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cpayne
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Will Durant? Will Durant??? This is true?
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Ridgerunner
Guest
Yes, true. He was actually raised Catholic, though I think rather indifferently. Then, right about the time he married Ariel, or perhaps shortly before, he left the Church and, for a time, was anti-Catholic. However, if you read a lot of his works, you get the impression that he never really rejected the Church in an aesthetic sense. He’ll take very serious pokes here and there, and tries to be evenhanded about it at times, but he never really gets past an aesthetic appreciation, ever. But shortly after Ariel died, and at an extremely advanced age (which I do not remember), he returned fully to the Church. I remember seeing him on Buckley’s show, talking about it. You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Ariel, of course, was Jewish, though I don’t know that that, in itself, had anything to do with his leaving the Church. My impression has been that Ariel was more of a cultural Jew than a religious one, and Will could, during much of his life, perhaps be accused of “cultural Catholic” tendencies, even when he was out of the Church. My general impression is that both were more agnostic than anything else during most of their lives.
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cpayne
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Your mentioning Bill Buckley’s show made me think of this: Mortimer Adler, though a lifelong Thomist, was not a Christian for years, and only became a Catholic toward the very end of his life.
Hearing about Will Durant is good news.
I wonder how many people in Heaven would want to rewrite their books left on earth? (I suppose all of them would, right?)
Hearing about Will Durant is good news.
I wonder how many people in Heaven would want to rewrite their books left on earth? (I suppose all of them would, right?)
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Ridgerunner
Guest
Yes, all I guess. Some more than others. Malcolm Muggeridge, another very late convert, is one of the few who actually got the chance to reflect on this in his “Chronicles of Wasted Time”.
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mgrfin
Guest
I knew about Bob Hope, and John Wayne, but not Will Durant.
Durant was raised a Catholic, was in the Seminary, but gave up his faith, and as I remember it, it took up no other faith so he could remain independent as an historian.
If it happened that he returned to the Church in his last years, I would appreciate a reference.
In spirit he was a Catholic, as the following quote shows:
"Nonetheless, he also recognizes the church’s impact on art and tells of his visit to see Titian’s “The Assumption of the Virgin.” He writes, "To this day the sight of that masterpiece is an unforgettable event in any sensitive wanderer’s life. Standing wordless before this powerful evocation, the unwilling skeptic mourns his doubts and acknowledges the power and beauty of the myth.“The Chicago Tribune, November 28, 2001”
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ASimpleSinner
Guest
Also on the death bed, iconic performer Liberace
received the last rites of the Catholic Church and with a rosary in his hands died at the age of 68.
I am a big fan of last rites. God grant us such mercy!
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mgrfin
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The old, short prayer: “Keep us from a sudden and unprovided death, O Lord hear us.”
“…and at the hour of our death. Amen”
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ASimpleSinner
Guest
AMEN!
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Mirdath
Guest
Some people have mentioned Oscar Wilde; what’s less-known is that Joris-Karl Huysmanns, the first Decadent author, also became a convert. Wilde, who idolized Huysmanns, went looking for him, and was utterly shocked to find his hero in a Trappist monastery in Spain.
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cpayne
Guest
For some reason, this story made me laugh. Just the image of Wilde looking for Huysmanns and finding him in a monastery strikes me as funny.
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Ani_Ibi
Guest
I don’t know if Monsignor Graham Leonard was ever actually anti-Catholic. But he was the Anglican Bishop of London. read more
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SisterMoon
Guest
I’d say me. Vehemently anti-Catholic and totally into James White…I have many of his books.
I’m 39, so I don’t know if that constitutes “life-long” but I was anti-Catholic through and through.
Praise God!
I’m 39, so I don’t know if that constitutes “life-long” but I was anti-Catholic through and through.
Praise God!
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mgrfin
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Glory to God, SisterMoon.
mgrfin
mgrfin
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Ani_Ibi
Guest
SisterMoon, what led you to want to swim the Tiber?
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mgrfin
Guest
This may be slightly off thread but I felt it was important.
My paper reported the death of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris for 24 years. Lustiger, a Jew who converted to Catholicism and rose thru the Church hierarchy to become one of the most influential RC figures in France, at the age of 80.
The Cardinal converted at age 14, a very young convert. His mother died in Auschwitz. He was known for saying “Christianity is the fruit of Judaism. R.I.P., Jean-Marie.
My paper reported the death of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris for 24 years. Lustiger, a Jew who converted to Catholicism and rose thru the Church hierarchy to become one of the most influential RC figures in France, at the age of 80.
The Cardinal converted at age 14, a very young convert. His mother died in Auschwitz. He was known for saying “Christianity is the fruit of Judaism. R.I.P., Jean-Marie.
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rpp
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ASimpleSinner
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Praise God indeed!
Did Catholic Answers/CAF play a role in the process?
Maybe that should be a new thread…
“Who here became Catholic after hashing out their doubts and difficulties in the CAF?”
Adult initiation into the Church is exciting… But we all need to remember conversion is an ongoing thing. As one priest pointed out to me, we are all converts - even those who were converted as infants at baptism.
This forum is at its best when it is helping all of us converts!
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cpayne
Guest
There is a very nice obituary / biography on Lustiger (by George Weigel) on firstthings.com
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rpp
Guest
I have looked but cannot find it. Can you provide a direct link? Is it in the Subscription only section?
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