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st augustine and the problem of evil
st augustine and the problem of evil
st augustine and the problem of evil
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From the beginning of creation to the fictitious lands created by J. R. R. Tolkien himself, the distinctions between good and evil rise from the shadows and into the light. Specifically, in the Confessions of St. Augustine all things created through the light of God are seen as wholly good, while the absence of such light and goodness is considered evil. Tolkien’s novel elaborates on the work of Augustine and establishes the differences between forces of good and evil in the land of Middle Earth. Augustine and Tolkien in their works Saint. Augustine Confessions and The Fellowship of the Ring address the issues that arise from an individual 's struggle to escape the temptations of evil and succumbing to their lust for power rather than asserting …show more content…
The are two realms both light and darkness the fellowship discovers that the two worlds exist independently. Unlike Augustine both good and evil wholly exist and evil is not an absence of good but rather an entire entity of its own. Although evil is not a physical entity the power and sources of evil are to be feared “For the black horses can see, and the Riders can use men and other creatures as spies, as we found at Bree. They themselves do not see the world of light as we do, but our shapes cast shadows in their minds, which only the noon sun destroys; and in the dark they perceive many signs and forms that are hidden from us: then they are most to be feared.” (Tolkien, 246). However there is light in the world that intends to preserve the beauty and goodness left in the lands of Middle Earth. Galadriel the lady of Light bestows upon the fellowship both gifts and advice that assist them on their journey.Galadriel, although tempted by the ring, declines Frodo’s offer to have it (Tolkien, 341). Galadriel is described as being the lady of light that draws attention to both her beauty and her wholly good nature. St. Augustine related both light and good to one another and noted that even pure good has an ability to become corrupted. Like all good things, Galadriel is still able to be corrupted by the powers of the ring but …show more content…
As Gandalf states, “all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”(Tolkien, 67). It is crucial to understand Gandalf’s use of the word “decide” in this passage. There are times and circumstances thrust upon us that are beyond our control. Forces exist that try to exert or impose their will for good or ill. It is our own choice to decide to join the dark side, or resist. While these forces can influence characters, they cannot wholly divest control from beings of free will. Bilbo chooses to let Gollum live and in doing so takes mercy upon the creature while Frodo chooses to bear the ring to Mordor knowing that he is at risk of being corrupted by darkness. These acts of mercy are beyond the striving wills of even the greatest powers“for even the very wise cannot see all ends”(Tolkien, 78). The power of choice in addition to doing good also has the ability to do harm. The Ring and its master, the dark lord Sauron, are powerful evil forces able to assert their dominance and will over lesser beings. For example, in “The Shadow of the Past” Gandalf— a very strong character and possessed of the best intention can be devoured by the forces of evil should he decide to wield the ring (Tolkien, 55). The One Ring seeks to enslave its wearer, violating the God-given gift of free will.
It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
Peter Jackson’s film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” revolves around a young hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins and his unique group of companions. They go on a journey to destroy the One Ring of Sauron (the Dark Lord). In short, the One Ring has malevolent powers to whomever wears it.
Humans exist between two distinct beliefs, one being that of individualism where the person is only focused on benefiting their self and their tribe, and the other being altruistic where the priority is put on the betterment of the group at the downfall of the individual. In nature, animals only exist in the belief of self betterment but humans have the moral dilemma between self preservation and group preservation. Through new perspectives, this inner conflict can be transformed to become more altruistic or group minded. Whether that be through the journey of saving Middle Earth or the simple journey through high school. This theme is explored in J.R.R Tolkien's novel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This novel takes the reader through
Confessions by Augustine is a theological autobiography about confessions. What did it mean to confess? To confess in Augustine’s time was meant both to give an account of fault to God and to praise God. Augustine talks about his sinfulness and his faithfulness to his God. Confessions is a story of Augustine’s life, starting from his birth to his mothers death. “You have made us for yourselves, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”(Confessions, 1.1.1)
without you [God]” (1.2). God is the creator and source of all things. Again “
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is the first book in the fantasy-based trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. After his party, he then decides to leave everything behind and join a Fellowship, which has a task of destroying the ruling ring, which will give supreme power to whoever has possession of it. Just before he leaves, Gandalf asks Bilbo for this ring. Due to the power in which the ring possesses while it is in his possession, he does not want to give it up. The novel ends with the destruction of the Fellowship due to the power in which the ring contains. One of the prime facts of the Middle Earth is power. Power is not neutral, but is always evil. It gives wicked the chance to dominate. The good is corrupting and inescapable. This is shown repeatedly throughout the novel, from when Bilbo gives up the ring, to when Boromir tries to take the ring, and finally, to seeing the control that the ring has over Frodo. One incident in the book, which corresponds with how power is evil, would be when Bilbo had to give up the Ring. The ring is very powerful. The power is so enticing that Bilbo is very weary to give up that ring. When Gandalf asks Bilbo if he wishes to give up the ring, Bilbo seems unsure saying yes and no. When it came to having to give it up he didn't like parting with it at all and didn't see why he should have to . Due to the power in which Bilbo feels that the ring had given him, he doesn't want to part with it. By no means does Bilbo want to use the power in an evil manner to dominate all. It is just the thought of power itself that causes this greed to come over him. Although Bilbo in general is a good character, the power of ring corrupts his ways, showing his thirst for power, which he deserves. Another incident, which portrays this corruption of goodness to evil, is when Boromir approaches Frodo and tries to take the ring from him. Boromir has authority, which is being heir to the throne of Gondor, but not the supreme power that he desires.
In Tolkien world, evil is the antithesis of creativity, and is dependent on destruction and ruin for its basis. Conversely, goodness is associated with the beauty of creation as well as the preservation of anything that is created. The symbolic nature of these two ideologies is represented in the Elven Rings, which symbolize goodness, and the One Ring, which is wholly evil. A main theme of "The Hobbit", then, is the struggle within our own free will between good will and evil. "Early in the (Lord of the Rings) narrative, Frodo recalls that his uncle Bilbo, especially during his later years, was fond of declaring that… there was only one Road; that it was lik...
Good and evil in Tolkien's work are, to put it simply, that which is natural and that which is unnatural, respectively. That is, what is left alone to follow the cycles of nature is good. Any time that the cycles of nature are disrupted (such as the felling of a forest or the enslavement of a free people), there is evil. There are constant references to this in Tolkien's stories, as when Bilbo Baggins' neighbors remark on his mysterious vigor and extreme old age, "It isn't natural, and trouble will come of it" (21). Or when Sam Gamgee says of the Gandalf the wizard, "Don't let him turn me into anything unnat...
One of the ways Tolkien’s worldview is scene in his writing is in the total freedom of choice each character enjoys. Contrary to the Victorian era’s obsession with depicting good and evil two dimensionally, Tolkien imbues his characters with three-dimensional properties, allowing for all of his characters to choose. At a council meeting Elrond states “Nothing is evil in the beginning” (The Fellowship of the Ring 351). This belief is fund...
Human nature causes a desire to run away from places and people full of love, into a life that is empty in all ways, and go running back to the open arms of loved ones once self-preservation runs out. This idea of running away and returning was used in the Bible to exemplify man running away from God with selfish ambition only to return to a God with His arms wide open, welcoming the son back home and treating him as though he had never left. In his Confessions Augustine shares his personal Prodigal Son moment, the journey that led him away from, then back to, his Creator. Such is a journey that most individuals find themselves on at one point or another, leaving and then returning to his or her Creator.
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.
When it comes to renunciation, "no pain, no gain" is what I've slowly, reluctantly, inexorably come to believe. And when Pete opted for scholarly monkhood, I think he was just trying to outsmart his pain. . . . He'd calculated that by considering the physical world "illusory" and burying his nose in metaphysical texts he could go on doing something comfortable--while his ignorance and sufferings and hometown and troublesome family just fell away like so much excess poundage. Obviously l question his calculations: to slough off half a self in hopes of finding a whole one is not my idea of good math.
J.R.R. Tolkien's concept of too much power is summed up by Lord Acton when he once said, "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely." In Tolkien's first book of his fantasy based trilogy, Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Rings tells a story of a quest to destroy a powerful ring throughout Tolkien's created "Middle Earth". This quest was headed by a "Hobbit" named Frodo Baggins who, in the end, becomes corrupted by power himself. This corruption begins when Frodo uses his ring to become invisible over and over again to escape certain situations. The quest to destroy the powerful "Ruling Ring" forms the basis for this story.
“Yes, sooner or later—later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with but neither strength nor good purpose will last—sooner or later the dark power will devour him” (141). This quote from Gandalf shows him warning Frodo about the power of the Ring in The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One. This quote displays J.R.R. Tolkien’s mistrust of unlimited power, which he expresses in each of his books. He served in World War I where he saw the effects of tyrannical leaders with unlimited power firsthand. Tolkien believed that with great power comes corruption. So, no one person can be trusted to wield so much power. He demonstrates this in each character that has a role of leadership of the different groups of Middle-earth. Galadriel, Boromir, and Saruman, all hold positions of power or influence within their various groups. Yet none of them could be trusted to possess the dark power of the Ring, while the simple hobbit named Frodo seems to be able to carry on the
Milton shows that the potential for evil was innate in these beings and was not the result of corruption from an external force. Lucifer believes himself to be God’s equal and desires omnipotence for himself. Lucifer’s pride is his undoing, and he is cast into hell where he becomes Satan. The pride is intrinsic to Lucifer’s nature and results from God giving angels free will. Indeed, Satan later considers repenting and seeking God’s forgiveness upon seeing Earth and all of God’s creation and being overwhelmed by emotion. However, he realizes that even if he did receive forgiveness, he would grow dissatisfied with his position in heaven once again and fall a second time “book four quote “ . This establishes evil as being a constant part of Satan; the evil could not exist without the good, but it is an inherent part of