October 22, 2004
Religion can be fun.
In an era of fundamentalism, martyrs, and most religious folks having no sense of humor whatsoever, this magazine is a breath of fresh air. I especially like the Mystery Worship section where people visit churches and surrepticiously review the services for the website.
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This article is a good sign. Too bad we missed their "online-church" experiment. Sounded kind of neat.
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Isn't there a special circle of hell reserved just for people like these? I read about this somewhere in Italy.
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people like these? You mean Christians?
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People who make fun of Christians.
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Too bad there's no Fosterite Church in real life.
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I'm sure the fundamentalist types would like to see these guys go to Hell (literally). But the interesting thing is that these Ship of Fools folks appear to actually BE Christians, normal ones with perspective and a sense of humor. I didn't think they made Christians like that any more.
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'xactly. I like 'em. I hope I get to be in the same special hell as them.
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This is fascinating - check out the rants section. And I love the name - Ship of Fools. There is some historical/religious background to that, can anyone explain?
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jb: This Bosch painting maybe? I was tempted to guess the Katherine Ann Porter story or the film, but I did some googling and now I think she refers back to either the painting or a story about a "fools' paradise".
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oh, cool, el_hombre! But I'm wondering whether it was a motif-thing around the 15th/16th century. I think I've heard of it iin other contexts too (Erasmus comes to mind, but that could just be In Praise of Folly, which I haven't read.)
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Well, there was a book in the 15th century. Here's a link. Relevant passage:Brant set to work at compiling material for a book that would illustrate a panoply of foolish demeanor. He must have been a keen psychologist, for the detailed rendition of his findings demonstrate a deep insight into human nature. Brant intended his book to be a didactic work that would guide mankind toward and along the path to salvation. The author, like many of his contemporaries, believed that the end of time was near, that the imminence of the Second Coming required a willingness to repent of sins, to acquire absolution, and to live the rest of life in a state of incorruptible faith. In order to suffocate the prospect of divine damnation, it was essential for human beings to retaliate against that demon known as foolishness. Don't know why the site would refer to itself as a "ship of fools," except perhaps to make the point that we are all on that ship together until we make the effort to change our habits/beliefs etc. Maybe.