Digest whorl.v012.n066

Christopher Culver · 27 Feb 2001, 18:01 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: "Christopher Culver" <new_sun at hotmail.com>
Subject: (whorl) Re: Digest whorl.v012.n066
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 18:01:05
Message-ID: <whorl-v0012-0382 at digest.urth.net>
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For the record, I'm Catholic. I was an atheist when I was younger, but=20
Graham Greene's novel _The Power and the Glory_ and a great deal of prayer=20
brought me into the Church. The BotNS had its part in that whole process,=20
too, especially such things as Severian's epiphany beside Ocean.

gerbil <james.kellar at quantel.com> wrote:
<<Just a thought - What do you think about the possibility that Wolfe's wor=
k=20
is intended, if not to convert people, but at least to make them think more=20
favourably of his own religion?>>

Although that was addressed to Blattid, I'd like to add my own two cents.

The Catholic elements in Wolfe's works are almost entirely concerned with=20
the sacraments, and with the relationship between *individuals* and the=20
Pancreator. There are none of the "political" elements that make the Church=20
unpleasant for many non-Catholics. It is the Catholic (universal) Church no=
t=20
because it has a universal presence among (and responsibility to) the human=20
community, but because the sacraments are represented everywhere in the=20
universe, bound to natural law. Issues of Church hierarchy, and that whole=20
supreme pontiff thing that makes many critics unsatisfied with Catolicism,=20
are not present in Wolfe's work. With such a technique, Wolfe can't help bu=
t=20
make Catholicism look a little more palatable.

Christopher CULVER <new_sun at hotmail.com>
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