Comments for "Knowing What We Now Know" at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 12 out of 12 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Sun, 26 May 2013 02:26:48 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-15638 Betrand Russel specifically wrote a short bit called "Why I am not a Christian" and was an avowed atheist. My point here is that being an atheist does not in any way exclude one from having a grasp upon morality, or preclude a grasp of spirituality; I would submit that the implied statements (and implied questions) in various of the Peanuts cartoons, also illustrated this. I'd further suggest that Linus' character was a classic example of a religious humanist, which itself does not automatically imply him to be Catholic nor Christian nor exclude him from considering himself an atheist. - tracy Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:29:42 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12822 Thanks Father wonderful perspective! - Jack,CT Thu, 09 Aug 2012 10:57:56 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12821 Bill Watterson was another great philosopher / cartoonist. I miss Calvin and Hobbes as well. - Blake Helgoth Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:50:47 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12809 We should not forget all the talented people who collaborated with Schulz to make the memorable television specials happen. First among these is Bill Melendez, the primary artist behind the animation of Schulz's characters. If you wish to see Melendez' work on bringing Schulz characters to life, do a search for "Bill Melendez Productions," click on the TV icon, then choose "Specials". You can see clips of Melendez' work on all the Peanuts specials from the 60s and 70s. He was a master of animation! - G.K. Thursday Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:41:49 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12799 I LOVE the peanuts. Thank you for bringing this topic up for discussion Father. If I may add to the evidence of Schultz’ genius, I have several other observations. I think his understanding of the many facets of the human condition was immense. Even as a young man. If you read the early strips, you will see that, although they look a little different, his insight was always spot-on. Of course, understanding is one thing; to be able to impart that understanding to others is quite another. He really had a deft hand. To be able to express a weighty subject with understanding and humor (or either for that matter) in the space of four frames is mastery. His drawing was, on the surface, crude. Yet just as you’ve pointed out about his philosophy, the genius was always lying under the surface. His facial expressions were perhaps the most expressive and evocative in the craft. I also love how although, just as in life, there was much cynicism; the Peanuts is one of the few strips where one laughs AT the cynicism instead of WITH it. It is a difficult proposition to present big, heavy topics in an innocent child-like way. It’s almost as difficult as presenting something innocent and still being funny. Really funny. All part of the genius Personally, Charlie Brown is a hero of mine. He get’s beaten down over and over. Sometimes it’s by the world tricking him, i.e. Lucy and the football. Sometimes he does it to himself as with the kite. But he never quits trying. He get’s clobbered in every game, yet still takes the mound thinking that THIS will be the game he turns it all around. Nobody likes him, except his trusty pal Linus who more often than not dispenses tough love when Charlie Brown gets discouraged. Through it all, all the anxiety, discouragement and failure, Charlie Brown picks himself up and keeps trying. He is the everyman hero for our times. - Layman Tom Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:41:26 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12796 In the past decade, the sales of the original Peanuts Christmas special soundtrack have steadily increased into the millions. There were two "creative differences" over the program. One involved Vince Guaraldi's now classic score. He was probably the last of the tuneful and melodic jazz composers. CBS wanted generic pop or rock. The other was over Linus reciting from the Gospel of St. Luke. Apparently even back in 1965 -- when the Andy Griffith Show was still on the air -- this was considered controversial. Schultz and his producer stood their ground. After all CBS only commissioned this as a cheap and last-minute holiday filler and so Schultz was not obsessed about airing it. It's one thing to be a first-rate theologian; another to be one with the courage of your convictions. - Graham Combs Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:14:09 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12793 Bertrand Russell's elder brother Frank, the 2nd Earl had the rare distinction of being tried for bigamy by the House of Lords in 1901. He received a rather lenient sentence of 3 months imprisonment, for at the time of his second marriage, he had been living in New York and had relied on an invalid Nevada divorce. Dying without issue in 1931, the title passed to his brother. - Michael Paterson-Seymour Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:37:14 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12791 Charles Schulz was a public intellectual in a way that had very few precursors. Perhaps the engravings of Dürer are one of the few ancestors to Schulz, but not in terms of their aesthetic content, but in their intellectual heft. Over the years his uniting of the visual with metaphysical and moral content in Peanuts is a very profound accomplishment. Although others tried similar things (e.g., Kelly in Pogo, Capp in Lil Abner), only Winsor McCay in some of his work attempted to move beyond the merely topical to the deeper truths of humanity, Christ and eternity. As for Russell, I refer everyone to Ray Monk's definitive biography. As the Library Journal wrote "Throughout his life, Russell (1873-1970) felt that he might go insane. He believed very much in romantic love but was apparently incapable of truly loving anyone. This emotional insecurity led him to multiple liaisons outside of his marriages (at the age of 64, his third marriage was to a 20-year-old) and strained relationships with his two children. Particularly upsetting to Russell was the homosexuality of his son, since he was on record as saying that homosexuality was the consequence of bad parenting. " As Sophocles writes in Antigone (620-3): "evil sometimes seems good to a man whose mind a god leads to destruction." - G.K. Thursday Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:32:40 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12789 Brilliant, Father Schall. You are calling for a study of Lucy, Alcibiades and Judas Iscariot! - Bill M. Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:20:01 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12788 Thanks for this piece Fr. Schall. Charles Schulz was a gift. - Ray Hunkins Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:10:40 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12787 Father, I enjoyed this column because the KISS principle always seems to work well in a complicated world. Bertrand Russell once wryly observed: "Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted." - Grump Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:03:43 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/qknowing-what-we-now-knowq.html#comment-12785 this is great! thank you, father! i have never linked the two before, but today's Gospel is Matthew's account of the storm at sea & Peter walking on the water. after reading your post, i see Lucy is a lot like Peter - and often me! you have lifted my heart once again. - debby Tue, 07 Aug 2012 04:13:09 +0100