'Why has Deus Sama given us this trial? We have done no wrong,'
(Kichijiro, on p. 84)
The above statement is the prevailing question that arises in Shusaku Endo’s Silence, a novel that deals with the experience of Fr. Sebastian Rodrigues, a Portuguese Jesuit priest who travels to Japan to make sense of the rumor that his mentor, Fr. Christovao Ferreira, had committed apostasy—abandoning his faith in God in the face of torture.
In a land fraught with notions of anti-christianity in the wake of the Shimabara Rebellion, a paragon of the Christian faith would have a hard time adjusting, and so he had to hide his identity, hide himself with rags and hide any evidence of his religious practices. The sentiment is the same with the practicing Christians
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Ferreira (who had claimed the name and the family of Sawano Chuan afterwards) is the momentum of the story in which Fr. Rodrigues continues to find the truth of, and when he does find out that this had been the truth, he does not want to believe it. Yet Fr. Ferreira points out that there is also a sense of selfishness in the refusal to apostatize. If Fr. Rodrigues had apostatized in the first place, then maybe the martyrdom of Mokichi and Ichizo would not happen. If Fr. Garrpe had apostatized instead of jumping into the sea, then the two captive Christians wouldn’t have also been tossed into the sea. This is further realized in the words of the interpreter of the Lord of Chikugo (“You came to this country to lay down your life for them. But in fact they are laying down their lives for you”). He had hated Fr. Ferreira for apostatizing, and he had hated himself for apostatizing, and though they might have apostatized for different reasons, “They hated one another's ugliness; they despised one another; but that's what they were—two inseparable twins.” (p. 267). He tries to validate his own apostatizing, saying that the fumi-e told him to “'Trample! Trample! It is to be trampled on by you that I am here, ” and Inoue scoffs at this, saying that what he had been telling himself had been something that of self-deception, and Fr. Rodrigues himself wonders to himself of his own motives for apostasy
But, Lord, you alone know that I did not renounce my faith. The clergy will ask themselves why I fell. Was it because the torture of the pit was unendurable? Yes. I could not endure the moaning of those peasants suspended in the pit. As Ferreira spoke to me his tempting words, I thought that if I apostatized those miserable peasants would be saved. Yes, that was it. And yet, in the last analysis, I wonder if all this talk about love is not , after all , just an excuse to justify my own weakness (p.
...elings of love in people. This proves that a higher power can control the feelings of love in people.
In the book, Matteo Ricci, a pious Christian, tried to impress the Chinese by using his memory skills. He also hoped that they can be interested in his culture and thus interested in God (p. 140). Under that time fierce political and financial situation and religious fermentation, it was really tough for Ricci and other preachers to preach in China. In order to reach goal which make the people in China believe in god, they went through a lot of difficulties. But also because of these difficulties, they shattered Ricci’s original dream which was easy to preaching in a different country into pieces. Ricci and others thus tried to find another accessible and more realistic way to achieve their goals.
In his book Confessions, Saint Augustine writes about his conversion from a Manichee to a Christian. He confesses to God and asserts that God is “incorruptible and inviolable and unchangeable” (Augustine 111). Based on his deep faith in God, Augustine abandons the concept of Manichee dualism and believes in God as “not only [the] good but the supreme good” (114). At first he has no idea what the nature of evil is, but finally he starts to understand that the nature of evil is not a substance at all, but rather “a perversity of will twisted away from the highest substance [– God]” (Augustine 124-126). He contends that the totality, rather than the evil or goodness of individual things should be considered (125). In this essay, I am going to argue that Augustine’s reflection and understanding are better described as knowledge, rather than correct opinion.
The problem we find in this story, and in puritanism, is that it presents contrasting views of love. Attachment to earthly possessions, to other people in fact, is discouraged, because everything physical leads to temptation and damnation, and ultimately hell, while the road to salvation of the individual wanders through a spiritual discipline, rigour, austerity. A man should not love his wife more than he loves God; in fact, it is recommended that he not derive pleasure from his wife, but rather seek suffering, in order to redeem himself from his earthly condition, his impure state.
To Scobie the manifestation of even a human love is, by his own admission, merely a habit, a series of patterns, another trait which, like his pity and responsibility remains empty of positive content. Many if not most of his actions arise out of conformity to a pattern of behaviour: “life always repeated the same: there was always, sooner or later, bad news that had to be broken, comforting lies to be uttered, pink gins to be consumed to keep misery away.” (191) Many of his religious practices were also merely routine: “It was the first Saturday of the month and he always went to Confession on that day.... the awful languor of routine fell on his spirits.”(152-53) It is not surprising, therefore, to discover the same languor of the empty, external habit seeping into a human
Although Christian missionaries were welcomed in the 1540s by the Japanese rulers, Christianity was banned after the unification of Japan under a single shogun. The missionaries were welcomed primarily because they came with traders who brought weapons for the Japanese. During the Shimabara Rebellion, a large number of Christians rose up in a revolt that was violently put down. Silence is set in the aftermath of this rebellion - an atmosphere of vengeful
...n the Kanto area and 23.8 percent in the Kansai region. At the very least, the fact that scores of younger Japanese are choosing Christian weddings indicates that the present environment is much more open to Christianity and that the stigma once attached to the Christian faith has declined during the past several decades”. Mullins further states that this observance of Christian rituals may not be considered as an indication of solid faith in the religion instead it could be associated with “popular movie stars and all of that”.
St. Augustine is a man with a rational mind. As a philosopher, scholar, and teacher of rhetoric, he is trained in and practices the art of logical thought and coherent reasoning. The pursuits of his life guide him to seek concrete answers to specific questions. Religion, the practice of which relies primarily on faith—occasionally blind faith—presents itself as unable to be penetrated by any sort of scientific study or inquiry. Yet, like a true scientist and philosopher, one of the first questions St. Augustine poses in his Confessions is: “What, then, is the God I worship” (23)? For a long time, Augustine searches for knowledge about God as a physical body, a particular entity—almost as if the Lord were merely a human being, given the divine right to become the active figurehead of the Christian religion.
This paper will outline specific points in Saint Augustine’s Confessions that highlight religious views following the fall of Rome. Though Augustines views on religion may not reflect that of most people in his time period, it still gives valuable insight into how many, namely Neoplatonists,, viewed God and his teachings.
Hardships are a part of life that will never go away. No matter what we do, somehow we always seem to find a brick wall that stands in our way and life just seems to give us a giant slap to the face. But no matter how frustrating life can be we need these walls in our life; without them we wouldn’t learn the difference between right and wrong. We are faced with decisions that will affect us for possibly the rest of our lives. In the novel Silence, Father Sebastian Rodrigues goes through unbearable trials and pain while faced with the decision that holds the lives of innocent people including his own life. Silence takes place in Japan as Rodrigues searches for his former teacher, Father Ferreira. Along with another priest, Father Garrpe, they travel
The second circle of hell, a realm for those who fell victim of their carnal desires, is another level at which to place Augustine’s soul for he was consumed by lust in his pre-conversion days. He was encouraged by his family to learn the art of persuasion and making of fine speech when he was only sixteen. He used these skills, which he developed very well, along with his good looks to seduce as many women as possible. It was “in that sixteenth year of my life in this world, when the madness of lust. . . took complete control of me, and I surrendered to it” (Confessions, 987). He was in love with being in love. Yet, he was unable to discern between love and lust.
In Miguel de Unamuno’s novella San Manuel Bueno, Martyr, readers learn about the life of Don Manuel, a Catholic priest secretly holding atheist beliefs and doubts in the afterlife. Despite these disbeliefs, Don Manuel works tirelessly to help his community and is regarded as a saint by all who meet him, hence the handle “San Manuel,” which literally translates to “Saint Manuel.” Don Manuel’s struggle and affiliation with sainthood receives further analysis and context from Francisco LaRubia-Prado, who parallels Unamuno’s novella to elements of Greek Tragedy and heroism. Drawing from Unamuno’s background with Ancient Greek playwriting and Sigmund Freud’s Totem and Taboo, LaRubia-Prado argues that Don Manuel should be seen as a representation of Christ and must suffer in silence in order to play the role of the dying, tragic hero that saves the
There was a man by the name of Thomas of Elderfield who had a life full of ups and downs, but who never lost his faith in Christianity. He came from a poor family and worked his way up the social ladder to a successful business man. This climb up the social ladder was beneficial to him, but soon led to trouble as he attracted a suitor. After several years of infidelity with the suitor, Thomas’s conscious got to him and he discontinued seeing the married woman. His faith in God kept him from returning to her despite her repeated attempts at pulling him into sin. Thomas could not live with the weight of the sin on his shoulders so he went to a priest to confess what was causing him anguish and repent for his sins. “Eventually God's grace intervened and remorse stung him; so he presented himself to a priest and took his healthy advice to do proper penance for his offence,” (Malmesbury, par. 2). The woman remarried a man named George years after her first husband had passed away. In time George found out about his new wife’s previous infidelity...
Not only did this piece demonstrate his unconventional beliefs about the codependence of good and evil, it also exemplified a classic romantic tenet which dealt with the contradic...
“Love is the state in which man sees things most decidedly as they are not. The power of illusion is at its peak here, as is the power to sweeten and transfigure. In love man endures more, man bears everything. A religion had to be invented in which one could love: what is worst in life is thus overcome – it is not even seen any more.”