Fields’ Surprise: He Admires Catholic Town Founder
BY SAM FIELDS
Guest Columnist
Returning from a weekend in Naples I took a wrong turn and found myself in Ave Maria. It’s a five-year-old town that was built out of the Everglades by Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan who chipped in the first $250 mil.
In an era when for every person becoming a Catholic in four are leaving, you have to admire “Pizza Boy for putting his money where his mouth is.
[Note: One new Papist is serial adulterer Newt Gingrich who converted at the behest of his latest wife. If past is prologue we can look forward to Old Newtie eventually trading her in for a newer model. Hopefully he won’t tell this one the bad news while she is in the hospital for cancer]
Going down Ave Maria’s main street you see a town that has a look that is a cross between The Stepford Wives and The Truman Show.
Maybe it’s the newness of the town but it has that sterile look of the Jim Carey movie.
I did not see a single woman with a dress above the calf. They look like pre-Vatican II Catholic wives who would never think of dumping hubby notwithstanding an occasional black eye.
I did see two folks holding signs that proclaimed “Car Wash 4 Life.
The center of town is a giant church (naturally Catholic). Off to the side is Ave Maria University, formally of Ypsilanti, Michigan. Monaghan bought the school and had it moved to Florida lock, stock and rosaries.
While it is doubtful you can buy this month’s issue of Hustler, I guess that it is not too hard to get a Guinness or a Bushmill.
After all, his name is Monaghan.
In an age where colleges are regrettably becoming trade schools, it was nice to see that their core curriculum includes art and philosophy. I strongly suspect the philosophy classes will be heavy on St Thomas and light on Kierkegaard.
I doubt that I or anyone else will be recruited to teach at the law school who supports Roe v Wade.
Notwithstanding any lack of academic freedom, you have to reluctantly admire Monaghan for running against the tide.
(Buddy’s Note: Fields is an outspoken atheist who generally attacks anyone who promotes religion. When he turned in this column which admires some of what Monaghan accomplished, I was very, very surprised.)
October 19th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I can’t believe what I am reading. Sam Fields actually had something good to say about a person who believes. I will have to look outside and make sure the sun rose in the east today.
October 19th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
He had very little good to say about Monaghan. Putting his money where his mouth is at the beginning and admiring him for running against the tide at the end rings very shallow. Don’t know how tall Sam is, but he’s a very little man.
October 19th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
It is amazing Fields said anything positive about Monaghan. Judging from his previous writing, this is a man who would spit on a nun and laugh while doing it. He has no respect for any religion or any beliefs other than atheism, which is the belief in nothing. To see some positives in Monaghan’s beautiful vision is change.
October 19th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Sam Fields, you sir, are a bigot.
Buddy you do yourself no service by associating with this hateful jerk.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:27 am
I am not so small that if I disagree with your ideas I must also dislike you.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
sam, i know , among other defects, you lack patience, but try the golf courses there, great and cheap. im afraid this will be another failed real estate development. very little building if any, and u r right, stir crazy if you live there.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
If indeed Sam is surprised it is because he is an ignorant bigot. As a product of a catholic education, primary through high school, theology class was not Catholicism 101 but rather a serious look at religions, from Hinduism to Judaism to Islam etc (agnostics and atheists were covered as well) without judgment as Sam feels so free to dispense. We also learned about Socrates and Plato and Calvin and Locke, and Freud and Jung. We didn’t whitewash the Inquisition or Martin Luther’s disgust at the selling of dispensations and his subsequent actions that resulted in the Lutheran Church. Sam likes to portray the religious as closed minded fools who are unenlightened a/k/a folks who embrace stereotypes yet Sam has no trouble embracing his own. Though Sam himself is the greatest argument against intelligent design I choose to believe in a Divine Maker who creates us all, however I will concede, based on Sam, even God can get one wrong.
FROM BUDDY: Very interesting, well-written comment. Thanks for participating.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Dear proudly Catholic,
A bigot is someone who forms a view without evidence or reason. I have both.
I would be glad to debate my views with you anytime, anywhere including the Knights of Columbus!
October 21st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Dear Aquinas Raider
I would be more than happy to debate you on the notion that over the past 1500 years the Roman Catholic Church has been the greatest enemy of freedom and liberty in Western Civilization.
I would be glad to discuss it with you or Proud Catholic over lunch
Unlike you I will not deign to use childish name calling.
P.S. If we are going to compare education let me note that I spent five years doing a Ph.D in history at The Catholic University of America in Washington D. C.
PPS I like St Thomas football