Wednesday 10 February 2016

Time Warps

SM Stirling, Conquistador (New York, 2004), Chapter Twelve.

What might "a time warp" mean? A space warp could be a means of FTL travel so a time warp might be a means of time travel? Sometimes, when someone has been in an out of the way place that has not kept up with the times, they say that it was like being in "a time warp," meaning a perpetually replayed past period?

Tom Christiansen has the "time warp" experience several times in the Commonwealth of New Virginia, e.g.:

"...a boy and girl were actually sipping from the same malt with two straws, something he'd never seen outside a book of Norman Rockwell prints." (p. 334)

The New Virginians, colonizing a pristine Earth with a small population,  want to preserve their ways of life and have no reason to keep up with the little that they might hear about the fashions on FirstSide. They build a simpler, more basic society. There will be more "time warp" posts.

Do the New Virginian Catholic churches retain the Latin liturgy? Do they know of any doctrines defined since 1946? Do they pray for renewed contact with the Papacy?

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I remember that Norman Rockwell moment Tom had! But I can STILL imagine a boy and girl sharing a malt drink today. I think it seems strange to Tom because, alas, we adults tend to get jaded and cynical.

And I would not be surprised if the New Virginian Catholics still use the Latin form of the Mass. Too many who advocated using the vernacular for the Mass were needlessly rough and contemptuous of how many, many Catholics were devoted to the Tridentine form of the Mass.

I'm not sure how to understand your comment about doctrines defined or reiterated since 1947. I can only think of three: Pius XII's definition of a point of Marian doctrine, Paul VI's explanation in his encylical HUMANAE VITAE on why artificial birth control drugs and devices are immoral (unlike so many who never bothered to read HV, I HAVE read this letter repeatedly), and St. John Paul II's definition in ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS on why the Church is unable to ordain women to the priesthood.

And I certainly hope the New Virginian Catholics desire to retain or regain union with the Papacy!

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

Sean,

But that is what I meant. Do New Virginian Catholics know about the new Marian doctrine?

Is ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS ex cathedra?

Paul.

David Birr said...

Sean:
If the Wikipedia article on *Conquistador* is correct, New Virginia STERILIZES any Native Americans who wish to reside there permanently. I think the Papacy might have a thing or three to say about THAT, and about any Catholics who go along with it....

Also, what about changes resulting from Vatican II, besides the use of vernacular?

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I'm in haste so this will have to be too brief.

I assume the New Virginians kept up with the news from First Side before the Gate to that Earth was lost. So, yes, I would definitely believe NV Catholics knew of Pius XII's definition of this point of Marian doctrine.

The general consensus of Catholic theologians is that ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS is ex cathedra because John Paul II invoked his authority of "confirming the brethren" definitively on a matter of faith and morals in that document.

Sean

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, David!

I agree, once you pointed it out, the Holy See would certainly object to that kind of non therapeutic sterilization. And reprimand Catholics who went along with the idea.

I'm not sure what is meant by the "changes resulting from Vatican II." Could you elucidate?

Sean

David Birr said...

Sean:
I'm afraid I CAN'T elucidate, because I'm not familiar enough with the decisions made in Vatican II to KNOW what, if any, changes there might be, or how drastically they might impact the faith as practiced in New Virginia. But I thought there would probably be some -- there's a big to-do in the *1632* series as to whether 17th-century Catholics should consider late-20th-century Catholics as truly Catholic, and Vatican II is mentioned as contributing to the arguments of BOTH sides -- and if so, they should be taken into account.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, David!

At least I HAVE read 1632: THE GALILEO AFFAIR! And I remember how the reigning pope in the 1632 series, Urban VIII (r. 1623-44), who also lived in OUR timeline, suffered great anxiety and doubt for a long time from what he had read in the books and papers of the parish priest of Grantville. It was only after much debate and study that Urban VIII and the Roman Inquisition concluded that what Vatican II had wrought was a legitimate and orthodox deepening, nuancing, and developing of doctrine. I'm sorry if this seems vague, I'm going by what I remember!

Sean