The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
I will be starting my reading tonight after I am finished here. Josephus sounds like a man after my heart..at least military-wise. In addition to my firearms I am also a student of the martial arts. I read the brief intro to my volume last night to get me warmed up. He sure seemed to have problems staying married though..
Will keep you posted on my progress...and I don't consider sacred reading penance...unless maybe joyful penance 
Sitting back and taking in a good book with a warm relaxing beverage is almost too enjoyable to be considered penance
Sara
Lenten reading in the Benedictine Rule isn't penitential in the sense of reparation, it's strengthening for spiritual combat.
Sara, I'm thrilled to find you here. I'm also a lay Carmelite, sci-fi junkie, and shoot lever-action rifle. Frankly, I would have thought the combination was unique on the planet. You & all the regulars here are in my prayers. Thanks a bunch, D.G.!
Lenten reading in the Benedictine Rule isn't penitential in the sense of reparation, it's strengthening for spiritual combat.
Thanks for that clarification. I was, of course, just teasing about the penance. I'm enjoying Josephus, too, but I admit I find his autobiography a bit heavy with place names and sketchy on the necessary background politics. I actually am thinking it should be saved for after the Jewish War so the reader can have the proper background, but in my copy it comes first, and I'm reading the volume in its printed order.
And thanks always for the prayers, Xena.
Xena--
Great to see you here too. I am perhaps not a hard-core sci-fi fan--alot of the terminology here is foreign to me..but I grew up on Star Trek and Star Wars and enjoy them greatly..especially the different alien species and their cultures. As an engineer I'm on the cutting edge of many of the latest government technologies and I love to see how the sci fi of the past is the modern technology of today.
If all goes well I will be making my First temporary promise this November...this Lenten season will be a time of contemplation and using my mental prayer time to prepare. Carmelite spirituality has been a wonderful step in my spiritual life... "welcome to the next level" in gaming terminology.
And D.G... if your schedule permits it..you are more than welcome to pray the Office with us this Sunday afternoon. The Lay Carmelites in Ogden will be having our monthly meeting at St. James Sunday afternoon. We prepare for the Office at 2:45 pm beginning with a brief period of Adoration.
Now back to Josephus
Sara
Ah phooie, I'm afraid I'm being sent to the field. I won't even be in town.
Sara- Wonder if you've read Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought books? And do you find sci-fi is common among engineers? The reason I ask is because I'm a medievalist by training & there are so many sci-fi fans in the field it's a bit of a joke. Of course, there are limits--devoted reading/watching, but no one would be caught dead going to a conference or owning a toy.
And D.G., how 'bout archaeologists? Anything similar there? The whole line of Indiana Jones Lego sets that were just released made me wonder. The whole Legos-for-adults makes me a little nervous. Of course, a Lego seige of Massada would probably be pretty cool...
Xena--
I have not read the books you mentioned..perhaps this summer wold be a good time to explore some of the literature that is mentioned here. Due to my many interests my spare time is rather limited. I often do not have the time to make rosaries...which is a wonderful joy for me. Alas.. DO have to work for a living
I work with a bunch of tired old men who primary activity when they get home from work is falling asleep in front of the tv. Several are very active in geanology and another has the History and Discovery channels going 24/7. Not that there's anything wrong with that.. However--I'm the only girl in my office so I win the "Office Hottie" award by default
My brother has always been in to comic books... years ago when we were still teenagers we talked my mom into letting us go to a big comic book convention in Los Angeles...needless to say we got a good taste of how consumed folks can be with this stuff..to the point that there were actualy fistsfights over disagreements concerning characters. He did come away with a very nice sketch and autograph from one of the top comic book artists--at least back then... i'm clueless who. I think he still collects them, but in stealth mode.
And I must admit--Indiana Jones sure made archaeologists sexy when back in the 80's any kind of scientific pursuits automatically labeled you as a nerd.. D.G. should be having the babes FLOCKING to him For me being an engineer is automatically guy repellant :/ Of course--the tough thing too is you see all these cute guys in the gym and you're old enough to be their mom..I at least like my men to be old enough so I can buy them a drink
Sara
Sara
Okay, I'm laughing. And yes, D.G. should be swarming with babes, 'though if he gets a life our blog might get less interesting. Maybe he should volunteer to do a presentation on archaelogy at Steubenville, which I hear is crawling with orthodox women....
I mentioned Vinge 'cause he's an engineer who writes hard sci-fi that genuinely inventive and well-written.
Steubenville--they'd probably kick me out of there if I presented on archaeology.
Maybe he should volunteer to do a presentation on archaelogy at Steubenville, which I hear is crawling with orthodox women....
That sounds as if it could be the basis for a Catholic harem manga! Ah, I can see it now....
Snuffles, you weird me out sometimes.
HHmm.. Snuffles...I don't know about dragons but I know American men have a hard time handling just one woman, much less a whole harem Unless you're a Utah polygamist
P.S. If you're nice I'll show you my dragon tattoo sometime
Heh, heh. A few explanations are in order, I guess. First, "harem manga" is a...genre(?)...of Japanese comics in which one loser guy is surrounded by multiple beautiful women for one contrived reason or another. It's not a literal harem, but a pubescent fantasy world. The trope shows up in strange places, probably because it affords a writer/illustrator easy opportunity for humor, relational friction, and fanservice. There are also "flopped harems" featuring one loser girl surrounded by gorgeous men.
Second, I'm a dragon. I keep a cave in the high Himalayas where I have a sizable stash of precious metals and jewels as well as fourteen virgins. I know a little something about American men because I unfortunately share an apartment with one, and I agree they aren't too smooth with women, but we dragons don't have those problems.
Well--I don't consider myself a loser girl but you're more than welcome to send 14 handsome hunks my way. Just two stipulations--no shirts and they have to be straight If they are good at giving footrubs that is bonus points No divas need apply
Doesn't that smug tone of Snuffles' make you want to break his heart? Just a little? 'Cause there's nothing so noxious in the Valentine season as braggadaccio.
Snuffles -- I just realized that I don't know -- are you Catholic? If so, does that mean you have to abstain from eating those virgins on Fridays during Lent? Are you saving them up for Easter?
Wow!! What a GREAT reason to loudly proclaim to the world that you are NOT a virgin!! It keeps you from getting eaten by dragons
Unless there are those devious dragons that say--I love you anyway--and then proceed to devour you.
Hey Deej--
Any hints on how to break a dragons heart?? Besides stealing all his gold--I assume Snuffles is a medieval dragon??
Or I could pretend my dragon tatoo is a voodoo doll and stick pins in it...wait now that would hurt ME!!
I don't know who started this vicious rumor that dragons eat virgins...well, admittedly, water dragons do that, but the rest of us keep them as friends, servants, and companions.
Peter Gardner, I am not technically Catholic because the Church does not at present allow the baptism of fantasy creatures, an unjust code I am currently protesting. I do, however, fast during Lent. And for your information, I'm a vegetarian. For Lent, I gave up Oreo cookies and anime.
Ok, then. Sorry for the confusion.
I, too, live with smaller companions who are . . . high in fiber. Bearaphim, who is Russian Bearthodox, says that he'd totally eat a virgin. But then, he's not known for being a picky eater.
I hear the Orthodox mission to the dragons hit a roadblock years ago when one of the catechumens stumbled across an icon of St. George. That set them back a while. . . .
Bearaphim?
Wait a minute, I think someone is stealing my act...
Oh, Bearaphim has been around for years. He has no intention of ever competing with you when it comes to dragonish matters. He'd much rather sleep all day and eat things now and then. He'll leave the hoarding in your capable paws. (Dragons do have paws, right?)
We have opposable thumbs, so I don't think you can call them paws.
The Jesuits once had a highly successful mission to the dragons, but it fell apart when the Vatican discovered that the Jesuit priests were holding Mass in Draconic instead of Latin. Also, there was some confusion over the dragons' hoarding practices; at the time, hoarding was considered an expression of greed and was suppressed, but later Catholic scholars, after intense study, would determine that draconic hoarding stems from a preservation instinct that, unless practiced immoderately or idolatrously, in no way conflicts with the Natural Law. Had these cultural tensions not been an issue during the Jesuits' missionary efforts, most dragons might be Catholic today.
You might also be interested to know that some Christian dragons, in spite of the Church's relaxation on the matter, have decided to give up the hoarding of gold and virgins. To satisfy their insticts, they instead hoard Christian icons and relics and devote themselves to the Virgin Mary.
A Catholic wannabe, vegetarian, victim of vicious rumor.....I'm noting that as soon as I suggest breaking his heart, our otherwise grouchy, gratuitously-insulting-D.G. little reptile suddenly launches a PR campaign. Not buying it.
Me too Xena... He ESPECIALLY went into denial about devouring virgins.. Any lawyers out there open for a good cross-examination..
And it is my understanding that dragons do not HOARD per se, they are SAFE-GUARDING....
Sara
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