About Funky Dung
Who is Funky Dung?
29-year-old grad student in Intelligent Systems (A.I.) at the University of Pittsburgh. I consider myself to be politically moderate and independent and somewhere between a traditional and neo-traditional Catholic.
I was raised Lutheran, spent a number of years as an agnostic, and joined the Catholic Church at the 2000 Easter Vigil.
Why Funky Dung?
I haven't been asked this question nearly as many times as you or I might expect. Funky Dung is a reference to an obscure Pink Floyd song. On the album Atom Heart Mother, there is a track called Atom Heart Mother Suite. It's broken up into movements, like a symphony, and one of the movements is called Funky Dung. I picked that nickname a long time ago (while I was still in high school I think), shortly after getting an internet connection for the first time. To me it means "cool/neat/groovy/spiffy stuff/crap/shiznit", as in "That's some cool stuff, dude!"
Whence Ales Rarus?
I used to enjoy making people guess what this means, but I've decided to relent and make it known to all. Ales Rarus is a Latin play on words. "Avis rarus" means "a rare bird" and carries similar meaning to "an odd fellow". "Ales" is another Latin word for bird that carries connotations of omens, signs of the times, and/or augery. If you want to get technical, both "avis" and "ales" are feminine (requiring "rara", but they can be made masculine in poetry (which tends to breaks lots of rules). I decided I'd rather have a masculine name in Latin. ;) Yeah, I'm a nerd. So what? :-P
Wherefore blog?
It is my intention to "teach in order to lead others to faith" by being always "on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful" through the "use of the communications media". I also act knowing that I "have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors [my] opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and [I] have a right to make [my] opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward [my and their] pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons." (adapted from CCC 904-907)
Statement of Faith
I have been baptized and confirmed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I, therefore, renounce Satan; I renounce all his works; I renounce all his allurements.
I hold and profess all that is contained in the Apostles' Creed, the Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.
Having been buried with Christ unto death and raised up with him unto a new life, I promise to live no longer for myself or for that world which is the enemy of God but for him who died for me and rose again, serving God, my heavenly Father, faithfully and unto death in the holy Catholic Church.
I am obedient to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. That is, I promote and defend authentic Catholic Teaching and Faith in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.
Thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for all Thy infinite goodness, and, especially, for the love Thou hast shown unto me at my Confirmation. I Give Thee thanks that Thou didst then send down Thy Holy Spirit unto my soul with all His gifts and graces.
May He take full possession of me for ever.
May His divine unction cause my face to shine.
May His heavenly wisdom reign in my heart.
May His understanding enlighten my darkness.
May His counsel guide me.
May His knowledge instruct me.
May His piety make me fervent.
May His divine fear keep me from all evil.
Drive from my soul, O Lord, all that may defile it.
Give me grace to be Thy faithful soldier, that having fought the good fight of faith, I may be brought to the crown of everlasting life, through the merits of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Behind the Curtain: an Interview With Funky Dung (Thursday, March 03, 2005)
I try to avoid most memes that make their way 'round the blogosphere (We really do need a better name, don't
we?), but some are worth participating in. Take for instance the "interview game" that's the talk o'
the 'sphere. I think it's a great way to get to know the people in neighborhood. Who are the people in your
neighborhood? In your neighborhod? In your neigh-bor-hoo-ood...*smack* Sorry, Sesame Street flashback.
Anyhow, I saw Jeff "Curt Jester"
Miller's answers and figured since he's a regular reader of mine he'd be a good interviewer. Without
further ado, here are my answers to his questions.
1. Being that your pseudonym Funky Dung was chosen from a Pink Floyd track on Atom Heart Mother, what is you
favorite Pink Floyd song and why?
Wow. That's a tuffy. It's hard to pick out a single favorite. Pink Floyd isn't really a band known for
singles. They mostly did album rock and my appreciation of them is mostly of a gestalt nature. If I had to
pick one, though, it'd be "Comfortably Numb". I get chills up my spine every time I hear it and if
it's been long enough since the last time, I get midty-eyed. I really don't know why. That's a rather
unsatisfying answer for an interview, so here are the lyrics to a Rush song. It's not their best piece of music,
but the lyrics describe me pretty well.
New World Man
He's a rebel and a runner
He's a signal turning green
He's a restless young romantic
Wants to run the big machine
He's got a problem with his poisons
But you know he'll find a cure
He's cleaning up his systems
To keep his nature pure
Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man
He's got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend the mess he makes
He's old enough to know what's right
But young enough not to choose it
He's noble enough to win the world
But weak enough to lose it ---
He's a new world man...
He's a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He's a writer and arranger
And a young boy bearing arms
He's got a problem with his power
With weapons on patrol
He's got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control
Trying to save the day for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for the third world man
He's not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today
He's noble enough to know what's right
But weak enough not to choose it
He's wise enough to win the world
But fool enough to lose it ---
He's a new world man...
2. What do you consider your most important turning point from agnosticism to the Catholic Church.
At some point in '99, I started attending RCIA at the Pittsburgh Oratory. I mostly went to ask a lot of
obnoxious Protestant questions. Or at least that's what I told myself. I think deep down I wanted desperately
to have faith again. At that point I think I'd decided that if any variety of Christianity had the Truth, the
Catholic Church did. Protestantism's wholesale rejection of 1500 years of tradition didn't sit well with me,
even as a former Lutheran.
During class one week, Sister Bernadette Young (who runs the program) passed out thin booklet called "
Handbook for Today's Catholic". One paragraph
in that book spoke to me and I nearly cried as I read it.
"A person who is seeking deeper insight into reality may sometimes have doubts, even about God himself.
Such doubts do not necessarily indicate lack of faith. They may be just the opposite - a sign of growing faith.
Faith is alive and dynamic. It seeks, through grace, to penetrate into the very mystery of God. If a
particular doctrine of faith no longer 'makes sense' to a person, the person should go right on seeking. To
know what a doctrine says is one thing. To gain insight into its meaning through the gift of understanding is
something else. When in doubt, 'Seek and you will find.' The person who seeks y reading, discussing,
thinking, or praying eventually sees the light. The person who talks to God even when God is 'not there' is
alive with faith."
At the end of class I told Sr. Bernadette that I wanted to enter the Church at the next Easter vigil.
3. If you were a tree what kind of, oh sorry about that .. what is the PODest thing you have ever
done?
I set up
WikiIndex, a clearinghouse for reviews
of theological books, good, bad, and ugly. It has a long way to go, but it'll be cool when it's finished. :)
4. What is your favorite quote from Venerable John Henry Newman?
"Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."
5. If you could ban one hymn from existence, what would it be?
That's a tough one. As a member of
the Society for a Moratorium on the Music of
Marty Haugen and David Haas, there are obviously a lot of songs that grate on my nerves. If I had to pick
one, though, I'd probably pick
"Sing
of the Lord's Goodness" by Ernie Sands.
A good op-ed from the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/20/opinion/20novak.html?ei=5090&en=94bf6b87f2fd8aac&ex=1271649600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&position=
I’m glad that Benedict can take joy in seeing “C&E” come to church and wishes to always reach out and evangelize. I don’t want him to fudge on teaching in the name of getting more people to come, of course, but in the midst of maintaing orthodoxy, the Founder of our Church, Whose body we are now part of, was prophesied (Isaiah, methinks) that “the bent reed he will not break, the smoldering ember he will not crush”.
Again, more evidence that Benedict is a far more dynamic, caring individual than we’ve been led to believe.
Another good article with some insights into Benedict’s character, also via Drudge:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/20/news/cardinals.html
As Eric pointed out, the reason Ratzinger always looked like a hardliner was basically because his job was to tear heretics’ arguments apart. He did a fine job of it, too. John Paul II had a good public image because he basically leaned on the Holy Office and the other Curial congregations to do his dirty work, leaving himself above the trenches warfare.
If anything, I’d say he’s done a great job of *not* being swayed by his surroundings; it’d be ridiculously easy for him to go out and say things that aren’t controversial.
I have a great deal of hope for Pope Benedict XVI. I must admit I was suprised by the selection, espiecally considering his age I figured the Cardinals would want him to stay on CDF. But I have to tell you, the more I read about him, from CNN, Fox News, and the New York Times article that Jerry linked, the more I frankly really like the selection. He seems cut from the same cloth as John Paul II, and helped to craft much John Paul’s policies.
I guess the biggest question mark about him is his ability to transfrom from a more behind the scenes man into the frontman of the church. Frankly, he must feel like Truman must have felt after FDR died. John Paul’s shoes are huge ones to fill, he was possibly one the greatest Popes the church as scene. As to how good a Pope Benedict XVI, only time will tell that one. As for now, I am extremely hopeful
I liked the way John Pall II stated his piece, I don’t agree with all of it but it makes me think and helps me understand where he is coming from, his compassion shines through. Whereas honestly Benedict XVI’s quote rubs me the wrong way to put it mildly. I’m being polite since I know you are celebrating, but if he had been elected Pope while I was still Catholic, I donÂ’t know how I would have reacted.
I think that there is a huge difference in a man who seems to be led by God inwardly (Pope John Paul II) and a man who seems to be swayed by his surroundings (Cardinal Ratzinger, since Pope Benedict XVI hasn’t had time to do much yet as Pope).
Given the history of the two popes, I am praying that this Pope has a great deal of divine inspiration.
I was overjoyed at the election of a new Supreme Pontiff. (Media people who might be reading this: simply calling the Pope *the pontiff* is too vague. The word pontiff comes from Latin, and just means *bishop*. One of the Holy Father’s titles is *Pontifex Maximus*.) It really didn’t matter who was elected, as I would’ve been happy to be out of the sede vacante, but finding out that it was the Ratzinator was the icing on the cake.
Sean, I can understand your hesitation, but Ratzinger’s writings and personal life reveal someone much more dynamic and likeable than many of the media reports would reveal. Check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/20/international/worldspecial2/20cnd-mass.html?hp&ex=1114056000&en=dcf68db208870d67&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Sean, I’d also point out that the bit I quoted from Ratzinger was from homily that was not published in full (to my knowledge). Homilies are by necessity much shorter and less fleshed out that encyclicals and this one was scavanged by the media for sound bites.
Alektra, how is Ratzinger swayed by his surroundings any more than Wojtyla was? He strikes me as a man very much driven by inner convictions. It’s also worth noting that John Paul II trusted and respected him as a friend, a priest, and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Speaking of which, it was Ratzinger’s job as head of CDF to be JPII’s enforcer of orthodoxy in the Church. JPII had his wishes carried out while remaining a likeable guy. Now Benedcit XVI will have the same opportunity to give the role of enforcer to someone else. Anyhow, before you judge Benedict too harshly, remember that the things he did in the CDF were initiated, guided, and approved by John Paul.