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.
The notion of the Immaculate Conception didn’t really hit home for me until I realized that the womb of the Blessed Mother is the New Testament analog of the Ark of the Covenant. Then it all becomes very clear why the Mother of God was Immaculately Conceived.
You must not have read much Scott Hahn since he nails all of the parallels between the old new testaments. An example can be found here:
http://www.catholic-pages.com/bvm/hahn.asp
I’ve read a little of Hahn. I’ve met him, too. He’s a nice guy, but his writing style doesn’t do anything for me. He tries too hard to be funny. I like puns, but not THAT much. He’s much better when writing with someone else, such as Aquilina.
I’m probably being a bit too grumpy when I say this, but I don’t know why people are all gaga over Saint Scott Hahn. His stuff is great; I really liked The Lamb’s Supper. But his ideas are not new, not by any stretch. In fact, they’re very old. And they were originally had by people who are entitled “Doctor.” It amazes me that the Church hasn’t tried harder to popularize the great writings of the Fathers. The Greek Fathers, in particular, are fairly easy to read, and have a particular mystical tone that, I think, people would find appealing these days.
I guess my thing is basically this: why read Hahn when you can get the same information from Chrysostom, Basil, or Gregory Nazianzen?
I’m confused as why such a big deal is made of the parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The people who wrote the New Testament new the Jewish scriptures very well and likely had them in front of them while they were writing. It shouldn’t really be a surprise that parallels show up.
Tom: Because C, B, and GN aren’t as accessible as Hahn. Hahn regurgitates those fellas into language a modern, worldy person can understand.
John: You’re begging the question, John. Do the parallels show up because the Gospel writers took artistic license (or worse yet had ulterior motives) or because God planned it that way. The Church teaches the latter. The former view is the kind of bunkum you get from crap like Jesus Seminar.
The fact that a prophesy from the old testament is fulfilled is part of a divine plan. The fact that the phrasing and dramatic structures are paralleled is the result of the writers.
And if we watn to risk controversy, which prophesies a Gospel shows being fulfilled and the manner in whihc they are fulfilled is the product of the writer.
the reason that more people read hahn than the Fathers has probably less to do wtih accessibility of language and more to do with popularity within the target audience. hahn tends to reach those who are looking for answers to “tough questions” and those who are interested in finding out more about Church teachings. unfortunately, when someone asks “where can i find out about Mary, the Eucharist, etc?”, scott hahn is more likely to come to mind than C,B, and GN. many who are searching for those answers, unfortunately, have never heard the names of Church Fathers and are unlikely to look up source texts when you can get it already “prepackaged”.
Another parallel between Mary and the OT is that the verb Gabriel used when he told Mary that the Holy Spirit would “come over” her (or something like that) was only used once in the Septuagint, and that’s when it described when the presence of God would come upon the Tent of Meeting with Moses.
Tom, before I went to the Oratory, I didn’t know any Church Fathers besides Augustine and maybe Ambrose. To judge from what I’ve seen of American Catholicism, my experience seems more common than yours.
I think a good reason for reading Hahn that has not been addressed here is the issue of where to start. One could spend a lifetime plumbing Chrysostom or Augustine, and in the latter’s case at least, not even reach the end of that saint’s astonomical output.
Hahn helps assemble things together, draw people’s attention to folks they’ve never heard about (“Maximus the Confessor”, who the heck is that guy?), and maybe set people off on a journey to the relevant sources.
Nate: “overshadow” was the term used to describe the Holy Spirit’s action. That was the term I was grasping at. Of course, it’s a translation of a Greek verb, but it’s the translation that I’ve seen people far more informed than me consistently use, so I’d roll with that.
That is interesting. I’m stealing it for my own blog, with credit to you of course.
Funky Dung says:
“Tom: Because C, B, and GN aren’t as accessible as Hahn. Hahn regurgitates those fellas into language a modern, worldy person can understand.”
You’ve missed the point. I’m saying that the Fathers typically *are* highly accessible, and the Church ought to promote the reading of their works.
edey says:
“unfortunately, when someone asks ‘where can i find out about Mary, the Eucharist, etc?’, scott hahn is more likely to come to mind than C,B, and GN. many who are searching for those answers, unfortunately, have never heard the names of Church Fathers and are unlikely to look up source texts when you can get it already ‘prepackaged’.”
I must’ve been highly unclear. I’m not faulting anyone for reading Scott Hahn; it’s laudable to read his books. But the Fathers are even better. I’m lamenting the fact that, indeed, one needs to dig, or be an academic, to access their writings. I’m sure their works are public domain; how hard would it be for a printing house to drop some modern writers and start printing Patristic homilies and apologetical works?
i said unfortunately about hahn because i tend to be a fan of source material. i must have also been unclear. i dont’ think it’s necessarily unfortunate that people read hahn, but, like you, i think it’s unfortunate that people read hahn *instead* of reading the Fathers.
anyways, i think the fact they aren’t printed by major publishers is only part of the problem. i know you can find at least some of the works of the Fathers on the internet. so they are out there. it’s a problem of name recognition among the target audience. someone who is looking to understand Church teaching most likely to recognize the name hahn rather than C,B, or GN. if they were available at popular bookstores, maybe that would help alleviate the problem, though.
you do bring up a good point, though. i wonder why someplace like ignatius press doesn’t even publish their works.
I dunno. Is there really a name recognition issue? I knew the names of many of the Fathers before I was serious about religion, and hadn’t heard of any of the popular writers until fairly recently.
Regardless, this is really irrelevant and way off topic.
jer,
my experience was similar to yours….well i hadn’t even heard of Ambrose. 😉
I’m still not being clear enough, I guess.
Jerry: “I think a good reason for reading Hahn that has not been addressed here is the issue of where to start. One could spend a lifetime plumbing Chrysostom or Augustine, and in the latter’s case at least, not even reach the end of that saint’s astonomical output.”
But how hard would it be for a publishing company to put together, say, St. Gregory the Great’s homilies on a certain particular subject? This sort of thing has been done with much success before, particularly with St. Thomas Aquinas. That’s what I’m talking about; I’m not trying to get the Church to push people to read the entire Patristic corpus.
tom
there are compilations of Patristic writings on certain topics, but the ones i’ve seen are arragned by topic and give relevant quotations from the Fathers rather than all of one particular Father’s writings on a subject.
while i also hadn’t heard of most of the Fathers pre-Oratory, i do think greater availability would lead to more people reading the Fathers. so…have you written to any Catholic publishers and asked them this very question?? i’m surprised Ignatius press doesn’t do that. write to Father fessio. it wouldn’t be hard for them to do it, but it’s probably a perceived lack of demand. write to publishers. let them know there is demand out there.
“I’m confused as why such a big deal is made of the parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The people who wrote the New Testament new the Jewish scriptures very well and likely had them in front of them while they were writing. It shouldn’t really be a surprise that parallels show up.”-John
A side (and around the corner) comment:
While going to Pitt and writing for the Pitt News (opinions/non-sexual), I attended a Bible study series sponsored by the Rainbow Alliance. I will never forget this for many reasons. One big thing was that the leader proposed that there was no connection between the OT & NT (Lev. 18 & Romans 6). I pointed out many examples to the contrary but to no avail in his head.
Point: Some people don’t see the connection. (I think it’s obvious.)
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Hi, liked the article