“I work diligently not to cheat, not to make him something that the gospels don’t say he is. For example, I cannot dream of having him approve of things we approve of today. But I can emphasize his mercy and compassion as revealed in the Sermon on the Mount.”
I found this statement to be to be simply brilliant and brilliantly simple.
“For example, I cannot dream of having him approve of things we approve of today. But I can emphasize his mercy and compassion as revealed in the Sermon on the Mount.”
Wow. I agree that is simply, but brilliantly worded. Jesus may not approve of abortion, gay marriage, collecting royalties on S&M pornography and erotic vampire novels, but His mercy and compassion are great, so not to worry!
A heaping bowl of bullshit.
"A heaping bowl of bullshit."
And here I thought the interview was gracious, honest, and informative. Thanks for setting me straight, Pavel.
/sarcasm
"And here I thought the interview was gracious, honest, and informative."
I can't top this as a reply:
'Wow. I agree that is simply, but brilliantly worded. Jesus may not approve of abortion, gay marriage, collecting royalties on S&M pornography and erotic vampire novels, but His mercy and compassion are great, so not to worry!'
That set you straight enough?
Church media is pathetically grateful to any so-called celebrity who publicly announces an adherence to Catholicism.
No class. No dignity. Rotten self-esteem.
"I cannot dream of having him approve of things we approve of today. But I can emphasize his mercy and compassion as revealed in the Sermon on the Mount."
Anne clearly states that she isn't trying to create a Jesus in the world's image and likeness, but tries to emphasizes his mercy and compassion in her writing. That's a very Catholic statement and, in my book, puts her head and shoulders above "any so-called celebrity who publicly announces an adherence to Catholicism." Your mileage may vary, of course, but throwing around invective is not unlike casting stones.
"Anne clearly states that she isn't trying to create a Jesus in the world's image and likeness, but tries to emphasizes his mercy and compassion in her writing. That's a very Catholic statement and, in my book, puts her head and shoulders above "any so-called celebrity who publicly announces an adherence to Catholicism." Your mileage may vary, of course, but throwing around invective is not unlike casting stones."
Agreed. Just what is wrong with emphatizing Jesus mercy and compassion, is it contrary to what we read in the gospels about Him? Pavel's comment might hold water if Anne Rice had portrayed Jesus as a closet homosexual or some sort of hippie (something that many authors have done) but I've never heard anybody accussing her of this. In fact, I've read several Catholic bloggers who have commented on how good this book is. I highly doubt it would have been featured favorably on First Things if Anne Rice had been pushing her leftist views through it.
Geeze. What next, accusing somebody for writing about Jesus forgiving prostitutes and tax collectors?
throwing around invective is not unlike casting stones.
Yes it is, very much unlike. My pet peeve is people suggesting otherwise. The apostles themselves utilized invective, ridicule and reproach.
"Anne clearly states that she isn't trying to create a Jesus in the world's image and likeness, but tries to emphasizes his mercy and compassion in her writing. That's a very Catholic statement and, in my book, puts her head and shoulders above "any so-called celebrity who publicly announces an adherence to Catholicism." Your mileage may vary, of course, but throwing around invective is not unlike casting stones."
Agreed. Just what is wrong with emphatizing Jesus mercy and compassion, is it contrary to what we read in the gospels about Him? Pavel's comment might hold water if Anne Rice had portrayed Jesus as a closet homosexual or some sort of hippie (something that many authors have done) but I've never heard anybody accussing her of this. In fact, I've read several Catholic bloggers who have commented on how good this book is. I highly doubt it would have been featured favorably on First Things if Anne Rice had been pushing her leftist views through it.
"Yes it is, very much unlike. My pet peeve is people suggesting otherwise. The apostles themselves utilized invective, ridicule and reproach."
Speaking of pet peeves, mine is when people invoke Jesus and the apostles to excuse whatever mean comment they want to make in the name of "instructing the ignorant."
I have spoken in depth with Anne Rice and should put it on the record that she does not support abortion or homosexual marriage. If she still collects royalties on her vampire and erotic books, how do you know what she does with that money?
Unless you have the facts don't judge.
I do wish he would've followed up a litte bit on what Anne means by "pro-life" democrat (I know what a democrate is, I want to know what she means by using the phrase "pro-life democrat" when asked about voting on the issue of abortion). Is she or isn't she for restrictive abortion laws?
Yes, I understand the need for social policy that makes abortion something fewer people choose (or whatever), but does being a "prolife democrat" mean that one gets a free pass on supporting or opposing actual laws that target abortion access b/c they want to talk about different laws and policies instead? Scratching my head . . .
Anne, if you are out there reading, what is your position on abortion laws? Thanks!
If I may comment: the published interview is a much edited version of my discussions with Anne Rice.
I think you should remember that Anne Rice is a novelist, not a politician. She votes for a person she believes will promote the most Catholic and compassionate agenda.
At the same time she has taken the trouble to join Democrats for Life, and has been a member of this group even when she was an avowed atheist.
If you would like to know more about Democrats for Life, check their website.
Anybody notice that, in the interview, Rice says she's prolife, and was when she was an atheist? Even if she's still a 'dissenter' on homosexuality or women's ordination, which isn't at all clear from the interview (and I think she said otherwise in another interview), she's clearly still on the journey. All due respect to Pavel, but this doesn't seem like a case for invective.
I don't read the statement quoted at the beginning as setting up the Sermon on the Mont as a loophole for whatever liberal agenda item, but as trying to express an intent to be faithful to the Gospels and history, in restraining any possible personal temptations towards having Him approve of this or that agenda item.
In other words, whatever her biases are, she's consciously trying to reign them in.
"So not to worry!", Moe if that's a sincere statement, then you might be in for a surprise, but I suspect it's an insincere statement, in which case it's unfounded based on Anne's interview or my comment.
Sorry, Pavel, but that was cruel (and unjust, since AR has said she does not support abortion or gay marriage). Ann Rice says:
I feel I can somehow perhaps redeem my life by putting any and all skills that I acquired to use in these books on the Lord. This is keenly important to me, but I have to remain humble in the face of this, and never stop being afraid. “Fear Not.” Yes, I have to hear that when I write, but I have to be afraid too. I pray to follow in the footprints of the Lord in the desert and up the grassy hills of Galilee.
Pavel's reply:
"Church media is pathetically grateful to any so-called celebrity who publicly announces an adherence to Catholicism.
No class. No dignity. Rotten self-esteem."
Have you forgotten?
THE CELL
He looked for me but I was in my soul
The cell where no one goes except for one
Who has the key but passes through the wall
Who built and furnished it when it was done
Keep away, I told him, solitude
Since childhood is the service I say here,
Memory my sacramental food
The relic in the altar is my fear
I said: the door is locked since long ago;
That is the like with many yet with me,
He said, I have a grace to show
That will compose my love with memory
There is no wound of yours that I disdain
Your soul in mine I mingle in my veins
Fr. Longenecker:
According to their website, prolife Democrats mobilize at local, state, and national levels to:
support pro-life Democrats while in an elected position; promote a pro-life plank in the Democratic Party platform;achieve pro-life legislation with the help of national and state pro-life democrats; and participate actively in Democratic party functions and offices.
How could one be a pro-life Democrat and support Hillary so enthusiastically? Is there not ambiguity in that?
You are correct in that I know nothing about what Rice does with the royalties from her evil literature. I do know that evil reading corrupts and kills souls and that she has an immense audience in which to accomplish this. Is she crucifying Our Lord afresh every time one of these books is circulated and read? Why have I not read about any grief or repentance over the publication of these books? If her other books sustain the weak in faith, does that offset the evil books that kill souls?
Fr. Longenecker, you are an apostle of good literature. If we wish to convert a society, mustn't we first nourish it with good reading?
Moe - why don't you write Anne Rice, and ask her those questions?
You seem to want her to become St Theresa of Avila overnight. Are you at that level yet?
Moe, to state that the Vampire Chronicles (six of which are the only books of Rice's that I can speak to) are "evil books" is a gross statement that I suspect is not based on your reading of them.
The fictional universe that they were set in was unfortunately incomplete, not least of which Christologically, but it's space in which her characters no longer human (separated, alienated, and unambiguously damned) are still free agents whom we see spiraling into the depths of hell (the antagonists) or striving toward redemption (the protagonists). Sounds like the human drama (writ Gothic) to me; Anne suggests that it's her drama; and I'll admit that it's my drama too. By God's grace and our cooperation in it, the movement in souls is upward, but still, it's a drama.
True that her earlier pre-vampire work were "ribald tales" to put it politely, but any eroticism in the Chronicles was rather pitiful. It only illustrated that the damned were unable to participate in any real way in eros.
S. Murphy,
Thanks for reminding me that I'm not a saint. God wills that we not judge others. I've been snared by the devil today, I'm afraid, which lessens any merit and grace I might have.
I'm only passingly familiar with Rice's novels, having only read (or listened to readings of) parts of them, but I put my money on mcmlxix's understanding of role eros plays in her books. It is my impression that most of the vampires of literature and cinema are a damned lot who can only ape an approximation of the desires that they once experienced as human beings, and those simulacra of passions they do manifest tend ultimately to be destructive of themselves and others.
Blogger Jon Schaff not long ago wrote: "Perhaps this is why the vampire is such an enduring figure in our storytelling. The vampire is us, with the addition of our lust for immortality and minus our conscience. A monster."
Church media is pathetically grateful to any so-called celebrity who publicly announces an adherence to Catholicism.
That's mightily ungenerous of you, Pavel, as well as demonstrably untrue for this interview. To wit, Fr. Longenecker's second question: "Your earlier body of work is pretty, well, wicked. Did you include the erotic elements to sell books?"
Yeah, he's certainly groveling before Ms. Rice's celebrity status, alright.
Are the prolife Democrats supporting Obama?
'That's mightily ungenerous of you, Pavel, as well as demonstrably untrue for this interview. To wit, Fr. Longenecker's second question: "Your earlier body of work is pretty, well, wicked. Did you include the erotic elements to sell books?"'
I noted the question when I read the piece.
Thirty or so years ago (maybe 40?) the two top Catholic national newspapers had a combined circulation of approximately two million. Now it's likely to be under a hundred thousand for both. One is under thirty thousand last I heard. How come?
The statistics come from a personal conversation with a former editor of OSV.
Moe- Thank you for that gracious reply. I have to admit, my initial reaction to your post was pretty judgmental in its own right, but whether through grace or the accident of another sin (pride) interfering, I decided not to lose my temper in Mark's combox. Your reply makes me glad I didn't, and ashamed of my initial reaction, even though I didn't vent it into the keyboard.
And your questions raise generally valid points, although, specifically, it's not for the rest of us to know the state of Anne Rice's soul (it's enough work to know our own); and I think mcmlxix's take on her Rice's vampire novels is probably on target. I hope that rather than killing souls, some of her earlier work will entice readers to look at *Christ the Lord* and perhaps be drawn to Christ the Lord, as the resolution to the human drama that Rice casts in gothic form.
S. Murphy,
Thank you for your kindness. And thank you again for jolting me enough to make me realize I’m just a sinner. Christians are all on the same journey which is made particularly difficult because of the adversary whose objective it is to divide us and render us useless for Christ’s Kingdom. I’m truly sorry for the division I caused yesterday. God’s peace and blessings to you. And peace and blessings to Pavel, too.
+J.M.J+
>>>Thirty or so years ago (maybe 40?) the two top Catholic national newspapers had a combined circulation of approximately two million. Now it's likely to be under a hundred thousand for both. One is under thirty thousand last I heard. How come?
Well, I subscribed to OSV for many years, but one day I realized that I wasn't reading the papers as much and could get much of the same news on the Internet. That's also why I cancelled my subscription to one of the local daily papers.
I think most, if not all, printed periodicals are hurting now in the same way because of the Net.
In Jesu et Maria,
"And peace and blessings to Pavel, too."
God bless you, Moe.
Regarding the vampire novles et. al., and whether it's appropriate that she still sell/make money off them--she'd said in something or other before that a lot of people told her those books helped them find their way back to faith. That needs to be taken into account. It's true these things are not pure, but consider: going cold turkey off of drugs frequently does not work--it may even kill a person. They need to be eased off of it. The same dose which would do great harm to an innocent, clean body may be just the thing necessary to ease someone out of a deeper darkness. The things that would do damage in a purer, holier culture may be therapeutic in our seriously screwed up one.
Speaking of vampire-novel-writing writers tackling novelizations of Christ's life, has anyone read "Lamb" by Christopher Moore? I like some of his other books, but have stayed away from that one. Could it not be as blasphemous as I think it has got to be?
Speaking of pet peeves, mine is when people invoke Jesus and the apostles to excuse whatever mean comment they want to make in the name of "instructing the ignorant."
Yeah, that's another of my pet peeves too, but no one is doing that here so I didn't mention it.
I would desccribe myself as a pro-life Democrat also (here in PA we are also known as Casey Democrats).
Democrats for Life should be applauded, not vilified, for working for change on the issue of abortion within the Democratic party.
I have no desire to become a Republican, although I have a big problem with my own party and rarely vote for Democrats these days.
Also, on the issue of gay marriage, Anne Rice's son (also a novelist) is openly gay, therefore that has to be a complicated issue for her. I'm just sayin'.
CV, Democrats for Life has not been villified. I simply asked if Anne supported abortion restrictions. There are a wide range of pro-life law and policy approaches. But as a Catholic and concerning other Catholics, I think we do have an obligation to specifically support laws that address restricting abortion.
I was just asking if she gave any sense of what she does or doesn't support in terms of pro-life legislation - since some people call themselves "pro-life" without supporting a single abortion restriction. Just looking for clarity.
For what it's worth, Monica, I think you raised a fair question.
I was responding to Moe and others here who seem to think that identifying one's self as a "pro-life Democrat" or member of Democrats for Life is tantamount to voting for Clinton or Obama.
My point is that there are card-carrying Democrats who don't necessarily vote that way these days.
Swing voters r us 
CV,
Please reread my post and I think you will agree that I was not impugning pro-life Democrats, but only pointing out the ambiguity of being active in pro-life Democrats and enthusiastically endorsing Hillary.
Anne Rice comments on Pope Benedict XVI's "Jesus of Nazareth":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=P...feature=related
You gotta love her search for Truth. You gotta love her LOVE for our Lord.
Thanks for sharing the link showing Anne Rice being interviewed about our Holy Father's book, "Jesus of Nazareth." Rice was sincere. Her copy of the book was underlined and littered with post-it notes throughout. Particularly interesting to me was the portion of the interview where Rice likened her trip to the Sea of Galilee with the description our Holy Father wrote of the same spot she visited -- the same spot where Jesus preached at the edge of the Sea of Galilee, with the flowers, the birds, the beach, and the beauty one encounters there. I've read that the ancient Hebrews called it "the Harp," in honor of the soothing harplike sounds of its waves, and because it roughly resembles the shape of an ancient harp. I googled the Sea of Galilee: "In summer the Sea of Galilee's waters are sparkling and almost bathtub warm and if you find a tranquil, beautiful beach for a swim, you'll emerge from the lake feeling refreshed, soothed, and cleansed." Most likely some of Mark's readers have traveled there. Is it that Heavenly?
19 Visitors Online
Commenting by HaloScan
