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 ease with which some pastors and priests fling about “coarse language” never ceases to ice up my insides. I think it falls largely to a lack of respect for authority. I remember cursing almost every sentence before submitting to Christ and conciously considered several times that I was putting it “in someone’s face” and that was fun for me.
After a while it became habit, but even then I knew when I should and shouldn’t do it. It was about feeling the power of being abrasive
http://uccatholic.blogspot.com/2005/11/why-we-need-to-watch-our-potty-mouths.html
Try owning parrots. There’s a segment of the brain that is active when we use profanity or profanity substitutes. It’s why profanity is a universal concept. Parrots have this in spades — they learn profanity better than just about anything. Teaching a parrot to swear is cruel, and so we must be very careful.
Campolo is right, though. Why aren’t we more upset about the kids dying? Is it that, if they’re dying, we don’t have to worry about them swearing? Campolo’s point is that our priorities are out of whack. I care much less about people’s use of profanity than about those children.
There are also times when profanity is useful. In emergency situations, for example, well-chosen profanity shocks bystanders, family members, patients, co-workers, and supervisors, enabling them to stop panicking and think. I got rather good at that trick, and I have no qualms about using it that way. I figure I can apologize for the profanity later, but if someone dies, the apology doesn’t really set things right.
I disagree that Campolo’s point is relevant. Simply because there are worse things doesn’t mean that lesser evils aren’t still evil.
I agree that the death of innocent children is far worse than many things, but that doesn’t make everything less bad than kids dying a-okay.
Tom, I think Campolo’s point might resonate with you more if you were part of the Evangelical sub-culture he was addressing. There’s a lot of form over substance. Actually, that’s part of the reason why we need to be careful how we handle our approaches to liturgy. Worshipping well and meaningfully is certainly important, but it’s for naught if we aren’t loving our neighbors. We must be careful, lest we should appear as Pharisees to others. Let’s not strain flies and swallow camels. Getting back to cursing, under most circumstances it’s not something worth nitpicking.
Read the linked posts for a more thorough version of my opinions. Comments are welcome and encouraged.
Tom,
How do people react to what Campolo said? They respond that he shouldn’t swear. That’s the first thing they do. The first thing they do is not try to figure out some way of saving those kids.
Clearly, to them, Campolo’s use of profanity is far more serious than the dying children.
I’ll worry about the profanity after we stop the kids from dying. Until then, I’m busy.
I think Campolo’s point has merit. I have never considered “shit” a bad word. It is a sin to use the Lord’s name in vain. I am opposed to all dirty joking. And it is wrong to curse another human being.
Saying “shit” is not sinful. Under certain circumstances, it might be impolite or rude and that would be wrong. But in other company, saying “shit” is neither offensive nor shocking. So I couldn’t care less that Campolo said “shit” in public.
What I do care about deeply is that Tony Campolo is a raving heretic. He wrote an article after Katrina saying that the reason bad things happen is because God is not omnipotent. Uh…heresy.
And what I also care about is the fact that many Christians are far more bothered by the fact that I wrote “shit” five times than that Campolo believes that God is not capable of controlling the weather.
And by the way, malnutrition is not the biggest killer of children int eh third world. Mosquitoes are. And the diseases they carry. And we could completely eradicate these mosquito borne diseases by using effective pesticides. But because the Greens care more about sparrows the children… well, you get my point.
I’ll all for putting children above mosquitos, but large-scale use of poisons that mess with ecosystems makes me nervous. For all we know, by killing most/all mosquitos, we’d be giving a leg up to a far worse parasite. Also, pesticides tend to be harmful to humans as well. Since mosquitos breed in water, that means there’s a good chance the pesticides would get into drinking water.
Anyhow, I don’t want to divert conversation away from the topic of cursing. I just think the issue is more complicated than it was portrayed by the good pastor.
The complete banning of DDT would appear to be a mistake, but it may be a necessary mistake. If DDT were used sparingly in homes, malaria would be greatly reduced. The problem is, humans are idiots, and DDT would not be used sparingly and it wouldn’t only be used in homes.
A perfect example would be trying to use Tamiflu to treat Bird Flu in humans. The Chinese used Tamiflu prophylactically (am I allowed to use that word on a Catholic Blog? Sorry about that, F.D.) to treat the chickens, resulting in most strains of H5N1 being resistant to Tamiflu.
Ironically, vaccinating chickens and ducks in Asia against H5N1 may be the best way to prefent an H5N1 outbreak — better than vaccinating humans anywhere else.
Casual (repeat:casual) cursing belies a dark spot on the spirit. I am completely turned off by the forawding ot the opinon that as long as one certain problem exists, others aren’t worth addressing. If we start with one and ignore all others until that one is dealt with we will never solve anything.
We will always have the poor with us, Jesus said so. Does that mean take less action to aid the poor? Not in the least. It means that we’re just going to have to be willing to make the effort to address multiple problems, each in the order most productive.
Standing in the midst of a village of starving people, if someone curses in the line as they are getting food, I’m not likely to even give a second glance. However, in that same village, later in the night once all is quiet until the next day, if I am with that person and he/she curses casually I might (repeat: might) take that opportunity to address it in some non-confrontational way.
To hear a pastor or priest curse is a complete turn-off not only to me, but to unsaved people as well because even if they can’t voice it the same way, the thought becomes one of “if they sound just like me, there ain’t that much of a change”. I had a friend who is a fishing guide tell me of several priests that “are just like every other guy” because when they lose a big fish or hang up a fly in a tree, they start cursing.
I can guarantee you that this makes a negative impression more often than is revealed.
Mark, thank you for explaining my point better than I did.
This type of reasoning, that because something very bad is happening, we’re suddenly freed from our obligations to not do less bad things, is BS. First off, it takes almost no effort to stop cursing. If you think it’s bad, stop. Although I don’t think it’s a big deal, it’s still a deal, if that makes any sense.
Rob:
“I’ll worry about the profanity after we stop the kids from dying. Until then, I’m busy.”
Really? You’re too busy trying to save starving kids. Right. I know it takes ten seconds of your precious time to say a prayer asking God to help you control what comes out of your mouth, and you could save about 0.00132 lives or something with that ten seconds.
Sorry for the sarcasm. I don’t think ill of you or anything, Rob, but I do think that this is a kind of lazy reasoning that society employs, because it doesn’t take away any of our effort from saving kids to make an effort to stop cursing, and because very bad things do not justify somewhat bad things.
Casual (repeat:casual) cursing belies a dark spot on the spirit.
Not sure what you mean by “casual”, Mark, but I’d offer that senseless talk, i.e., purposeless noise, of all types belies a dark spot on the spirit. It is akin, I think, to the classic deadly Sin of Sloth. Sensible, i.e., purposeful, cursing is a veritable virtue… as is purposeful vulgarity, itself being quite distinct from per se’ cursing, and each being distinct from lewd or lascivious speech.
Good point about purposeless noise Steve, though I am at a loss to understand declaring cursing a virtue.
… cursing, that is to say, things worthy of being cursed!
Pingback: Ales Rarus - A Rare Bird, A Strange Duck, One Funky Blog » More Unclean Lips
Pingback: Ales Rarus - A Rare Bird, A Strange Duck, One Funky Blog » Unclean Lips Redux
Pingback: Joining St. Blog's Parish @ Ales Rarus