Catholic Philosophy
Here's a larger than usual eye coo written late last year, but sometime before 12/3:
*
catholic philosophy
a
coward speaks in generalities
but the specific is often
universal
and bravery can cloud reason
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 3/4/2010 7:53 AM 
Categories: Poetry by JC,Religion and Philosophy
Tags: Catholic i ku
Categories: Poetry by JC,Religion and Philosophy
Tags: Catholic i ku
good one
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Thanks!
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When I wrote this, I had in mind these words by William Blake: "To Generalize is to be an Idiot; To Particularize is the Alone Distinction of Merit." Seems like he's making a couple of generalizations of his own here....
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I think it's actually good to be able to express oneself--unfortunately we are expected to be 'correct' in general contexts when what we are commenting on with a generalization is typically analysis of a specific context.
Context is key when deciding the applicability of analysis.
It's important as intellectuals to be able to talk abstractly so that we can become more progressed in our philosophies, our thought. Dialectics is important, I think, as long as it's not an exercise, but a genuine groundbreaking, a progression.
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I agree
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I don't think these qualities are limited to Catholics. I don't think that the problem is Catholics. I think the problem is Religion. This is like saying that all Germans were anti-semites.
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As a Catholic and a spiritual person, I take offense at your characterization of Catholicism. I am fully aware that the Catholic Church has done some dispicable things in the name of God, but that is humans failing it is not a failure of the faith or of the faithful who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
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I have not characterized Roman Catholicism or any church at all in this poem. I'm using the word catholic according to its original Greek and Latin meaning (which is also its original English meaning), before it was appropriated by the Church.
From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/catholic --
catholic [ˈkæθəlɪk ˈkæθlɪk]
Have you seen this video? http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=286672743938&ref=mf
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I could have titled this "my philosophy of the catholic/universal" -- but I figured the "universal" was redundant, the "my" implied (being that these are obviously my words on my blog), and the "of the" superfluous (for example, why would I say "love of the lasagna" when I could say "lasagna love"?).
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John, I follow your definitions of universal and catholic plus your placement of love either before or after lasagna.
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Elena, your words are beautiful and I totally agree with them. As you know, my husband and my daughter are Jewish and maybe you would, or maybe you wouldn't be surprised at how I have to defend their religious beliefs. My husband has actually been by skinheads asking for his "Jewish Star" and people were surprised and confused that I 'agreed" to raise my daughter Jewish. I did not "agree" to raise her Jewish. After much prayer, reflection and contemplation, I decided to raise her Jewish because it was the right thing to do. I'm not going to get into why it was the right thing to do, but If anyone is curious about it, I'll tell that story on myspace. It's kind of like when people say that racism is over because Obama is black. It's not. We all still are defensive from time to time because we always have to defend ourselves from time to time. Not all people are as intelligent or enlightened as you my dear friend. But I took your words to heart because I agree with you completely. In a perfect world, all would feel this way.
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Oh, that makes a world of difference. Thank you so much for the explanation. I really did like the poem, I just had a problem with the title. Now I get it. Many times I hesitate to comment on your poetry for fear of showing ignorance. I get brave, or in this case defensive and angry, and I break out of my shell and say something. It's true that he who asks the most learns the most. So thanks for the explanation. I appreciate having the freedom to make mistake and get an explanation and learn something without being judged or made to feel ignorant.
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is that "catholic" in the sense of universal,
or "catholic" as in the flat-earth religious wrong?
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reading the other's comments, i've answered my question.
i find religion one of civilizations worst inventions - pay now, don't collect later is their basic scam.
how anyone can defend a group who tortures and kills in the name of their merciless just god is beyond me - how does one justify shoving hot crucifixes up the vaginas of the nuns as the priests did at Loudin?
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Hey Smith, once my daughter in law, who is a philosophy and history major and a Ph.D. and claims to be an atheist asked me if I believed in God. After thinking this over I told her that I didn't believe in the God she didn't believe in either. lol
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I guess I could've been talking about the Catholic church - but that didn't even occur to me until after I wrote the poem and was trying to decide on a title. I didn't write the poem about the title, but vice versa. That said, I chose "catholic" over "universal" in the title for two reasons: (1) I had used universal in the poem already and (2) admittedly, I liked that it was potentially more provocative and could be taken other ways than universal. But "universal" was my original and primary meaning - and that term, to me, includes all churches and non-churches (as no institution or human has a monopoly on cowardice, bravery or the universe).
My somewhat amusing perspective is that if anyone should be offended by this poem it's me. After all, I'm speaking a generality in the very first line (and not just there) -- so I'm essentially calling myself a coward, though I then proceed to defend myself and my cowardice as reasonable in the next two lines. But I think we all try sometimes to rationalize our personal cowardices -- and so I see that tendency as a universal (catholic) human trait.
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When I read the word Catholic as Universal, this poem is brilliant. It was the title that threw me off. Excuse my ignorance and continue to enlighten me, please.
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I'm still looking for enlightenment myself.
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In defense of Catholics, as I said, I am a Catholic. I am aware that many atrocities have been commited in the name of Catholicism (the religion) and that the Catholic Church as an organization is not always correct or even behaving as a Christian body. I define myself as a Catholic because I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and Catholicism is the avenue i choose to do this. I don't believe that it is the only valid religion and there are many rules of the Catholic Church that I disagree with. I am pro-choice, pro gay marriage, pro birth control, pro female priests and probably there is more that the Church and I do not see eye to eye on. But when it comes to faith, I am most comfortable there and while I do not believe there is one true religion and I do not believe that you even need to believe in God at all, this is what I have chosen and I wish to be judged on my Catholicism. I do not want to be labeled as someone who believes that the atrocities that have been committed in the name of God by many religions, including mine, are condoned by me in any way. And if you believe that this life is the only one, that there is no God, then good for you, because I live my life like this is it, and I do believe that it very well may be.
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Sorry I'm late to the party.. I was away and didn't see all the discussion till today....
glad you have time for all this discussion Mr. B..... know your very busy.
But I guess I don't relate the title to the poem or find it hard to see it separately.. I actually see it as part of the poem... And yet... i also see it as separate and unrelated .. almost like a Zen koan. So a paradox..
I've read all the comments... and would just like to add that I was raised Roman Catholic as a child... till my teens... then as an adult switched over to a more "universal" catholic denomination that is very small here in the USA... the Liberal Catholic Church... which is very open and inclusive..plus the priests can marry... and in some break-aways from it now women are even given orders and made priests... also my husband is a priest in the LCC. And has been one for 45 years.. Saying all that. I didn't find the title or the poem offensive or an attack on Catholicism in general or specifically... so wonder why Tara took it to be an attack when it seemed none was made? Just my thought on it.
The whole idea of generality and specificity is a philosophical question that comes up many discussions about morals, beliefs, values, etc... and is where a lot of divergence of opinion on things comes up... It is were people divide off into either fundamentalism or a broader view of things... and I say that very broadly because it can also refer to politics as much as to religion.( Which often influence one another anyway.)
So a thoughtful haiku.. to me.
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Thanks! Your comment on how we "divide off into either fundamentalism or a broader view" calls to mind these lines from my Identity Crisis :
Zorba the Greek and Nikos Kazantzakis
Who said in The Last Temptation of Christ that
"The doors to heaven and hell
Are adjacent and identical"
I'm willing to bet my chances at either-or
That they might just be the same door
That there might be only one door after all
And we're all pretending to see it
Like blind men looking at an elephant
One grabs the trunk and calls it a snake
One grabs the leg and calls it a pillar that will not break
One grabs only a whiff of the tail end
And calls it P.U.
But we fail to see it be you
And be me as much as it be him or her
Or B.M.
And all in all is all we are
Like Kurt Cobain said before he blew off his head
All in all is all we are
Despite our poetry
Or know-itry or no-itry
And one day we will know it
See
And if Kurt didn't really believe it all before
He said ciao and ka-pow
He does now.
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Boy on re reading my first comment I see I was inarticulate.... I meant to say~ hmmm. trying to think how to rephrase it...
The title seems both related to the poem and also not related but part of it... in other words can stand alone or not... like a zen koan paradoxical for content. Not sure that is any clearer... though I can picture in in my mind...
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Speaking of religion, I find that there are good and bad qualites and people in all religions. It doesn't seem to be the religion itself to blame; rather, it is the people who practice it and the way in which they choose to practice their faith. I do not assume to speak for all Catholics or the Church, but I happen to attend a wonderful church with a very caring congregation and a Priest who has guided me through some very hard times. To answer Chris' question the reason I took offense when I thought Catholic meant the religion is because I don't think of me/us as cowards or more brave than prudent. That's all I meant. And in this day and age Catholic bashing is not only socially acceptable, but even encouraged. You can make any kind of slur about a Chatholic that you want and virtually no one is offended. But make a derogatory comment about Jews, Muslims, etc. and you are going to find yourself in an argument being told that you are insensitive, dispassionate, and a bigot.
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