Skip to main content

Cannot Make, Can Only Mock // Abbie Hedden

While I have been known to make too many Tolkien references, I feel like we have to make this connection. Tolkien did not enjoy "The Lord of the Rings" being called an allegory, but the way he portrays the orcs is a great metaphor for evil. They were originally created as men and elves, but as Frodo said, "The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. don't think it gave life to Orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them..." (The Return of the King, p. 190) They began as beautiful creatures, and were corrupted to become evil. Does that make their Creator evil? By no means. I think Augustine was struggling with how evil can exist while God is good. He is the Creator of everything, we were given free will - that is part of the glory of His creation. While I don't know if I will ever understand the nature of evil and good entirely, I can see how evil is but the absence of good. But if evil is the absence of good, and God is good, and God is everywhere, how can evil exist? I can't fully understand that, and my brain is kind of exploding. I hope that Augustine comes to a more conclusive answer so that I can be in peace about it.


PS Emmet and Braylan

Comments

  1. kaitlyn terryFebruary 1, 2021 at 10:56 PM

    I struggled with this as well. It has always baffled me that there can be both a good God who does not look upon evil and the existence of evil. His omnipotence combined with the existence of evil has always confused me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. IsabelleFebruary 2, 2021 at 7:59 AM

    The battle of good vs evil and how God affects it is a timeless struggle that humans have tried to understand. One thing that I love about Augustine is that, while he asks questions during his talk with God, he knows there are some things he is not meant to know. God is all-knowing, and humans tend to raise themselves on a pedestal when they believe they are "in the know," which is why I think God doesn't reveal certain things to us. We simply have to trust. P.S. Love the Tolkien reference!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aristotle Might Not Like Me...Or Jesus//Haylee Lynd

      Aristotle says that the man who does not get angry at the things he should be angry at "is thought unlikely to defend himself; and to endure being insulted and put up with insult to one's friends is slavish" (Aristotle 41). While he states that passivity is preferred to excessive anger, he still gives great criticism to it.  In contrast to Aristotle, the man who Christians believe to be the most just is Jesus who states in Matthew 5:39-40, "...do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well." Essentially, arguing that one is not to respond in anger when insulted or hurt, to not defend one's self. Most individual's are unable to achieve this. Our natural instinct is to defend ourselves, especially in physical cases. However, Christians strive to be like Jesus in this way. I would also argue that it is a very admirable wa...
2 comments
Read more

Oedipus’ Children/Siblings—Lily Caswell

Ok, so Oedipus is a bit of a train wreck to say the least. I love the fact that even after Oedipus found out about his less-than-appealing relationship with his mother, he still tried to look after his children/siblings. After he gouged his eyes out, his children came to him at which point Oedipus talked about how that when they were old enough to marry, no one would want them due to them being products of incest. He said for the people not to condemn them based on what their father had done. Even after he knew what he had done and what his children were, he still wanted the best for them. I commented on Logan’s and Ian’s posts.
3 comments
Read more

Not a Hallmark.. NOT A HALLMARK - Clabo

I completely forgot how tragic the relationship between Dido and Aeneas was. The thought that Venus originally caused Dido to fall in love with Aeneas through Cupid for no other reason than to just provide Aeneas and his troops' safety is so aggravating. Venus used Dido and her resources at the ultimate and unfortunate expense of her life. She did not naturally fall in love with him, and she wasn't supposed to in the first place. Everyone knows that Aeneas and the Trojans have to make it to Italy to make their new city/empire, and this most assuredly means that they would not be able to stay in Carthage.  I also think that Juno is to blame for a lot of it, however, because the caused her and Aeneas to end up alone in a cave during a storm. You would think that if Juno cared so much for Carthage that she would not have caused/helped cause the death of the city's queen. This was just overall very unfortunate in all aspects. What are your thoughts and opinions? P.S. I commente...
3 comments
Read more