--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard M" <compost...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard M" <compost1uk@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Since stories about the Vatican have been in > > > > the air on FFL today, here´s another one. > > > > > > Vaguely related... > > > > > > The BBC recently ran a rather odd supernatural drama called > > > "Apparitions" starring Martin Shaw as a maverick exorcist > > > battlingdemons. I suppose not many folks on FFL could have > > > seen it. > > > > > > http://tinyurl.com/5aqkaw > > > > > > I say "odd" because it seemed to presuppose in the viewer a > > > Catholic metaphysics of exorcism, demons, the End of Days and > > > so forth > > > > And because it's odd. To the max. > > > > Curious, I downloaded the series and started > > watching it. I'm not sure I'll continue. It is > > very scary, and what scares me the most in it > > is that many Catholics really think like this. > > > > Why I might not finish watching it is that it's > > icky. Why I might finish watching it is that > > it's very ballsy. This is *not* a lightweight > > popularization of exorcism for TV; this is a > > full-blown "questioning of faith," on pretty > > much all levels. > > And, credit where credit's due, it's good to see something > a bit different (especially on BBC1 which has become so > dumbed-down IMO). We made it to three episodes.
I found six on the Pirate Bay, which may be all that ever exist. I'll watch them all. Like many non-Brits who don't seen the "big picture" of UK television, I sometimes think more of it than may be deserved, based on only having seen series like "Life On Mars" and "Ashes To Ashes" and some of the great historical dramas. But I can imagine, just by calling up the image of the front pages that are necessary to sell news- papers in Britain, that all is not highbrow. :-) > Wasn't it strange (from a dramatic point of view) that the > saintly assistant to Martin Shaw's character should meet a > sticky end so early on? By the conventions of these things > I was expecting her to be a fixture. Then, oops, she's > snuffed out by the dark forces like a sacrificed lamb. This *can* be an effective writer's tool. For example, in "The Stand" Stephen King spends easily half of the book (and it's a BIG book) getting you to know and love one of the char- acters, and then poof! -- he snuffs him. His sudden loss "reaches out" from the pages and makes you realize how involved you are in the story. That has not happened with any of the deaths in this TV series. > And with no rhyme nor reason (which perhaps is true to the > Christian idea of a world without a balancing idea of karma?) That is what struck me more than snuffing her: the fact that Father Jacob barely seems to miss her. And when he does, it's in platitudes like "We must trust that this was God's will, which we cannot understand." And shortly thereafter he has *no problem* with setting up a fellow priest to take the fall for a murder he did not commit. And why? Because Father Jacob has discovered that he works for Satan, not the Good Guys. The thought of there being real demons who pos- sess people and a real Satan I don't find scary at all. But the thought of people who dwell on these things every day? And who are willing to risk their closest companions' lives because they are so convinced that they "know" the "truth" and that they are so in tune with "the will of God" that only moments before they made platitudes about not being able to understand? THAT is scary. > > I mean, you've got yer Mother Teresa possessed > > by demons, yer Pope Pius possessed by demons, > > yer everyday priests possessed by demons, and > > you've got yer candidate for "Chief Exorcist," > > who is more than willing to watch all of his > > friends get killed and possibly lose their > > souls as he pursues his vision of his own faith. > > > > This is one fuckin' weird TV series. > > > > > I have to say I found it all very unpleasant and unattractive - > > > an oppressive atmosphere of the "religion of blood" replete > > > with the threat of hell and damnation, the torments of the > > > soul, demons, the Devil, and horrific suffering (in one scene > > > some poor sod is skinned alive). > > > > Absolutely. Imagine what it must be like to > > *dwell* on this stuff every day, as the > > believers in exorcism and Satan must do. > > Also - the way that very committed Christians *dwell* on the > crucifixion. Tell me about it. Did you ever see Mel's movie about Jesus? Pure S&M. > Isn't it peculiar to have an image of extreme torture and > suffering right at the heart of a major religion? Isn't it peculiar to have an image of your spiritual teacher's *death* at the heart of your religion, not his *life*? If people did that with Maharishi, they would be worshipping the scene right out of King Lear in which he had all of his courtiers trying to outbid each other with their declar- ations of devotion and promises to build big penises in his honor. TMers would be wearing lingams around their necks. :-) > Especially when you think of how mantra meditators will fuss > and fret over the importance to life and consciousness of subtle > differences between a range of words and phrases as objects of > meditation. Extrapolate that to those Christian monks and hermits > down the millennia who have been absorbed throughout their lives > in the contemplation of the lamb of God tortured by the Romans. > And with enormous commitment and sincerity in many cases. What > on earth does that do to their minds and "souls" and consciousness? > (Well in some cases we know that some get so absorbed in such > *meditation* that they manifest the stigmata). Watching this series, I remember every ten minutes or so the words, "What you focus on you become." As the series points out by bringing up Pope Pius and his inaction in the face of the holo- caust, if you believe in a God who would nail his only son to a tree for the "greater good" and because that was in accord with his will, is it that big a leap to think His will is somehow satisfied by the slaughter of six million Jews? It really is a fascinating series. I have learned a great deal watching it about the nature of faith, both positive and negative. On the one hand, Father Jacob's faith is astounding, and sometimes inspiring. On the other hand, the man is a total nut job. "What you focus on you become." Watching this series has helped me understand and have more compassion for those who have focused on life as battle, as a struggle between absolute good and absolute evil their whole lives. It has also made me feel exceedingly grateful that my spiritual path has left me believing that pretty much nothing is absolute, *least* of all puny humans' notions of "good" and "evil."
