Deep River is a short novel through which Shusaku Endo shares the story of a number of Japanese tourists who travel to India in an unknown pursuit of their pilgrimage of grace. Ironically the characters within the novel are non-believers of the Hindu religion, which can be a bit confusing for the reader at first. But as one proceeds through the novel, one will come to realize that the basis of the novel was not to review any particular religion, but to depict the individual journey to God. As stated within the novel, “God has many different faces. I don’t think God exists exclusively in the churches and chapels of Europe…(p.121)”Meaning similar paths will most likely not be taken. However it becomes evident through the reading that it is their sub-conscious notions that lead them to India to find God, although their trips appear to be for alternative reasons.
Throughout the novel, Endo jumps from one character to the next revealing intimate moments of each characters past to the reader in an attempt to explain the cause of the individual’s journey to India. Each character’s story is different however all the stories share a broken link in their lives that only God, in one of his many faces, can fill. Although he is presented later within the novel, Numada, a short story writer, displays one of the several manners in which an individual can find God, through nature. Through the numerous events of his interactions with animals and nature, Numada was presented with a path of revelation that led him to God.
When Numada is first introduced to the reader, he is currently on his way to India when he is recognized by one of the stewardess on board. When asked to confirm his identity, Endo states that he, “[nods] his head in silent embarrassment.” Numada behavior appears to be a bit strange as it can be taken two different ways. In one manner, Numada silent embarrassment can be taken as modesty or humility that can be attributed to the Japanese culture or the Christian values. In the other manner, Numada response can be taken as embarrassment for his profession.
In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus states, “…if anyone denies me here own earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.” Although he is unaware of it at the moment, Numada’s writing is a reflection of his love for God which is represented by his love for animals.
Follow The River by James Alexander Thom is about Mary Ingles gruesome but yet courageous tale of her remarkable 1,000 mile journey home after she had escaped form the captivity of the Shawnee Indians. Through Mary Ingles hard work and determination she proved that all obstacles big and small can be overcome.
...nt. The river does not grant this enlightenment in itself; its purpose is to direct Siddhartha’s thoughts to someone who is ready to listen to him and help his journey.
Throughout A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean emphasizes the relationship between nature, art, and faith. The concise, simple sentence with which he chooses to open his story captures the essence of all one hundred pages: in his family, 'there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing' (1). Reverend Maclean believes that both fly fishing and spiritual belief are 'exact arts,' if such a term can exist without paradox. The Reverend holds the firm conviction that 'all good things ' trout as well as eternal salvation ' come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy' (4). This belief system obviously espouses a view of the world as meticulous and well-ordered: nature is an intricate example of perfection, painstakingly created by God over half a billion years; art, including the art of fly fishing, is best taught with scrupulous attention to form and detail; faith is best deepened through study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, regular church attendance, and carefully written and revised sermons.
To some this story might seem like a tragedy, but to Christians this is a beautiful story. Although young Harry dies at the end, he is accepted into the kingdom of God, which is far superior to anything on Earth. A non-religious family raises him and the first taste of Christianity he gets makes him want to pursue God. In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, The River, the allure of Gods grace and the repelling of sinful ways are shown heavily through Harry.
Orson Scott Card uses many themes in Ender’s Game to portray the type of person that Ender is becoming. The importance of the mind game, Ender’s techniques, and isolation from others are extensive themes that provide important in depth information about the world around Ender. The situations that he is put through ultimately give the reader an understanding of what Card is trying to show while also showcasing the events that Ender is put through.
In the final chapters, Siddhartha proves that achieving or over-coming obstacles do lead to better Unity. Prior to making a leap forward in reaching his goal, Siddhartha finds himself in despair. He speaks to Vasudeva, the ferryman. The ferryman smiles and says very little, allowing the River to speak for him. Siddhartha listens as the River reveals its first true, complete message.
It trying to say that he now completely away from civilization and now instead of humans running the area, it’s that of animals and nature.
Siddhartha, in Herman Hesse's novel, Siddhartha, is a young, beautiful, and intelligent Brahmin, a member of the highest and most spiritual castes of the Hindu religion, and has studied the teachings and rituals of his religion with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Inevitably, with his tremendous yearning for the truth and desire to discover the Atman within himself he leaves his birthplace to join the Samanas. With the Samanas he seeks to release himself from the cycle of life by extreme self-denial but leaves the Samanas after three years to go to Gotama Buddha. Siddhartha is impressed by the blissful man but decides to lead his own path. He sleeps in the ferryman's hut and crosses the river where he encounters Kamala, a beautiful courtesan, who teaches him how to love. He is disgusted with himself and leaves the materialistic life and he comes to the river again. He goes to Vasudeva, the ferryman he met the first time crossing the river. They become great friends and both listen and learn from the river. He sees Kamala again but unfortunately, she dies and leaves little Siddhartha with the ferrymen. He now experience for the first time in his life true love. His son runs away and Siddhartha follows him but he realizes he cannot bring him back. He learns from the river that time does not exist, everything is united, and the way to peace is through love. Siddhartha undergoes an archetypal quest to achieve spiritual transcendence. During his journey, he both embraces and rejects asceticism and materialism only to ultimately achieve philosophical wisdom "by the river".
So by the natural order of things, we can treat animals in any way we like (106). The second assumption is, Animals have no moral standing of their own; we’re free to treat them in any way we desire or please (107). Before moving along, it’s an essential to comprehend what Bentham means by “God’s image” and “no moral standing.” Bentham defines God’s image as, the humans that are relatable to him because God is depicted as a human and not a nonhuman (106). No moral standing can be explained as this, it’s the concept that nonhuman animals don’t have the same morals as we humans have therefore, in this case, we can treat them in harsh, mistreating ways in order to get want we want from them. For example, in this passage, Bentham argues mistreatment of nonhuman animals for our luxury goods isn’t that of unequal moral consideration for nonhuman animals, but it’s the reason that has to do with human welfare, not the welfare of nonhuman
He acknowledges his distance from humanity in the preceding passage, yet he does not feel lonely because Nature upholds him. Additionally, he clearly states that the living organisms around him are what he dwells upon for his emotional su...
The novel River God by Wilbur Smith is set in Ancient Egypt, during a time when the kingdoms were beginning to collapse and the Upper and Lower Egypt were separated between two rulers. The story is in the view-point of Taita, a highly multi-talented eunuch slave. At the beginning of the story, Taita belongs to Lord Intef and helps manage his estate along with caring for his beautiful daughter, Lostris. She is in love with Tanus, a fine solider and also Taita’s friend. Unfortunately, Lord Intef despises Tanus’s father, Lord Harrab, and Intef was actually the one who the cause of the fall of Harrab’s estate, unknowingly to Lostris and Tanus. Taita’s goal is to bring back Egypt to its former glory, but with so many bandits and invaders it would be a difficult task.
Any form of life is sacred in the eyes of God, and we as humans are taught not to destroy or harm that; "The righteous one is caring for the soul of his domestic animal, the mercies of the wicked ones are cruel." (Proverbs 12:10) The only time we are allowed to inflict harm on another animal is to provide food, as stated in (Genesis 3:21; 9:3; Exodus 21:28). Pope John Paul II offers some insight to human and animal suffering. He demonstrates that we as humans feel physical pain as well as animals, but what sets us apart is that we have the ability to question why this evil exists. Although animals do not have the intelligence to question why they are captive, we as humans realize their sadness stems from the lack of the natural experience God has created for them in the wilderness. Through Adam, Job and David we learned to understand why God makes suffering in the world. We also learned that no matter how bad a situation is, we should never reject God’s love and praise. Holding animals captive in zoo 's results in us humans rejecting God. God created us to be stewards over animals and help and aid them through his will, not through our own will of holding them captive in zoo 's. By captivity, we are rejecting a fundamental value to honor God 's will. Besides rejecting God’s will, holding animals captive makes them more aggressive toward each other and humans. This aggression forms evil when they attack. Adam Roberts, senior vice president of Born Free USA states that holding animals captive outside their natural setting results in their aggression and sadness. Human suffering throughout creation has not only brought us closer to God, it has allowed the human race to develop a deeper compassion and love for God 's wonderful works. That very love and compassion allows us to see the true beauty of animals. It is understood that not every human
The development of a hero persona and the ability to combat enemies is shaped by encounters with personal hardships, within a fabricated and manipulative environment. Throughout Enders Game the pre-adolescent protagonist, Ender, has his nature and mentality warped by manipulative adults in order to make him into what they perceive, the most effective ‘saviour’ of the human race, only to result in Ender finding an equally as evil force within the battle school. The repeated dialogue at the opening of most chapters, between two unknown officers discussing the necessity of Ender’s submersion in “isolation” (1) and “enemies” (2) is an indication of intentional manipulation and exposure to a set of engineered human problems, in an attempt to turn Ender into the hero they want him to be. Card has further accentuated this idea by imbuing these discussions with ambiguity. No setting is described, neither is the identity of the two men revealed; granting them a sense of enigmatic authority. The alienation and isolation that ...
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and
No part of the Bible and its interpretation is more controversial than the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is the last profound book in the New Testament. It conveys the significant purpose of Christianity by describing God’s plan for the world and his final judgment of the people by reinforcing the importance of faith and the concept of Christianity as a whole. This book was written by John in 95 or 96 AD. What is, what has been, and what is to come is the central focus of the content in Revelation.