The Holocaust's Influences on My Concept of God

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In my theology, an overwhelming theme that permeates as a lens that all of the rest is seen by is the concept that the image of God that any individual possesses drastically influences every other aspect of an individual’s life, including everything from social interactions, to career vocations, to daily decisions. That being said, while undertaking the process of education as I am in such an institution, every new idea that is learned has potential to influence my interpretation of who God is and what he looks like. My task then as a theologian is to use scripture to filter, test, and critique my influences to obtain more correct understanding of who God is every day. This undertaking grows increasingly complicating with meditation of events and theories that presents apparent differences to the previously understood concepts of God. With Holocaust Remembrance Day in passing within the last month and the events held on campus, I am unable to avoid pondering to what degree the holocaust influences my concept of God.
At the Panel Discussion held on February 6 on “Remembering the Holocaust in Literature, Film, and Theology,” Alejandro Baer, Associate Professor & Director, Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota, mentioned that the Holocaust is universally accepted as absolute evil. It is with this that any individual that has studied theology to any extent can recognize that the notion of evil presents a particular set of problems to Christianity as a whole. For instance, in my set of beliefs that make up my image of God, is all powerful, and provides care to the world. With this, it is reasonable to believe that God will protect the world from evil, and that he wants to deliver his creations from evil. Ho...

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...to which anti-Semitism is rooted in Christian tradition, to which Christians are to take responsibility for. Both unjust explanations to the problem of evil and anti-Semitism supply mutations to bastardize the image of who God is as described in the scriptures. This bastardization has repercussions to the life of a Christian that is arguably unlimited, and therefore to the utmost importance to account for and strive to correct.

Reference List
Luhman, Regiland S. 1985. “Belief in God and the Problem of Suffering.” The Evangelical Quarterly, 57.4: 327-248. http://www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/, (Accessed February 9, 2014).
Marendy, Peter M. 2005. "Anti-Semitism, Christianity, and the Catholic Church: origins, consequences, and responses." Journal Of Church And State 47, no. 2: 289-307. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 10, 2014).

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