Relativism

               I haven’t written a post in a long time and I was thinking about something to write when it hit me… BAM… I’ll write a quick thing on relativism. This word comes up in my philosophy class a lot and it seems to end all discussion when it is said “well it’s all relative”. I argued this once before in my class and nobody seemed to get it. Not all is relative. When a person says that all is relative he is then making an absolute statement, the person is plainly saying “well… every thing is relative except for not being relative” I’m sorry that doesn’t sound like anything close to being the truth. Sure “the best color” can be relative the “best” food can be relative but, truth cannot. It is true that you are right now reading my post;  you can be reading this post and be falling asleep, you can be reading this post and either agree or disagree with me but none the less you are reading this post. That is absolute. Now that was an example of a small thing but can still be applied to greater things such as right or wrong. A homeless man goes to steal food for his family starving family. He stole, it was wrong but, in the eyes of God that is far less sinful for him than it was for a rich man to steal food. Truth is absolute. I hate it when people say “well… that’s not true for me.” All that is, is showing stubbornness to conform to the will of God and I’m not gonna make my self look “high and mighty”, I go through problems accepting God’s will myself but, when a person encounters a problem he must prevail and not fall for the devil’s trick. It might sound like I’m complaining and I kinda am but this is something that if society understood then the world would be a whole lot less confusing.  

                                 

Michelangelo

A comment by SignaVeritae on my recent post: “What Defines Art?” has wrought my decision to write a post concerning nature of Michelangelo and his artwork. First of all, I myself have difficultly understanding why Michelangelo painted his nudes in the Sistine Chapel, but alas, it is painted, and has been apart of the Church since the Renaissance. Signa makes mention that Michelangelo was a heretic. This statement has partial truth to it. Namely, some Vatican officials at the time of the painting decided to label Michelangelo a ‘heretic’ for his actions. Now, once again I shall look up the definition of a word, this time: “Heretic.” The Webster’s dictionary identifies the word as:

1: a dissenter from established religious dogma; especially : a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church who disavows a revealed truth

2: one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine

Michelangelo wasn’t a man who refuted a teaching of the Church, and joined a sect such as the Arians, Calvanists, etc… So we cannot label him as a heretic. An article on Howstuffworks explains Michelangelo’s conflict with Politics and Religion. I would like to quote a paragraph from the article:

The massive fresco, full of ghastly figures and nudity, reflected the traumatic events that had rocked the church in the previous years. Its graphic and threatening subject matter was the source of scandal and violent criticism. Vatican officials, shocked by the fresco’s nudity, labeled Michelangelo a heretic, and contemporaries petitioned for its destruction.

But the artist received and took refuge in the support of Paul III and his successor, Pope Julius III. The fresco remained unchanged until January 1564. But approximately one month before Michelangelo’s death, the assembly of the Council of Trent voted to

What Defines Art?

I can’t help but gaze in disgust upon certain images, paintings, and statues, which are supposed to be deemed ‘religious.’ Whether it be the covers of the Daily Missals, or the recent Architecture of the Churches, modern art has infected the Catholic Church. What is the definition of true art? Is the phrase ‘Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder’ a true statement? NO! A simple look at the Wiktionary states:

art (countable and uncountable; plural arts)

1. (uncountable) Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.

2. (uncountable) The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.

3. (uncountable) Activity intended to make something special

4. (uncountable) A recreation of reality according to the artist’s metaphysicalvalue-judgements

5. (uncountable) The study and the product of these processes.

6. (uncountable) Aesthetic value.

7. (uncountable, printing) Artwork.

8. (countable) A field or category of art, such as painting, sculpture, music, ballet, or literature.

9. (countable) A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.

10. (countable) Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation.

We have it right there in the second definition “The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.” What is beautiful is beautiful, what is ugly is ugly. But the twisted mentality that ‘Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder’ has laid claim to all levels of society.

Patricius Romanus

This post is a day late, but I could not go without posting it. Yesterday, January 28th, was the Feast of the Blessed Emperor Charlemagne. Charles was the First Holy Roman Empire of Europe, uniting the many countries spanning from Italy, France, to Germany, under one banner. The Royal Banner of Christiandom, which at that time, had been slowly forming through various trials. This Emperor is a shining example of how both Church and State can work together to create a perfect harmony throughout the country, a country where the Emperor ruled the body of Europe, and where Christ held reign over the soul.

The Joker Strikes!

No, this isn’t an advertisement for the Satanic Rock & Roll band “Insane Clown Posse” (I.C.P.), though it does look like it. The picture on the left is of actor Heath Ledger in his role of Joker in a Batman sequel being currently filmed. In recent news, the actor, Heath Ledger (Famous for his role in Brokeback Mountain about two homosexual cowboys,) died due to a supposed overdose of sleeping pills. It’s getting to be kind of ironic that nearly every mysterious celebrity death revolves around some sort of overdose of a substance. Not to go out pointing fingers and making accusations, nor to actually try to redeem the actor from the situation, but lets take a deeper look into this scenario.

I’ve done a bit of research via some news sites, and have found some pretty disturbing things regarding Ledger’s death. He was cast in the role of the title villian: ‘Joker,’ in this summer’s upcoming sequel to Batman Begins, “The Dark Knight.” The Joker his a villian who is driven mad by chaos in his life, and stops short of

Captain’s Tale – Red, White, and Blue

Haha, my final chapter in the Captain’s Tale series. This sounds entirely like a seen from the ‘Pirates’ movies, but oh well, fan inspiration!

The gulls screeched their cries over the busy port. Swooping down onto the water, in hopes of catching food. The harbor was bustling with activity, trade ships coming and going, and three warships, the ‘Liberty’ ‘Acheron’ and ‘Night’, all of which were anchored in waiting. Soldiers of the Republic stood at attention on the docks, guarding the passage from the shore to the ships. A most noticeable figure approached the docks, dressed in his gallant blue uniform with white breeches. His black boots polished so as to reflect the sun, and a silver sword hung gracefully at his side. Stepping onto the docks, he made his way between the guards, who stood at attention upon notice of his presence. The officer stepped up the wooden plank onto the ‘Liberty’ where he was saluted by several naval officers, and ushered into the Admiral’s cabin.

He entered the room, which was richly furnished, and closed the door. Another man was present, studying the activity in the town from a window at the end of the cabin. “No need for formalities Captain.” He took a small sip from a glass of wine in his hand, “I understand that you are a man of loyalty and duty. Might I ask, where do your loyalties lie?” The officer stepped into the center of the room, “To the people!” He replied, “Admiral Voltaire, do you question my allegiance?” The man near the window turned to face the officer, “There is no room in our country for Loyalist pigs who threaten the security of this Republic!” He took another sip of the wine, “What do traitors deserve Charles?” The officer looked at Voltaire uneasily, “To feel the hand of Justice strike.”

- I Am Legend -

Saturday afternoon, I ended up going to the movies to see ‘I Am Legend,’ starring Will Smith. The film was a rather interesting view on what it would be to be ‘the last man on earth,’ which is nothing more than a depressing outake, since the film doesn’t portray any form of religion for the character. (Though you do see him saying a prayer with his family before they take off on an evacuation helicopter in New York City.)

As the header says: “The Last Man on Earth is Not Alone.” I don’t want to reveal anything from the plot to the unsuspecting viewer, but you can find a concise summary here on Wikipedia. I watched the film from a Catholic Viewpoint, so here are a few notes of what I noticed:

1. The main character (Robert Neville)seems to live his life without hope, and as if there is no purpose. As the trailer below shows, his life is a series of schedules which are repeated everyday, all excluding any form of prayer or religious connection.

Captain’s Tale – The Point Being…

I laugh everytime I read these. They tend to be a more ’sobered’ version of Jack… But anyways, please enjoy my ridiculous compositions!

Captain Jaquette was led into the small cabin by two armed guards. As he entered he surveyed his present surroundings. The room was lit by several windows, and a small oil lantern on the desk, behind which was seated the officer. “Do come in,” beckoned the man, “Have a seat.” One soldier pulled a small wooden chain from out of a corner of the room, quickly placing it in front of the commanding officer’s desk He returned to attention. Jaquette turned to the guard behind him using his hand to brush away the barrel of the musket. He gave the guard a sarcastic smirk as he sat down in the small chair. He faced the officer, who was first to ask a question, “Who are you?” the Englishman asked, to Jaquette’s surprise in a quick ejaculation of French. Jaquette leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms, “I’m Captain Francis Jaquette.” The Englishman broke into a laugh, “Captain? I don’t see your ship!” Jaquette’s face went dark, “And I don’t see a single Spaniard!” shouted the French man as he rose to his feet, referring to the Spanish flag that flew over the fort.

U.S. Marines Have a Bit of Fun – Ben Hur Style

Well, it looks as though the Marines still know how to have some fun! I wish I had a video of it, but here’s the pic from the article. Apparantly, before heading into Fallujah for a strike, the U.S. soldiers had a bit of fun with a reanactment of the Ben Hur Chariot Race:

“The Marine charioteers, wearing togas over their body armor, waved baseball bats done up as spiked maces and jumped into carts forged from cast-off vehicle parts. “

You can read the rest of the article here.