The Body Snatchers

Poster for the 1956 movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers has long been one of my favorites. I don't know what made me decide recently to pull out my DVD copy of it and watch it again. I can't remember the last time I watched it. In any case, after watching it, I thought that many of themes of the movie seemed to correspond to the past year of my life.

DVD Cover

The synopsis on the back cover of the DVD case reads (in part):

Something evil has taken possession of the small town of Santa Mira, California. Hysterical people accuse their loved ones of being emotionless impostors; of not being themselves. At first, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) tries to convince them they're wrong...but they're not.

Plant-like extraterrestrials have invaded Earth, replicating the villagers in giant seed "pods" and taking possession of their souls while they sleep. Soon the entire town is overwhelmed by the inhuman horror, but it won't stop there. 

In a terrifying race for his life, Dr. Bennell escapes to warn the world of the deadly invasion of the pod people!

I think the movie brought to mind how the RC Church has changed since Pope Francis took over. Perhaps it was reading Patrick Archbold's 11/27/2015 essay Zombieland-Convert or Die in the Remnant that got me thinking about the horror film-like comparisons with the RC Church except for me the comparison is with "pod people" rather than zombies (although zombies is not entirely inaccurate, but that is another movie).

For me, the recent rise in leftist positions as the new norm in our society has flipped everything upside down (including my birth religion). It seems like almost everything I once knew and believed is now considered suspect at best. In order to conform to social expectations, change or die seems to be the message. Even that may not be enough for some people.

Everything You Know Is Wrong

Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been described as being about individualism versus collectivism.  One of the quotes from the Firesign Theatre album referenced above is "Men and Women are the same sex!" So much of the satire of my youth is now today's new normal. Amazing and scary.

In the movie, Dr. Benell says,

"In my practice, I've seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind... All of us - a little bit - we harden our heats, grow callous. Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us, how dear."

Another quote from the movie that moved me was by the female lead. When Becky learns that she is to be replaced by a pod, she resists and tells Dr. Benell:

"I want to love and be loved. I want your children. I don't want a world without love or grief or beauty. I'd rather die."

Such an attitude seems so at odds with today's careerism and "safe spaces" on college campuses. What woman in her right mind today expresses a desire to bear a man's children. Talk about horror films.

It seems like the "pod people" are taking away our liberty today just as they threatened in the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie. The early draft of the movie ended with Dr. Benell running onto a highway to warn others that "You're in danger! Can't you see?  They're after you. They're after all of us. They're here already! You're next! You're next, you're ...."

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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers
http://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/2177-zombieland-convert-or-die
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_You_Know_Is_Wrong
https://christopherjohnlindsay.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/invasion-of-the-body-snatchers
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79341/Invasion-of-the-Body-Snatchers
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/the_body_snatchers_theyre_after_all_of_us_and_youre_next
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Written Wednesday 23 December 2015

Hold That Thought

Actual letter from Fr. Hattie received Tuesday December 8, 2015.

Something unusual: this time I received an actual, paper letter in the mail from Father Hattie. As usual, above is a scan of the letter (I crudely pasted the two sides into one sheet and had to adjust the color to try to capture the actual soft green colored paper) and below is my transcription.

You probably notice that the appearance of the letter looks different from what you might expect. That is because Father manually types his letters on a (manual) typewriter. It can be a challenge (or a game) for some to read the actual letter due to the various conditions of the letters (e.g., too light, overstrikes) or typos. If you find it difficult to read the actual letter (hint: a larger view is available by clicking on the image of the letter above), hopefully, my transcription will help you "read" Father's message. If you notice any mistakes I made, please let me know.

I find it rather ironic (and mysterious) that I received this letter on December 8th and that it is connected to his letter of October 9th. As I previously mentioned, October 9th is the birthday of John Lennon of Beatles fame. The irony is that John Lennon was murdered on December 8th. It seems an unusual coincidence that both letters are associated with those dates. However, I am fairly certain that Father Hattie is not a Beatles or John Lennon fan.

For a list of other letters I have received from Fr. Hattie, see my Fr. Hattie page. You will also find there details on how to contact Father, as well as how to make a donation to help Father's "orphans" in Uganda. It's not too late to send him your own Christmas card.

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Dec. 5, 2015

My dear Rick:     Peace of Christ!

     No better way to begin the day than by thanking you sincerely for your latest kind & generous Gift of $X for our orphans. During the last 6 months many former donors have fallen away, so I'm sending them a Christmas Card as a reminder. Prayers, please.

     My plan* to leave for Africa on Jan. 1 have been botched. On the very day that I was to have spinal surgery, I was found to have cellulitis** in the right leg, and the Dr. was hesitant to perform the surgery. Now I am on antibiotics & the Dr. won't do surgery un[til] there is a complete cure of the cellulitis. And, after surgery I'll have to remain in the USA for 4 months for observation. That means that I'll be going to Africa only at the beginning of May. I guess that the Lord is doing this to tempt my Faith & I think He'll win.

     Just now I'm busy with Christmas Cards, for I must have them in the mail by Dec. 12, since I'll be at my sister's home from Dec. 12-19. Wish me luck.

Many thanks for the Circular+. I am quite familiar with all the projects mentioned.

     Please do pray that I'll finally find my way to the Land of my Dreams. You & the family are in my daily Mass & prayers.

Tons of love & gratitude,                                       

Fr Gene, SJ                            

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* See Father's October 9th letter.
** Cellulitis is a bacterial infection involving the inner layers of the skin.
+ I mailed Father a newsletter from Hope Seeds that reported on their efforts in Africa, including several places in Uganda and Kenya.
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Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/typewriter.aspx
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/10/back-to-africa-please.html
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.uecon.org
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/10/back-to-africa-please.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulitis
http://hopeseeds.org
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Written Saturday 12/12 2015.

A Reading of the Spong Book On The Fourth Gospel

Autographed by the author November 7, 2015.

Today I finished reading the Spong's book on the Gospel of John, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic. I bought it at the conclusion of the Spong lecture I attended on November 7th; I started reading it that evening and have essentially been reading a chapter a day.

The back cover of the book gives this summary: "Spong argues that this last gospel to be written was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourth-century creeds to be a literal account of the life of Jesus when in fact it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in Jesus' life through the medium of fictional characters, from Nicodemus and Lazarus to the "Beloved Disciple." The result of this intriguing study not only recaptures the original message of this gospel, but also provides us today with a radical new dimension to the claim that in the humanity of Jesus the reality of God has been met and engaged." The adverts for the lecture further claim that in this book, "Spong provides a unique primer about how to be a Christian in the post-Christian 21st Century" (think about what that actually says).

My post is not intended to be a review or a critique of the book. Rather, my intent is to document a few quick thoughts after one reading of the book.

First, I found the book to be an easy read. Spong writes in a very personal style that feels like you are sitting together chatting rather than reading a book. Chapters are not overly long (roughly 10 pages each).

The Preface presents a sort of biography of Spong's life and career as an Episcopal priest and bishop (Newark, NJ). While it doesn't directly have anything to do with the subject, it gives the reader a sense of who the author is. The book is divided into five (5) parts:

1. Introducing the Fourth Gospel
2. The Book of Signs: Mythological Characters Wrapped Inside History
3. The Farewell Discourses and the High Priestly Prayer
4. The Passion Narrative: From Darkness to Light, From Death to Life
5. Resurrection: Mystical Oneness Revealed.

Footnotes are located within the chapters at the bottom of the page. These notes are limited to clarifications. An extensive bibliography is provided at the end of the text. An index and scriptural index are also provided.

A few editorial aspects irritated me. Use of scriptural references was inconsistent and often incorrect (by verse or two). I found myself penciling in the references for future use. A good editor should have caught this. Spong also sometimes slipped into an arrogant voice that assumed his position was obviously factual or truth (i.e., an air of superiority).

I came to this book hoping and expecting to learn something new about Jewish mysticism but was disappointed to find very little about this topic. I guess I will have to read further about that in other references. Instead, what I found was the not very new (to me at least) concept that the Gospel of John can be read as figurative rather than literal. Duhhh. 

I'm not sure if I learned much that was new to me from this book. Probably the most interesting new nuggets are other books that look intriguing: 

• Mysticism in the Gospel of John by Jey Kanagaraj (1998)
• Mystical Christianity A Psychological Commentary on the Gospel of John by John A. Sanford (1993)
• The Mystical Way in the Fourth Gospel by L. William Countryman (1995)

Who knows if I will ever get around to ready these. I have a lot on my list and have still many books of the Bible that I have not read.

A common proclamation in the book is that "one cannot know the fullness of life until one can give one's life away." [p. 316] This sounds very similar to a platitude in the 1970 rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, "to conquer death, you only have to die." [in the song, Poor Jerusalem].

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Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John

http://johnshelbyspong.com/store/the-fourth-gospel-tales-of-a-jewish-mystic

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/11/spong-lecture-can-you-believe-it.html
http://www.amazon.com/Mysticism-Gospel-John-Background-Testament/dp/0567446670

https://books.google.com/books/about/Mystical_Christianity.html?id=jsfYAAAAMAAJ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Sanford

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Mystical_Way_in_the_Fourth_Gospel.html?id=-Rd9QgAACAAJ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christ_Superstar

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Written Tuesday December 8, 2015.