The Catholic Book Club discussion

1. Use this thread to share observations while reading, or to discuss items not covered by other questions.

John wrote: "1. Use this thread to share observations while reading, or to discuss items not covered by other questions."

Will you allow me to warn Mrs. Esolen about the discussion of her husband's book? It is in case her husband wishes to participate in the discussion of her book.

So far I find this book very disappointing. It's clever, enjoyable for those who already share his viewpoint, but our very liberal son would call it a "screed," using loaded language and pejoratives to ridicule ways of thinking and living that millions of God's children have bought into. Sure, I share his certainties, but there must be a better way to persuade those who are questioning them!

I know to the Professor Esolen he is one of the most brilliant minds of United States.

I have just received an answer to my message from Mrs. Esolen who tells me that she will write to me to-morrow and that she will pass on the news to her husband, but I must say that there is a very good chance that she will not join in our discussion. At least it has been tried.

Jill wrote: "So far I find this book very disappointing. It's clever, enjoyable for those who already share his viewpoint, but our very liberal son would call it a "screed," using loaded language and pejorative..."

Could you give some specific examples, Jill?

I am wondering how to reach people who are unable or unwilling to see the disastrous results of the ways of thinking and living that they have bought into.

I like his phrase "overschooled and undereducated," but it depends on thinking the classics of Western thinking and civilization contain all truth. I suspect we have much to learn from other cultures and ways of seeing the world.
In confirmation of what he has to say about monogamous lifelong marriage being the best place to raise children is the testimony of Rob Henderson in Troubled, detailing how disastrous it was for him to be abandoned by one parent after another. He coined the term "luxury beliefs" (legalize pot. defund the police, extend "marriage" to any combination of people...) as those adopted by upper class intellectuals without regard for how damaging they are for those forced to live with the consequences.
Does he really think there's no such thing as "being gay" (same-sex attraction)? How people choose to live with that is an entirely different question.
Granted there are two distinct genders and it's not valid to extrapolate from the extremely rare cases where one person has physical characteristics of both, but there certainly is a continuum of what a particular culture deems "feminine" or "masculine" behavior, "girly girls" to "tomboys." And there have been cultures where the women were the warriors.
The horrors of the 20th century have been attributed as often to religious zealotry as to loss of belief in God/truth. Which is closer to the truth is debatable, not obvious.

Jill wrote: "The horrors of the 20th century have been attributed as often to religious zealotry as to loss of belief in God/truth. Which is closer to the truth is debatable, not obvious."

Debatable? To me it seems quite obvious that godlessness is behind the worst of the 20th century atrocities. The exact number is unknown, but an estimated 100 million people died in the 20th c. at the hands of their own government -- Russia/Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Cambodia, etc. -- all under godless Communist regimes. This doesn't include the many millions who died of famine, often traceable to government policies, and often in Communist countries.

The two world wars probably wouldn't have happened without the fragmentation of Europe caused by the Protestant Rebellion.

I wouldn't quite say that "the classics of Western thinking and civilization contain all truth," but certainly the Catholic faith gives us the highest form of the truth and how to live in light of the truth.

Wasn't the "Protestant Rebellion" a religious movement?

Answering an earlier question that asked for an example of loaded language: "In the least sulfurous section of the (book)store, the corner devoted to History,...you would also find silly snarling twaddle, from both political corners."

The rebellion protestant is one of the biggest betrays of the history and i totally agree with the Esolen's opinion in case that his opinion of the bad called reformers was negative.