks say they see tells more about what's happening in their minds than what happened in and near Oslo.

And no: I do not think that an international cabal of psychologists arranged for the killings, as part of some depraved experiment.

The three posts I wrote on Saturday reflect - strongly - my assumption that killing all those folks was wrong. And, as news of who had done the killing - and why - my view that the mass murder/terrorist attack was an appalling example of chauvinism:
I still think that I'm right about that, but: I would, wouldn't I?

Let's take a look at some of the 'real meaning' that folks see in the Norwegian tragedy.

The Threat of the West?

A fellow who saw the attack - and news coverage - as an example of 'the threat of The West' was convinced that descriptions of the "conservative Christian Nationalist" as a "madman" was "airbrushing" the incident. (July 23, 2011)

I'm sure he is quite sincere.

The Threat of Globalization?

"Globalization" is something that a fair number of folks are interested in, concerned about, or scared silly of.

So: What's "globalization?" Depending on who you read, globalization is:
  1. "Growth to a global or worldwide scale"
    (Princeton's WordNet)
  2. "...the increasing unification of the world's economic order through reduction of such barriers to international trade as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas"
    (Wikipedia)
  3. "A global movement to increase the flow of goods, services, people, real capital, and money across national borders in order to create a more integrated and interdependent world economy" (Glossary, International Education, Faculty of Education, York University)
My take on "globalization," at least in the second and third meanings in that list, is that - it's happening. And has been, for hundreds of years. Thousands.

Not steadily, of course - but as centuries pile up, folks have tended to trade with each other faster, over longer distances. And governments have gone from clans and families to nations and the occasional empire. Now we've got leagues and coalitions, and more terms that mean 'a bunch of nations cooperating.'

We've come along way since the days when Jericho got started.

People, Globalization, and Problems

I think that "globalization" could be a problem. So could capitalism, democracy, or monarchy. If done the wrong way. I've posted about that sort of thing before:
The Catholic Church has been looking at globalization. Here's what I found, after a quick look through the Holy See's website:
  1. "Globalization - Ethical and Institutional Concerns" (pdf)
    The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (2001)
  2. "Intervention by the Holy See Delegation at the 90th Session of the International Labour Conference"
    (June 17, 2002)
  3. "Final Declaration of the Symposium on: The economic and social development of Africa in the age of globalization"
    Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (2004)
Here are samples from the second and third items:
"...Globalization must not be allowed to become an ideology, neither a pro-Globalization ideology nor an anti-Globalization ideology. We must rather attempt to verify objectively where globalization has worked for the benefit of broad sectors of society, and where it has not. We must identify why and how Globalization has worked well or worked badly. We must identify what is the optimum mix of elements that leads to a socially favourable integration into the globalization process, and which are the elements that foster marginalation...."
("Intervention by the Holy See Delegation at the 90th Session of the International Labour Conference")
"...Those taking part in the Symposium are unanimous in believing that the African peoples should be the subjects and protagonists of their own future and their own cultural, civil, social and economic development. The right of the African Peoples to development should be pursued as a new path for their development. It is a matter of a fundamental perspective, widely emphasized for its considerable moral, cultural and political importance which must influence every approach to the question of African development.

"Africa as an object of assistance must indeed become the subject of a convinced and crucial partnership..."
("Final Declaration of the Symposium on: The economic and social development of Africa
in the age of globalization")
I'm pretty sure that some folks won't like that. Particularly those who cherish a "pro-Globalization ideology" or "anti-Globalization ideology."

What do I think of "globalization" - in the economic, political, and cultural sense?

I'm a practicing Catholic, so I can't support a globalization ideology: pro- or anti-.

I think trying to stop globalization makes about as much sense as trying to stop language from changing. It can be done - but I think we all have more to gain from continuing to deal with each other. I also think that - know that - there are ethical concerns with globalization. And just about everything else people do.

Do I think globalization is all good or all bad? No.

I don't think globalization is good or bad. I think it's got parts that work, and parts that don't work. Which is pretty much what the Holy See delegation to the 90th International Labor Conference said: "...We must identify why and how Globalization has worked well or worked badly...."

The Threat of Multiculturalism?

Definition time again. "Multiculturalism" is a term that seems to have had its meaning changed in the last few decades. Today, the term apparently means:
  • "the doctrine that several different cultures (rather than one national culture) can coexist peacefully and equitably in a single country" (Princeton's WordNet)
I can see how that sort of multiculturalism could look like a dire threat to someone who is part of a nation's majority - or dominant - culture. Accepting multiculturalism would mean that 'those people over there' couldn't be forced to wear the 'right' clothes, or go to the 'right' church, or watch the 'right' television programs.

Multiculturalism and Me

Although more that 1,000,000,000 Catholics are alive today - here in America, we're a minority. As someone in a relatively small (in this nation) counterculture - I don't necessarily see multiculturalism as a threat.

Which is just as well, considering what the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People said in January of 2003:
"...Nation-states would consider them [immigrants] a threat to cultural homogeneity. Thus, historically, they very often tried to control the formation of ethnic communities either through assimilation or segregation. Sometimes they were pressured to give up their original culture and acquire the culture of the host country...."2
Maybe that sounds 'un-American.' I don't think so: but then I've long since noticed that this country is much more like a crazy quilt than a melting pot. Culturally, that is. I think that one of America's great strengths is that we often let folks bring new ideas, and improve old ones. Even if "we've never done it that way before." And that's yet another topic.

The Threat of Neo-Nazis?

I acknowledge that there are folks who pattern their beliefs on those of the national socialist party of Germany - the one that made Dachau possible - and that they can legitimately be called "neo-Nazis."

On the other hand, I'm dubious about calling every national chauvinist with pale skin a "neo-Nazi." Do I think such a person is parochial? Probably. Dangerous? Possibly. A Nazi, neo- or otherwise? Unless the person claims allegiance to the German national socialists of the '30s and '40s - unlikely, in my opinion.

Photos of Breivik hint that he's as prone to sunburn as I am. His actions - which he makes no secret of - are deplorable. But - "neo-Nazi?" That sounds like an emotionally-charged slogan, calculated to increase newspaper sales: not necessarily a verifiable fact.

Related posts:
Sort-of-related posts:
News and views:
1 Saving Norway - By Killing Norwegians? I am not making this up.
Anders Behring Breivik apparently thought that Norway, and Norwegian culture, were threatened by Muslims, and multiculturalism, and globalism and foreigners, and stuff like that. There's probably an element of truth to that.

Do I think it makes sense to
  • Save Norway by killing Norwegians?
    • No: I do not
    • Even if it's in the allegedly-noble cause of starting a race war in Europe?
      • Emphatically no
  • Kill anybody in order to start a war against people who don't look like Anders Behring Breivik?
    • No: I do not.
Do I think war is the ultimate evil? No: I do not. And I've posted about that before:
What Breivik seems to have wanted is the sort of thing that folks are allowed to meet with armed force. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2309)

Which, for some folks, might 'prove' that the Catholic Church is a warmonger oppressor. Which isn't quite another topic.

2 Excerpt from "Renewal Movements and the Evangelization of Families in the Diaspora*"
Archbishop Stephen Fumio HAMAO President Pontifical Council, Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (January 2003):
"In today's world characterized also by human mobility, families who leave their homeland, due to severe economic conditions, environmental pressure, natural calamities, wars or persecutions for reasons of race, ideology, culture or creed, may find themselves in a context of geographic and/or social diaspora.[1] Migrant and refugee families may therefore be forced to live in a country which is quite far from their own, different in language, culture and even religion. Suddenly they are among people who find them strange and they may feel, in varying degrees, unwelcome.

In reality, they need much more understanding than we realize because, at least initially, families in general move only when it is their very survival that is at stake. According to Patrick Taran, an ILO migration expert, 'it is less the absolute differences between countries that motivate most migration; rather, people tend to move only when their situation and that of their families falls below a critical threshold of tolerance, below which they no longer perceive possibilities of survival according to local norms of safety, dignity and well-being.'[2]

"Under these conditions, the starting point for these families, at departure, is already a traumatic experience. Their hope for a better future may grow even dimmer in the destination country where they are met with enormous difficulties. A document produced by Caritas Internationalis identified the following problems:

"The cultural differences which the family is forced to confront without any preparation, the difficulties of learning other languages, the intergenerational problems often tied to the difficult mix of traditions and customs of the countries of origin and those of the new places, psychological trauma, the sense of insecurity and uncertainty about the future: these are some of the problems which must be confronted by a family forced to migrate. These problems which often develop in conditions of extreme poverty can be exacerbated with migration, whether it be through internal displacement, in refugee camps or on the periphery of large cities. Such migration often is undertaken in an atmosphere of a total lack of privacy and in an absence of support services of any type. Thus migration often results in the accentuation of such negative phenomena as begging, the sale of minors, and usury, all of which end up causing greater vulnerability among those who are already weak.[3]

"There is still another reason why migrant and refugee families and ethnic minorities, in general, have been relegated to the diaspora. Nation-states would consider them a threat to cultural homogeneity. Thus, historically, they very often tried to control the formation of ethnic communities either through assimilation or segregation. Sometimes they were pressured to give up their original culture and acquire the culture of the host country. Fortunately, assimilationist practices were later on dropped in favor of multiculturalism. This means that immigrants are now encouraged to integrate into the host society while retaining their cultural distinctiveness. [4]...."
("Renewal Movements and the Evangelization of Families in the Diaspora)
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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Abandoning the Path of Hatred? Sounds Like a Plan

My guess is that anyone who's been on the planet, and understands at least one of the European languages, knows what happened on Friday. So far, 93 bodies have been recovered in Norway: from a bombing in Oslo, and shootings on the Island of Utoya.

The fellow who killed those people is Norwegian. He seems to have had the idea that he was going to save Norway from Muslims by killing Norwegians. Wholesale.

Crazy? Maybe. Wrong? I think so.

Since I live near the center of North America - thousands of miles away - why should I care? Like I wrote in another blog today, 'my end of the boat isn't sinking' isn't a sensible attitude.

Hating People Still Isn't an Option

"Hate the sin, love the sinner" may sound corny - but it's pretty much what the Catholic Church teaches. The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the idea: 1765, 1866, and 2262, for starters. Like I've said before, "love" isn't "approval."

"Abandon Forever the Path of Hatred"

I think this is pretty good advice. Not easy: but good.
"Abandon the logic of evil, Pope pleads after Oslo attacks"
David Uebbing, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (July 24, 2011)

"Pope Benedict XVI issued a 'heartfelt' plea to all on Sunday, following the terrorist attacks in Norway. He called on everyone to 'abandon forever the path of hatred and escape from the logic of evil,' as he offered his prayers for the victims and their families.

"The Pope said that the news of the bombing in downtown Oslo and the subsequent shooting at a youth camp caused him deep sorrow and left him grief-stricken.

"Catholics in Norway are feeling much the same way.

" 'We are so used to being this quiet little nation where nothing like this happens,' said Fr. Paul Bratbak, the communications director for the Diocese of Oslo, in a July 22 interview with CNA...."

Freedom and Real Estate

America went through an awkward phase a few decades back, when we figured out that it wasn't a good idea to keep neighborhoods sorted out by ethnicity. The change wasn't easy - and America still isn't perfect - but deciding who's allowed to buy the house next door based on who the family's ancestors are is illegal. My guess is that there are still exceptions: like I said, the country isn't perfect.

I'm okay with that: which, considering the extended family I'm in, is just as well. More to the point, letting folks buy property even if they're not the 'right' sort lines up with what the Catholic Church teaches about freedom.

Not 'freedom to be just like me,' or 'freedom to agree with me:' freedom. Again, the Catechism and:
That's religious freedom for everybody. If that's not what you've been told about the Catholic Church, I'm not surprised: and that's another topic.

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In the news:
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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Oslo, the Island of Utoya: and Living in a Big World

A bombing in Oslo, Norway, and shootings at a Norwegian youth camp on the island of Utoya, are terrible events. The last I read, folks in Norway were still looking for bodies. And trying to figure out why it took so long for law enforcement to show up.

Here's a sample of today's news:
"WCC general secretary shocked by unleashing of violence in his homeland"
Vatican Radio, via News.va (July 23, 2011)

" 'Norway has today experienced an unprecedented and horrible level of violence against innocent people,' said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor and General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC)...."
"Pope: May All Norwegians Reject Hatred"
Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (July 23, 2011)

"Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday he is praying for the victims of Norway's terror attacks and urging Norwegians to unite in a resolve to reject hatred...."
"Norway survivors recount island horror"
Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times (July 23, 2011)

"Young people describe being methodically stalked by a gunman as they hid inside bathrooms, scrambled through woods or dove into the frigid lake. Police face questions about the time they took to respond...."
There's no shortage of opinions: informed and otherwise. Here's my take on three facets of what happened:Finally, and this is just a suggestion: lots of folks in Norway are hurting. Prayer couldn't hurt.
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The Threat of People Who Aren't Just Like Us?

Folks in Norway are still looking for bodies: but the death toll may be only 90 to a hundred. Even so: The explosion in Oslo, and shootings at a youth camp on a Norwegian island, are a terrible loss of life.

I've written about the Norwegian terror attack before. Again, this is just a suggestion: but prayer couldn't hurt. For the victims, their families, and friends. And for the killer.
This time, I'm talking about living with differences.

Also, how news media is treating the "Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections" and chief suspect.

From one point of view, news media in Europe and America is "airbrushing" the right-wing extremist and fundamentalist Christian with anti-Muslim views - to make those Christians and "the West" look innocent.

I'm not making this up.

"The Threat of the West"

I suppose folks like the "Red, White, and Blue Patriot" who referred to folks from the Middle East as "towelheads," and the ex-co-chairman who said "they're all Muslims," get more attention, internationally, than most Americans.

Then there are the - colorful - folks who say they're Christians. And act like this:


(Reuters photo, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

It's easy, I think, to make inaccurate assumptions about "the West" and Christianity.

Here's what someone east of the Atlantic assumes that "the West" will do about that Norwegian "Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections" beliefs and probable motives:
"Norway, Islam and the threat of the West"
Ibrahim Hewitt, Al Jazeera English (July 23, 2011)

"Dismissing this murderous act as the work of 'a lone madman' ignores a more detailed study of the killer's motivation....

"A few years ago, the respected Cambridge scholar T J Winter, also known by his Muslim name of Abdal Hakim Murad, gave a fascinating lecture to Humanities staff and students at the University of Leicester. The title was 'Islam and the threat of the West', turning on its head the more usual - then and now - 'Islam and the threat to the West'.

"It was a novel approach which, in a nutshell, illustrated that, historically, aggression has been directed more from Europe to the Muslim world than the other way round. His evidence for such a view was impeccably sourced.

"I thought about Abdal Hakim's talk this morning as I read the reports coming in of the dreadful bombing and shooting in Norway wherein, of course, there was speculation that these two events were 'Islamic-terror related'. No doubt we will learn more over the coming days, but the early signs are, in fact, that the perpetrator was a 'blond, blue-eyed Norwegian' with 'political traits towards the right, and anti-Muslim views'. Not surprisingly, the man's intentions were neither linked to these 'traits', nor to his postings on 'websites with Christian fundamentalist tendencies'. Any influence 'remains to be seen'; echoes of Oklahoma 1995.

"Interestingly, this criminal is described by one unnamed Norwegian official as a 'madman'. He may well be, but this is one way that the motivations for heinous crimes can be airbrushed out of the story before they have the chance to take hold in the popular imagination...."
[emphasis mine]

Chauvinism: It's Not Just For Male Pigs

I think I know why Ibrahim Hewitt assumes that the "madman" and his right-wing/Christian fundamentalist beliefs will be given a clean bill of health by the West.

I've done time in American academia, and am familiar with the notion that the world is divided into the authoritarian, hierarchical, male-dominated, oppressive West - and the West's victims. I'm oversimplifying - but not by all that much, in some cases.

Nobody seems to have a monopoly chauvinism, an "extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs." (July 23, 2011)

Living With (real) Diversity

Quite a few folks in America's 'better' circles seem to assume that the Ku Klux Klan and that "God Hates You" church are typical Christians. That's not true, but as I've said before: I don't expect to change the mind of a zealot.

What Mr. Hewitt may not realize is that the folks who killed thousands of people in New York City's World Trade Center were also called "madmen" by quite a few folks on this side of the Atlantic. Which was, in a way, as serious an insult as that "towelhead" crack.

I think quite a few folks in "the West" haven't quite come to grips with accepting:
  • That a person can deliberately chose to do something that's wrong. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 407)
  • The idea that someone can disagree without being
    • The enemy
    • Satanic
    • Racist
    • A commie
    • Whatever
I'm also quite sure that folks who aren't at all comfortable living in a world that's full of 'foreigners.'

"Airbrushing," Due Process, and Assumptions

It sometimes seems as if 'everybody knows' - in some circles - what 'those Christians' are like.

Or 'those Muslims.'

Or anybody who's not part of the little circle of like-minded folks.

I think quite a lot Euro-American history since at least the 18th century can be seen as learning how to deal with folks who don't agree with the king - or president - without killing them. Or making them hated pariahs.

That process has made quite a difference in how news is handled in Western countries. I think the results can be shocking to someone who'd accustomed to more orderly, controlled, societies.

Here's a sample of how "the motivations for heinous crimes" are being "airbrushed out of the story" here in the West:
"Norway suspect 'fundamentalist Christian' "
Pierre-Henry Deshayes, The Sydney Morning Herald (July 24, 2011) (it's 'tomorrow' there already)

"Police say the Norwegian suspect in the two attacks that left at least 92 dead described himself as a fundamentalist Christian, as evidence emerged that he had flirted with the political far-right.

"The 32-year-old, previously unknown to police, was arrested on Friday after a bomb blast in central Oslo killed seven people and a shooting rampage at a youth camp near the capital left at least 85 dead and scores wounded.

"Local media have identified him as Anders Behring Breivik, whose picture on his Facebook page shows a man with longish blonde hair and piercing eyes.

"The posting lists his religion as 'fundamentalist Christian' and his political opinions lean "to the right", police said.

" 'He has certain political traits that lean to the right and are anti-Muslim but it is too early to say if that was the motive for his actions,' police commissioner Sevinung Sponheim told public television NRK on Saturday...."
"Norway terror suspect believed to be Christian fundamentalist"
Author Gabriel Borrud, Editor Andreas Illmerc, Deutchse Welle (July 23, 2011)

"With the motive still unknown, Norway police have described the suspect in Friday's deadly attacks in Oslo as an 'ethnic Norwegian' and 'Christian fundamentalist,' dismissing reports of links to rightwing extremists.

"The 32-year-old man charged with the deadly Oslo twin bomb and shooting attacks is a blonde-haired and blue-eyed 'ethnic Norwegian' with no apparent links to rightwing extremists or terrorist groups, police said Saturday in the wake of the country's worst tragedy since World War II.

" 'Anders Behring Breivik came from nowhere,' police spokesman Roger Andersen said, dismissing claims that the man belonged to any of the known rightwing organizations in Norway.

" 'We would have otherwise had him on our radar if he had been active in any neo-Nazi group,' adding, however, that it was possible that the man was influenced by extremist ideology.

"From information gleaned from social networking sites, Breivik appears to be a conservative Christian nationalist. Before his Facebook profile was deactivated late on Friday, it featured a picture of a man with wavy blonde hair looking away from the camera. He was listed as 'conservative, Christian, and single,' but no warnings of any coming attacks could be found...."
"Profile: The Christian Extremist Suspect in Norway's Massacre"
Ujala Sehgal, The Atlantic Wire (July 23, 2011)

"The death toll in Norway rose to at least 91 in Norway, the New York Times reports, following the bombing of a government center in Oslo on Friday and a shooting attack on a nearby youth camp island. The reports so far have been horrifying. According to The Guardian, a 15-year-old camper gave her account of hiding behind the same rock that the killer was standing on, dressed in a police uniform, as he shot at people. Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg said he knew many of the victims of the shooting on Utøya personally.

"The Norwegian police charged a 32-year-old man on Saturday, who was identified by the Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik. The photo above is a screen grab from his Facebook page, which has since been blocked. Breivik has been identified as a 'Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections,' according to the Times, as well as with anti-Muslim views, according to multiple sources...."
My guess is that nobody's going to be entirely happy with any of those selections - certainly not 'fundamentalist Christians,' or folks with 'far-right' political views. Who aren't necessarily the same people.

What the Western press is doing probably won't please folks like the fellow who wrote that "Norway, Islam and the threat of the West" op-ed, either. I'm pretty sure that it would be more satisfying for many, if the the 32-year-old man was vilified as a Christian warmonger oppressor. Or whatever the stock phrase for 'enemy of the people' is these days.

Another set of folks would probably rather see the suspect hailed as a patriot.

Me? I think killing those folks was a bad thing to do.

I'm not entirely happy with the way the news is being handled. Not because I approve of mass murder: it's "madman" angle. And that's almost another topic.

On the other hand, I think the reporters and editors are trying to describe someone whose views are very foreign to their own. And do so without violating the rules and customs of accuracy that we've been developing over the last few centuries.

I'm also not at all surprised that the lack of 'holy zeal' in vilifying the Christian 'monster' upsets folks who are used to a somewhat different set of rules.

The Greatest Commandment, and Living in a Big World

I mentioned the "greatest commandment" earlier today. It's 'love God, love your neighbor.' (Matthew 22:36-40) Which I think is fairly easy to remember: but very hard to do, sometimes.

I've posted about neighbors, practical love, and living in a world with hundreds of nations, before:Then there's the matter of freedom - which doesn't mean "freedom to agree with me, or perish."

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Chauvinism Knows No Borders

A "conservative Christian Nationalist" killed upwards of 90 people in Norway yesterday. As I wrote earlier today, "prayer couldn't hurt." This post is one of three:
Now, my take on what it's like to live in a world where most folks aren't just like me. That's the way I like it, by the way.

Seriously: a world full of Norwegian-Irish Minnesotans? That'd be - monotonous.

Unpleasant Realities, and Assumptions

The world is full of unpleasant realities. It's also nowhere near as simple as some folks seem to imagine. Take 'Islam and the West,' for example.

"The Islamic world" covers a swath of territory from the Mediterranean to the Pacific: and includes Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. We're not looking at a monolithic, uniform, block of people here. Not even close.

"The West" isn't all that uniform, either: although we may seem that way to someone in, say, Saudi Arabia - or some philosophy departments. I'll get back to unsubtle contrasts of belief in "the West" later.

Chauvinism, "extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs," isn't limited to men (as in "male chauvinist pig"), Americans, college professors, WASPs, Catholics, or any other large group. Not in my experience.

I've discussed wackadoo chauvinism in another blog.1

Hating People: Not an Option

I think chauvinism is a bad idea. Particularly since often "the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards rival groups." (Wikipedia)

Since I'm a practicing Catholic, hating people isn't an option. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1033, 1765, 1866, 2262) (December 9, 2010) Maybe you've known a Catholic who hated someone: I'm not surprised. The 1,000,000,000 or so Catholics alive today aren't all like Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Some of us are jerks.

Those Nasty People Who Aren't Us?

And maybe you've heard that the Catholic Church hates women, or homosexuals, or the Masses. I'm not surprised. It's not true: but folks have been known to believe some very odd things.

Like the idea that using a euphemism will make folks feel good about some group. Which I discussed yesterday, in another blog:

The West, Christians, and Assumptions

The distinctly Norwegian suspect - and his right-wing views - were being discussed yesterday. Today, it turns out that he has right-wing views and expressed them on "Christian fundamentalist" websites.

"Christian" can mean quite a few things. (July 19, 2011) Here's one view of what 'those Christians' are like:


(Reuters photo, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

Some of America's better-educated folks think that 'those Christians' need to be ridiculed. Perhaps in hopes that everybody will stop believing in superstitious nonsense.

Here's how a Minnesota professor defended reason against superstition and ignorance:


(from PZ Myers, Pharyngula (July 24, 2008), used w/o permission)

Like I said before, "If Catholics are superstitious, how come we're not allowed to be superstitious?" (August 18, 2010). And that's another topic, almost.

Next: "The Threat of People Who Aren't Just Like Us."

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1 My take on wackadoo chauvinism from all over:
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Oslo, Dead Bodies, Love, Hate, and Getting a Grip

I've got quite a bit to say about what happened in Norway yesterday - and its implications. This post is mostly about love, faith, and neighbors.

The others:

Prayer for Anders Behring Breivik, the Dead, and the Living

More than 80 90 people were killed yesterday in Norway. At least one bomb went off in Oslo, and someone shot dozens of teens and young adults at an island camp.

Prayer Couldn't Hurt

First, and very importantly: prayer couldn't hurt. For:
  • The people who were killed
    • Their families and friends
  • Everyone else in Norway
  • The man who killed those folks
That last point isn't as soft-headed, or simply crazy, as it may seem. We're told to:

"Love," "Approval," and Getting a Grip

Does all that "love" stuff sounds like soft-headed, bleeding-heart, tacit approval of evil behavior? I really don't think it is.

As I've said before, "love" isn't "approval." (April 26, 2011)

As for not ranting about 'that sinner over there?' Luke 18:11-14 and Matthew 7:1-2 has what I think is pretty good advice.

Coming next: "Chauvinism Knows No Borders."

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Friday, July 22, 2011

Government Shutdowns, Credit Card Debt, and Common Sense

Minnesota's government shut down recently, because this state's politicos have been spending more of our money than they took - and finally ran into their credit limit. It's sort of like someone using new credit cards, until their combined minimum payments exceeds their income.

America's Federal government's politicos are going through the same sort of reality check.

I'm not surprised at either situation: except maybe that it took this long to happen.

'Buying Things You Don't Need...'

Back in the '60s, I was doing what many teenagers do. Most, I'm told. I was taking a long, hard, look at what my parents had told me; what they actually did; and doing the same for the culture I grew up in.

My folks were okay, and I still think there's a lot of good in American culture. On the other hand, there's the crazy notion of 'success' that was endemic: thinking you need to 'buy things you don't need, with money you don't have, to impress someone you don't like.'

That didn't make sense to me then, and it still doesn't.

Money's Okay: Worshiping it Isn't

Another way of defining success is to find a way to serve other folks: one that will be rewarded in some way. In America, we call it 'earning a living,' and reward folks with money: same as most cultures that trade with each other these days.

There's nothing wrong with money, or having money. What matters is our attitude toward it, and what we do with what we have. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1723, 1928-1942, 2534-2550, and more)

The Great Depression, Common Sense, and All That

My parents remembered what's called the Great Depression. Some folks learned that banks weren't absolutely reliable - and spent the rest of their lives stuffing mattresses with currency. My parents learned that the unexpected happens, and
  • Avoided debt
  • Didn't waste
    • Food
    • Materials
  • Bought what they needed
    • Not necessarily what they wanted
These days, some of that's called "recycling" and "fiscal responsibility." For me, it's just common sense. And another topic, almost.

One of the advantages to the old-fashioned notion of 'living within your means' is that sometimes there's surplus at the end of the billing cycles. Also, it makes conventional charity a whole lot less painful - and more possible.

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Leiby Kletzky's Murder, Gossip, Information, Evil, and Balance

I've opined about Leiby Kletzky's Murder before:
Repeating what I suggested last week: prayer couldn't hurt. The Kletzky family, their friends, and neighbors, are going through a rough time.

Gossip, Information, and Selling Papers

I think I agree, pretty much, with what this op-ed had to say:
"Haredi Sensitivity"
Ari L. Goldman, The Jewish Week (July 19, 2011)

"There was a sign outside the apartment in Borough Park where Leiby Kletzky's family was sitting shiva for him last week that said: 'DO NOT share rumors, stories and information you have heard – at all!!'

"Many newspapers quoted the words of the sign and then immediately violated its proscription by going on in graphic detail about the abduction and grisly murder of the 8-year-old Haredi boy. But one paper that did not detail the 'rumors, stories and information' was Hamodia, a Brooklyn paper that calls itself 'the Daily Newspaper of Torah Jewry.'..."

Do Not Share - - - Information?!

When I read that second paragraph, I thought the author might be of the 'if we ignore it, maybe the problem will go away' school. What bothered me was that quote: "...'DO NOT share rumors, stories and information you have heard – at all!!'..." [emphasis mine]

Happily, I kept reading - and I'll get back to that.

Sometimes "Gossip" isn't "Gossip"

"Gossip" can mean quite a few things, including:
  1. Light informal conversation for social occasions
  2. A report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people
  3. A person given to gossiping and divulging personal information about others
    (Princeton's WordNet)
'Gossip #1' is the sort of chitchat that seems to oil the machinery of human socializing.

I doubt that shooting the breeze, making conversation, engaging in small talk - whatever it's called where you are - will solve any great issues. But I'm not convinced that we're supposed to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering points of penultimate purport. After all, God set the tone by taking a day off - and that's another topic.

'Gossip #2' is what I have in mind, when I use "gossip" in this post:
"A report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people"
(Princeton's WordNet)
I think that sort of gossip isn't a good. Which is hardly a new idea: Sirach 19:5-16.

Respect, Justice, and Gossip

Gossip, the 'dishing the dirt' variety, is on the Catholic Church's no-no list:
"Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.278 He becomes guilty:
  • "of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
  • "of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;279
  • "of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2477)
I think it's safe to think that Catechism, 2477, doesn't forbid publishing information about kidnappings, murder, or baseball scores. Particularly considering words like:
  • "unjust"
  • "assumes"
  • "without sufficient foundation"
  • "remarks contrary to the truth"
So far, that's the 'is it true?' part of deciding whether to share something.

Then, there's the 'is it necessary?' question. That's where "without objectively valid reason" comes in.


Hypothetical Fred, Dandelion Wine, and Zero Tolerance

An example might be someone noticing that the loudest critic of alcohol on the block - let's call him Fred - is drinking a glass of dandelion wine. Fred taking a nip of homemade wine is juicy gossip.

But it may, or may not, be something that has to be shared with others. That sip of wine could, after a few retellings, become a drunken rampage, real alcohol abuse, or some other reputation-damaging imaginary phenomenon. Fred may even think that "alcohol" is limited to whiskey, bottled beer, and Demon Rum. Folks can have odd ideas - and that's yet another topic.

On the other hand, if Fred's already knocked back a few pints of his fermented weeds, and is about to operate heavy machinery - or even drive to the grocery - blowing the whistle on the ersatz teetotaler might save a life. "Friends don't let friends," and all that.

You want black-and-white rules, daft zero tolerance, and Draconian decisions? The Catholic Church isn't the place to look. I've opined on how "purposely vague" the Church seems to some folks before,

Murder, Gossip, Emotions, and Reason

Before getting back to Hamodia, sharing information, and getting a grip: I'd better point out that, in my considered opinion, murder isn't nice. Happily for me, that's one opinion I didn't have to change when I converted to Catholicism:
  • Murder isn't nice, and we we shouldn't do it
I also think there's nothing wrong with emotions: but that high passion and cool reason don't play well together. I've opined about that, too:
Much more to the point, the Catholic Church discusses reason and emotions. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 35, 1762-1770: for starters)

"DO NOT share ... information...," Getting the Word Out

The author of that op-ed seems to approve of the way Hamodia honored the spirit, if not the letter, of that sign's request, to "not share...information:"
"...From the time Leiby was reported missing, Hamodia used its pages to help get the word out. It covered the extensive search for Leiby and told of the 3,000 volunteers who scoured the neighborhood 'block by block' looking for clues. It also praised 'the Catholic, Asian and Pakistani communities' for handing out flyers with information and for alerting people to 'keep an eye out for the missing boy.'..."

"...The Daily News and the New York Post outdid each other with sensational headlines, like 'Gone in a Flash,' 'Monster,' 'Every Parent's Nightmare,' 'Twisted,' 'Confessions of a Lunatic' and 'the Butcher of Brooklyn.'..."
("Ari L. Goldman, The Jewish Week)
I don't think yelling "Monster" at Levi Aron - in or out of the headlines - will bring Leiby Kletzky back to life. Doing so may feel good: but so does chugging down a six-pack or two; until the next morning.

I don't think folks in New York City need to be reminded that murdering a child isn't nice, or that there's something wrong with a man who does so.

That "Confessions of a Lunatic" headline may be the sort of defense that Levi Aron's lawyer will use in his trial. The 'insanity defense' has some basis in reality - and that's yet again another topic.

Remember: I said that I think murder isn't nice, and that we shouldn't do it. Not dehumanizing Levi Aron is not the same as saying that what he did was okay.

I'm skipping the usual "allegedly" stuff, by the way. "Innocent until proven guilty" is, I think, a good idea: but in this case the man confessed, and had parts of Leiby in his freezer. If he didn't kill the child - there's something even more "twisted" going on, than what's likely to show up in tabloids. Yet more topics.

"Evil?"

An op-ed in NYDailyNews.com used the word "evil" to describe what happened to Leiby Kletzky.

I'm inclined to agree - and still a bit surprised to see that sort of value judgment in a newspaper: online or otherwise. In my "Good Old Days," things weren't "evil." The fashionable terms were more along the lines of "oppressive," "authoritarian," and - a perennial favorite - "racist." Sort of like "commie," a decade or so earlier. Still more topics.

I think America's dominant culture is edging toward accepting that "evil," on a personal level, really does exist. And that evil is bad - not just an alternative to cultural standards. We make progress. Still more topics again.

"Go Play on the Freeway - And Watch Out for Traffic?"

I think letting children learn to make decisions is a good idea. I also think that hovering, hyper-protective, parents do their children no favors.

But I think that "go play on the freeway, kid" isn't good parenting. Even if the parent adds "and watch out for traffic."

Quite a few editorials insist that parents shouldn't start restricting their children's activities as a result of just one little kidnapping and murder. I think they've got a point. "Hovering, hyper-protective, parents" and all that.

On the other hand, I'm not sure that letting kids run across a mine field would be a good idea - even if they had a map and metal detectors. There's "free," and there's "unprotected."

Yes, some street-wise kids managed to elude predators. But others - apparently - didn't. Remember: law enforcement is trying to correlate Aron Levi's movements with known missing-children cases. My guess is that many predators aren't as sloppy as Mr. Levi was, when it comes to disposing of evidence.

I think it'd be really nice, if children could be let out the door in the morning and left to their own devices: and be quite safe. That'd be nice. It's not, sadly, the reality that we live with. There's a balance between keeping your kids alive, and letting them learn how to handle themselves. Just what that balance is - isn't going to be easy to find.

'Run Free, and Hope No One Gets You'

I was in my teens when Born Free hit the screen. I still like the movie's song, although I don't quite agree with its underlying assumptions.

After reading a few of the 'let your children be free' op-eds, alternative lyrics came to mind:

Run free, and hope no one gets you.
Keep looking around you
And plan a line of retreat.

News and Getting a Grip

I think that publishing an account with phrases like "desperate screams" and "Butcher of Brooklyn" - sells newspapers. I also think that sort of breathless coverage whips up emotions that are already thoroughly engaged. Or should be.

On the other hand, I think that publishing at least some details of what happened to Leiby Kletzky - and what appears to be objectively odd behavior by his murderer - might help folks understand what happened. And that might, arguably, keep another child from being killed.

Ignorance may be bliss - but I'd rather know about threats before they hit. Which is why I think severe weather warnings are worth the risk of 'panicking the Masses.'

And that threatens to get me off yet again another topic.

Here's a sampling of what's been published about Leiby Kletzky's Murder:
"Authorities: Slain boy was drugged, smothered"
Nina Golgowski, CNN (July 20, 2011)

"The 8-year-old boy who was abducted and killed last week in Brooklyn died after being drugged and then smothered, the office of New York's Chief Medical Examiner announced Wednesday.

"The autopsy results for Leiby Kletzky listed a cocktail of four prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the boy's system: cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxant; quetipine, an antipsychotic drug; hyrocodone, a pain medication and acetaminophen, the drug found in Tylenol, according to a statement from the medical examiner's office...."
"N.Y. Man Charged With Murder of Boy Reportedly Has History of Strange Behavior"
FoxNews.com (July 17, 2011)

"The New York man charged with murder in the death of an 8-year-old Hasidic boy whose dismembered body was found Wednesday in a freezer and a trash bin in Brooklyn reportedly has a history of suspicious behavior, the New York Post reports.

"A woman who lives three doors down from Levi Aron, 35, the suspect in the murder of Leiby Kletzky, told the Post that Aron had unsuccessfully tried to kidnap her son within the past two years...."
" 'Mum's desperate screams stopped Butcher of Brooklyn kidnapping ANOTHER boy' "
Mark Duell, Mail Online (July 17, 2011)

"It seems the 'Butcher of Brooklyn' almost succeeded in kidnapping another boy just three doors away from his home.

"Levi Aron, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, has admitted suffocating eight-year-old Leiby Kletzky with a bath towel in his apartment...."
"Leiby Kletzky's death shouldn't make us fearful parents: Let yours roam free"
Miven Trageser, NYDailyNews.com (July 17, 2011)

"Leiby Kletzky died at the hands of a maniac last week. Nothing any of us can say or do can ever erase that horror. But his parents did not make a foolish choice in letting the 8-year-old boy walk alone for those few blocks. They made a reasonable, age-appropriate decision to give him a small amount of autonomy. The lightning of evil struck, which it sometimes will. Evil exists.

"Yesterday, I left my 9-year-old alone in Yogurtland while I went to the rest room. She was entirely comfortable with this arrangement and would have looked at me funny if I had said she had to come with me. She has been raised to trust that her world is mostly safe, that adults are usually trustworthy. She's been taught how to be competent in it...."
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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.