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Post by rogerbuck on Dec 1, 2015 10:38:35 GMT
Please forgive if this seems spam. I sincerely pray that it isn't - that my new book (out now) is not only relevant to this forum, but can truly make a contribution to the issues that people in this forum care about. (I DO appreciate, however, that some here may find some parts of my book contentious. Eg. I fear Young Ireland may find what I say about 1916 very hard to bear. (I am sorry if it does Young Ireland, for I respect and like you.) And other things could be cited, as well. Still, I think the greater part of the book attempts to address issues that nearly everyone posting here cares about and, I imagine, most lurkers too.) So I want to announce the book came out early a few days ago and to my shock in hardcover too. Link at bottom of my signature for access to page at my site that leads to Amazon worldwide ... And I thought I'd give a list of extracts from the book that appear at my site: Here are the key ones. Note that the book ranges a lot in both content and style. Some of it is straight narrative for example, featuring a love story. But more of it is in dialogue format about issues in the Church, secular society in Ireland and elsewhere, the New Age movement etc. Also some of it is satire, some of it is very serious etc. First ChapterEntire first chapter now here with more about the book. corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/the-gentle-traditionalist-chapter-one/At the Sign of the Gentle TraditionalistShort extract from second chapter: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/at-the-sign-of-the-gentle-traditionalist/Famished for Christendom Short but KEY extract to what the whole book is about: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/famished-for-christendom/This is my favourite short post on the book. Found some great pictures for it too! The Gentle Traditionalist on the Superiority Complex of the 1960sSpeaks for itself: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/09/the-gentle-traditionalist-on-the-superiority-complex-of-the-1960s/The Gentle Traditionalist meets the Man with No NameSlightly silly - satire on the New Age but with a deeper undercurrent: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/secularism-is-the-air-that-we-breathe/Catholic Counter-Revolution and the Counter-Revolutionary MindFeatures a small extract contained within a longer post: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/05/catholic-counter-revolution-and-the-counter-revolutionary-mind/Secularism is the Air that We Breathe …Same as above. Short extract incorporated into longer post. corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/secularism-is-the-air-that-we-breathe/Also these extracts and a few other posts about the book can be found in this archive of posts here: corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/the-gentle-traditionalistLittle of the above suggests the book's Irish theme (apart from the first chapter and the one on sexual abuse). I will be rectifying that soon with some more posts soon including one probably called The Gentle Traditionalist and 1916. Finally, my warm gratitude for support I've received from kind people here, both posting and lurking …
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Post by Young Ireland on Dec 1, 2015 12:09:34 GMT
Please forgive if this seems spam. I sincerely pray that it isn't - that my new book (out now) is not only relevant to this forum, but can truly make a contribution to the issues that people in this forum care about. (I DO appreciate, however, that some here may find some parts of my book contentious. Eg. I fear Young Ireland may find what I say about 1916 very hard to bear. (I am sorry if it does Young Ireland, for I respect and like you.) And other things could be cited, as well. Still, I think the greater part of the book attempts to address issues that nearly everyone posting here cares about and, I imagine, most lurkers too.) So I want to announce the book came out early a few days ago and to my shock in hardcover too. Link at bottom of my signature for access to page at my site that leads to Amazon worldwide ... And I thought I'd give a list of extracts from the book that appear at my site: Here are the key ones. Note that the book ranges a lot in both content and style. Some of it is straight narrative for example, featuring a love story. But more of it is in dialogue format about issues in the Church, secular society in Ireland and elsewhere, the New Age movement etc. Also some of it is satire, some of it is very serious etc. First ChapterEntire first chapter now here with more about the book. corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/the-gentle-traditionalist-chapter-one/At the Sign of the Gentle TraditionalistShort extract from second chapter: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/at-the-sign-of-the-gentle-traditionalist/Famished for Christendom Short but KEY extract to what the whole book is about: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/famished-for-christendom/This is my favourite short post on the book. Found some great pictures for it too! The Gentle Traditionalist on the Superiority Complex of the 1960sSpeaks for itself: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/09/the-gentle-traditionalist-on-the-superiority-complex-of-the-1960s/The Gentle Traditionalist meets the Man with No NameSlightly silly - satire on the New Age but with a deeper undercurrent: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/secularism-is-the-air-that-we-breathe/Catholic Counter-Revolution and the Counter-Revolutionary MindFeatures a small extract contained within a longer post: corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/05/catholic-counter-revolution-and-the-counter-revolutionary-mind/Secularism is the Air that We Breathe …Same as above. Short extract incorporated into longer post. corjesusacratissimum.org/2015/11/secularism-is-the-air-that-we-breathe/Also these extracts and a few other posts about the book can be found in this archive of posts here: corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/the-gentle-traditionalistLittle of the above suggests the book's Irish theme (apart from the first chapter and the one on sexual abuse). I will be rectifying that soon with some more posts soon including one probably called The Gentle Traditionalist and 1916. Finally, my warm gratitude for support I've received from kind people here, both posting and lurking … Don't worry Roger, I certainly don't consider this spam - you're one of us and what you are posting is very much relevant. Thanks for kind words (which I appreciate), but there's no need to apologise , I'm used to my view being a minority one, and I certainly hope that your book will do well. I can't speak for anyone else here, but I highly value your contributions and insights on Irish Catholicism from the outside, even if I might not agree with all of them.
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Post by rogerbuck on Dec 4, 2015 11:01:30 GMT
]Don't worry Roger, I certainly don't consider this spam - you're one of us and what you are posting is very much relevant. Thanks for kind words (which I appreciate), but there's no need to apologise , I'm used to my view being a minority one, and I certainly hope that your book will do well. I can't speak for anyone else here, but I highly value your contributions and insights on Irish Catholicism from the outside, even if I might not agree with all of them. Thank you for your kind encouragement to not "worry" Young Ireland. Oddly enough, I think this is relevant to my outsider perspective on Irish Catholicism. Why? I think my worry is at least partly rooted in having grown up in a harsher, much less generous society (medium size town America) than most Irish have. I was blown away by the warmth and generosity of Irish society when I first arrived here in 2004. And many of my fellow Americans have told me the same. To my mind this perception cannot be divorced from the profound Christianity anchored in this isle for 1600 years. So … some who read my book will likely think I'm OTT about Ireland. But from my perspective, growing up in America, leaves many people totally unprepared for Irish kindness. Also Irish humility. Amidst which I feel like this loud American with my big self-promo graphics. But embarrassment about loud self-promotion notwithstanding, I shall announce I was stunned to discover that on the American Amazon my book was Number One on something called the Christian Apologetics chart: www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/books/172811It's slipped down to number Two now. But I'm not complaining!
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Post by rogerbuck on Dec 16, 2015 12:48:04 GMT
Hope I'm not being insufferable here … But I've had the most extraordinary recommendation from Dom Kirby of Silverstream Priory who says he read my book twice in 3 days .. Link here: vultuschristi.org/index.php/2015/12/the-gentle-traditionalist/By the Grace of God, I do think I've managed to write something that may be able to help in terms of the grave issues in this forum. So I post this here in the hope that it might be seen by contributors and lurkers alike. And also in the hope that if people out there think the book can help, maybe some will help me spread the word … Thank you for your patience with me - and of course any support for which I am very grateful!
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Post by hibernicus on Jan 6, 2016 20:08:32 GMT
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Post by hibernicus on Jan 9, 2016 18:02:31 GMT
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Post by rogerbuck on Jan 11, 2016 10:09:26 GMT
Thank you so much, Hibernicus!
Largely as a result of the above, I'm thrilled to say the book is doing very well - particularly at Amazon UK, which I imagine and hope reflects Irish interest - to some extent anyway. Because although of course I'm grateful if the book does well anywhere, it is Ireland I care most about.
Anyway, the book has done so well at Amazon UK that I was Number One Best Seller in the Catholic books category for a couple of days.
I'm now at Number Two - because of the Pope's new book!
So I can now say "Pipped at the Post by the Pope!" : - )
Something to remember - and I can't complain. The book is selling just as well, it's just that Pope Francis is doing better …
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Post by hibernicus on Feb 25, 2016 18:42:07 GMT
THE GENTLE TRADITIONALIST was on sale at St Kevin's Church in Harrington Street last Sunday after 10.30 Mass. Might be worth while keeping an eye out for it if you're there next Sunday.
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Post by rogerbuck on Mar 5, 2016 13:23:34 GMT
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Post by hibernicus on Jun 9, 2016 22:41:17 GMT
I bought it at one of the bookshops outside Westminster Cathedral on a recent visit to London, and have now read it. I may re-read it and review it somewhere some time. It has a definite charm and raises a voice in praise of the Faith at a time when such voices are few, but I can think of a couple of problems: (1) Its definition of Irish identity as purely Catholic, combined with denunciation of partition, raises the question of how to accommodate the large number of PRotestants on the island. I might add that I can think of Protestant nationalists such as Thomas Davis who defined national identity in terms of civic virtue versus British utilitarian corruption, in a way which the book presents as specifically Catholic. (2) The author can see that something has gone wrong but not how or why it went wrong. I think the worm was in the bud a long time, and those Counter-Reformation Catholics who tried to understand how the flaws of the mediaeval Church produced the Reformation set an example we in Ireland ought to follow.
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Post by Young Ireland on Sept 3, 2016 21:12:19 GMT
I have just bought and read Roger's book. It's basically about a young man called Geoffrey whose girlfriend, Anne, has a conversion to traditional Catholicism and refuses to marry him because of this. On the way back into Monaghan, he crashes his car, sustaining a concussion. After getting a drive into Monaghan, he encounters an elderly traditionalist who specialises in fixing people's problems. Spoiler: They then proceed to have a long discussion about Anne's reversion to tradition and the Gentle Traditionalist (as he is known) tries to make Geoffrey see things from her point of view. Some of the goings on seem rather strange, but these are implied to be a result of Geoffrey's concussion more than anything real. In an interesting twist to the novel, it turns out that Anne was meeting the very same GT in Dublin at the same time that Geoffrey was talking to him in Monaghan. It is then revealed that the GT is in fact St. Valentine, who was used by God to bring Geoffrey to the Catholic faith. Eventually, Geoffrey converts to Catholicism, marries Anne and they move to Limerick, where Anne (and sometimes Geoffrey) attend the ICRSS church there. Detailed analysis to follow.
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Post by Young Ireland on Sept 4, 2016 21:33:44 GMT
So in summary, my own view is that it while it certainly excels when it comes to articulating the Catholic faith, it seems to me that when it goes away from this and into history and politics, the results are rather questionable. For instance, the GT could reasonably be described as ultra-nationalist: he not only repeatedly emphasises the crimes of the British (quite a bit of it justly to be fair, such when he describe's Anne's great-grandfather being killed by the Black and Tans), but seems to be very slow to condemn particular Irish atrocities (he does condemn crimes in general, but he is much softer on our side than is appropriate). Futhermore, the presentation of 1916 as a sort of spiritual re-awakening of Ireland is rather dubious: apparently, the GT doesn't realise that membership of secret societies such as the one which organised 1916 was considered an objective mortal sin and was a topic that many priests of the time preached against frequently. Another problem is that his worldview is very muddled and unrealistic: a true counter-revlutionary would be very unlikely to praise 1916, not least because the rebels wanted to establish a republic! Another contradiction is between the stated need to insulate Ireland from the Anglosphere while at the same time describing its spiritual mission to bring Catholicism to the Anglosphere, which necessarily requires engagement with it.
This extends to the book's treatment of politics in general. There are much-deserved criticisms of the Reformation, capitalism and liberalism, however it is very silent on the flaws of the ancien regime in France or why people who live under the sort of agrarian society idealised in the book usually end up rejecting it. This also ignores that many historically Catholic areas like Bavaria and Venice have long traditions in industry and commerce respectively, so agrarianism surely can't be the only option.
All that aside, if read purely as an apologetic work it is of much value and the storyline has a lot of finely-crafted twists and turns that make reading it enjoyable, but care is certainly warranted when it comes to the book's political content. Interestingly, there is a movie being planned (albeit in the very early stages) for the book. I think that Gene Wilder (who died last month, pray for him) would have made a perfect GT.
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Post by rogerbuck on Sept 7, 2016 10:47:06 GMT
Hibernicus, Young Ireland ... I regret not being here for some while, but am very grateful for your engagement with my book. Warm thanks to you both! An incomplete response follows ... I can understand both your concerns, because I think in the past I shared them far more than I do now. In my view, my thinking has evolved, but if you watched my trajectory it might well appear reactionary regression. (I think I mentioned before, Young Ireland, bursting into tears in my youth, whilst reading Gandhi's magnificent non-violence and being very critical of 1916 by contrast.) Also I have long been disturbed by the IRB involvement that you allude to. If I stayed on _purely rational_ grounds, including _exclusively_ reasoning from things like the Vatican position on secret societies etc, I would still be in far greater agreement with you. But although reason remains very important, the decision to restrict oneself to the purely rational, spells, for me, at any rate, the danger of falling into rationalism. One thing that I believed has fostered my transition, Young Ireland, from a perspective akin to yours to what may possibly appear my "reactionary regressive" one ; - ) ... is the attempt to not only read several biographies of Dev - but _spiritually contemplate_ them whilst reading them. What has resulted from my attempted spiritual contemplation of the life of DEV , himself a very, very reluctant member of a secret society, has played a great role in my belief in 1916. For I have come to believe in Dev's spiritual greatness like never before. (Thus, something like an _exclusive_ reasoning from his involvement seems too cut and dried, too black and white, even if it remains a very valid concern). So much more might be said ... but you may be interested to know that I appreciate Dev's great effort to preserve Pearse's legacy BUT with what seems to me real wisdom in a very definite attempt to to overcome the unfortunate demonising of the English therein. Now, I suspect that really I may appear hopelessly "reactionary -regressive" to some good people here. And probably _increasingly_ so, as I try to work my way through these issues on a basis that isn't simply rational/rationalism. However, let me say too that I think of TGT as a "comic book" approach to issues, issues which are entered into in much more detail in my very big book coming out soon, with the same name as my blog: COR JESU SACRATISSIMUM. In my "comic book" approach, it wasn't always possible to go into all the nuances some might want. Thus, whilst I chose to feature the Catholic atrocity of the St Bartholomew's day massacre in France, I did not list what might be listed in Ireland. This "comic book" approach may also be a little relevant to what Hibernicus writes: (1) Its definition of Irish identity as purely Catholic, combined with denunciation of partition, raises the question of how to accommodate the large number of PRotestants on the island. I might add that I can think of Protestant nationalists such as Thomas Davis who defined national identity in terms of civic virtue versus British utilitarian corruption, in a way which the book presents as specifically Catholic. I want to read through the text to see where I may have perhaps unfortunately suggested that I see Irish identity as "purely Catholic". Unfortunate, because I don't see it that way. Again, I think of Dev here - who sometimes sounded this way, but often did not. Big, complex topic. Nonetheless, I do believe that partition is an enormous tragedy and again the processes by which I came to that conclusion were not automatic or reflex, but a process of struggle over long years. Also regarding: (2) The author can see that something has gone wrong but not how or why it went wrong. I think the worm was in the bud a long time, and those Counter-Reformation Catholics who tried to understand how the flaws of the mediaeval Church produced the Reformation set an example we in Ireland ought to follow. It is possible that my big complex book - not a "comic book" - might resolve some of this as well as Young Ireland's concerns. Some ... but not all. I think the truth here is that I have been moving for some time in a direction that will look backwards to some here. Something which also helps explain my enthusiasm, contra Hibernicus, for Desmond Fennell ... However, I remain with with great respect here for all that you have contributed here over many years, Hibernicus and Young Ireland. The archives have been a treasure of insight for me. Despite my cautions above about rationalism, despite my encouragement for the effort to "spiritually contemplate" whilst reading 1916 or the biographies of Dev, Pearse, Gandhi or whoever ... there is so much here that is worthy of respect in the way that people are carefully thinking out the issues and asking serious MORAL questions. I salute all of that, even if my motion appears crab-like ... Let me also thank you both for your kind acknowledgment of what you saw of merit in my book. And as a final note, I just want to let anyone reading this know that my book is now available on Kindle at Amazon (as well as the original paperback and hardback, of course). Link to this at any Amazon worldwide: myBook.to/TheGentleTraditionalistI
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Post by Young Ireland on Sept 14, 2016 20:46:00 GMT
Roger, many thanks for your reply. I do understand your point about rationalism, and I agree that it is dangerous to rely on it completely. As for 1916, the point about the secret societies was only one point: I could bring up many others (Pearse's praise of Wolfe Tone as being holier than St.Patrick, the way in which the rebels stabbed Eoin McNeill in the back, Pearses' wish for violence in Ireland to cleanse its soul), but I would be here then all night. I think that praising De Valera and criticising 1916 are not mutually exclusive: after all even great saints make mistakes and it is perfectly reasonable to say that De Valera may have been similarly mistaken; indeed he openly regretted not accepting the Anglo-Irish Treaty. As for being a "regressive reactionary", I would not go quite that far, even if there is a tendency to take the good things of De Valera, ancien regime Europe etc, and run with them whilst overlooking the serious flaws in those things and not really understanding why people might be uneasy with the former's economic protectionism (increased emigration being one) or the tendency for the State to control the Church rather than the Church influencing the State in the case of the latter. That said, I do appreciate where you are coming from and what you are trying to achieve and I respect that: in fact, my own view of De Valera has mellowed somewhat and I now think that politically he did the best he could in the circumstances he was given as Taoiseach (economically is another matter). Have you considered contacting the Archdiocese of Dublin with a view to having a cause for canonisation started up? Even leaving aside his politics, some of which I would disagree with, I do think that there is a case to be made that he lived a life of virtue, especially in his later years. I'm not sure how wider Irish society would react though...
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Post by hibernicus on Feb 24, 2017 22:38:37 GMT
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