Dr. Donald DeMarco's new book became available today at Amazon. Here is the forward by Dr. Ronda Chervin:
How to Remain Sane in a World that is Going Mad
This is the latest book of Canadian philosopher and award winning journalist, Donald DeMarco. He is the author of such well-known titles as: The Anesthetic Society, Architects of the Culture of Death, New Perspectives on Contraception, The Biological Assault on Parenthood, and The Many Faces of Virtue.
The ability to insert wit into some of the heaviest topics of contemporary debate is surely one of the reasons why DeMarco’s books are so readable.
Another reason for the popularity of his incisive articles and books is his brilliant use of analogy. To whet your appetite for reading How to Remain Sane in a World that is Going Mad, I am here quoting some of my favorite analogies from this new book, a compendium of articles written over the past two years:
- On how the mind provides the light so we can see where we are going and know what we are doing - “Who would drive an automobile with his eyes shut?”
- On why we need a foundation in God of such things as rights – “A client approaches a builder and tells him he wants a house with no first floor only a second floor…The builder, naturally tells the client that such an arrangement is impossible…”
- About the criticism that Christians are imposing their morality on others – “Because moral values are spiritual and not material, they are not amenable to being imposed on anyone.”
- About it being discriminatory to oppose such things as gay marriage – “A child progresses in his education when he passes from discriminating between a dog and a cat to discriminating between a beagle and a basset hound…is it sexist to argue that men and woman are different by nature?”
- On whether failures in marriages mean that marriage should be defunct as some claim – “when a person consumes too much alcohol and then drives his car into a tree, we usually blame and driver and not the vehicle for the mishap…marriage is demanding. It is not like a player piano that is programmed to play by itself.”
- On why Catholics must try to influence politics – “The coaching staff does not influence the players on the field directly, but surely, through their advice and inspiration influences them indirectly.”
- On condemning the Church for laying guilt trips on members – “A baseball player took his life because he lost an important playoff game…yet I am unaware that Major League Baseball has ever been blamed for loading athletes with guilt.”
Besides the persuasive rhetoric of such analogies, I recommend How to Remain Sane in a World that is Going Mad for the research Dr. DeMarco has been doing into the ideas of what I would call “the enemies of truth” as found in newspaper articles, television talk-shows, as well as best-selling books. As DeMarco puts it: “I have adopted the mindset that obtaining a secular newspaper is equivalent to capturing the enemy’s plan to destroy civilization.”
Many apologists for Catholic truth are too disgusted by the views of the confused enemy even to read them. We may need the shock of the actual wording of errors that are flourishing in our times to become better apologists. Refreshing it is, indeed, to read DeMarco’s cogent defense of truth in the book you are holding in your hands.
Perhaps you are thinking, well DeMarco is witty and incisive but won’t reading this leave me feeling depressed and hopeless? No, because Jesus didn’t say “Have a Nice Day!” he said “Take up your Cross and Follow Me!” and in the words of DeMarco: “The Church offers a way of life, forgiveness, and redemption. That should be enough to praise it over the world that offers scant light, little forgiveness and no redemption.”
How to Remain Sane in a World that is Going Mad
This is the latest book of Canadian philosopher and award winning journalist, Donald DeMarco. He is the author of such well-known titles as: The Anesthetic Society, Architects of the Culture of Death, New Perspectives on Contraception, The Biological Assault on Parenthood, and The Many Faces of Virtue.
The ability to insert wit into some of the heaviest topics of contemporary debate is surely one of the reasons why DeMarco’s books are so readable.
Another reason for the popularity of his incisive articles and books is his brilliant use of analogy. To whet your appetite for reading How to Remain Sane in a World that is Going Mad, I am here quoting some of my favorite analogies from this new book, a compendium of articles written over the past two years:
- On how the mind provides the light so we can see where we are going and know what we are doing - “Who would drive an automobile with his eyes shut?”
- On why we need a foundation in God of such things as rights – “A client approaches a builder and tells him he wants a house with no first floor only a second floor…The builder, naturally tells the client that such an arrangement is impossible…”
- About the criticism that Christians are imposing their morality on others – “Because moral values are spiritual and not material, they are not amenable to being imposed on anyone.”
- About it being discriminatory to oppose such things as gay marriage – “A child progresses in his education when he passes from discriminating between a dog and a cat to discriminating between a beagle and a basset hound…is it sexist to argue that men and woman are different by nature?”
- On whether failures in marriages mean that marriage should be defunct as some claim – “when a person consumes too much alcohol and then drives his car into a tree, we usually blame and driver and not the vehicle for the mishap…marriage is demanding. It is not like a player piano that is programmed to play by itself.”
- On why Catholics must try to influence politics – “The coaching staff does not influence the players on the field directly, but surely, through their advice and inspiration influences them indirectly.”
- On condemning the Church for laying guilt trips on members – “A baseball player took his life because he lost an important playoff game…yet I am unaware that Major League Baseball has ever been blamed for loading athletes with guilt.”
Besides the persuasive rhetoric of such analogies, I recommend How to Remain Sane in a World that is Going Mad for the research Dr. DeMarco has been doing into the ideas of what I would call “the enemies of truth” as found in newspaper articles, television talk-shows, as well as best-selling books. As DeMarco puts it: “I have adopted the mindset that obtaining a secular newspaper is equivalent to capturing the enemy’s plan to destroy civilization.”
Many apologists for Catholic truth are too disgusted by the views of the confused enemy even to read them. We may need the shock of the actual wording of errors that are flourishing in our times to become better apologists. Refreshing it is, indeed, to read DeMarco’s cogent defense of truth in the book you are holding in your hands.
Perhaps you are thinking, well DeMarco is witty and incisive but won’t reading this leave me feeling depressed and hopeless? No, because Jesus didn’t say “Have a Nice Day!” he said “Take up your Cross and Follow Me!” and in the words of DeMarco: “The Church offers a way of life, forgiveness, and redemption. That should be enough to praise it over the world that offers scant light, little forgiveness and no redemption.”
RSS Feed