Wrestling with Existence: Pondering Suffering and Grace in "Lila"
How does belief in God withstand the assault of life's sorrows? If God exists, why does existence itself seem to speak against divine benevolence and omnipotence? While these questions animate theological and philosophical discourse on the problem of evil, they also appear in other contexts, pa...
| Published in: | Toronto journal of theology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
School
[2018]
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| In: |
Toronto journal of theology
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| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism CD Christianity and Culture NBC Doctrine of God |
| Further subjects: | B
Lila
B Theodicy B Marilynne Robinson B Philosophy of religion B problem of evil |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | How does belief in God withstand the assault of life's sorrows? If God exists, why does existence itself seem to speak against divine benevolence and omnipotence? While these questions animate theological and philosophical discourse on the problem of evil, they also appear in other contexts, particularly literature. Marilynne Robinson's acclaimed Gilead sagaGilead, Home, and Lilafunctions as a literary meditation on suffering and grace. In Lila, the lead character, Lila, filters the question of theodicy through the prism of her life experiences and begins an extended conversation about it with a minister, Reverend John Ames, whom she eventually marries. Together, they wrestle with the meaning of existence, mutually illuminating their lifelong struggles with the question. In this essay, I will frame the problem of evil from Lila's perspective, explore five facets of it from her experience, and analyze the open spaces it creates for theological and philosophical discourse on theodicy. |
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| ISSN: | 1918-6371 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Toronto journal of theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/tjt.2017-0147 |