Katelyn Joyce- Knowing Evil & Knowing Maledil as it Relates to the Christian God

 In the book Perelandra, I was struck by the relationship between the Green Lady and Maledil. It is clear that they are able to have a very close relationship. We can see this through the way he communicates with her and through the knowledge she has of him. It was really interesting to find that she knew that Maledil came to earth, but did not understand the reasoning behind it. Because she is unable to comprehend evil, she was unable to understand the need for redemption. This led me to wonder that within the Christian faith, is it possible to have a relationship with God without knowing evil. This is a similar question to “is one able to know happiness without sadness?” For a long time, I was under the impression that to know good, one must also know evil, but reading this has caused me to reconsider. The Green Lady is still able to recognize his goodness without needing to compare it to anything. It could be arguable that she sees his goodness even more clearly. This could be what allows her to have such a close walk with Maledil. She is able to see a bigger picture and understand his character without sin, evil, or temptations getting in the way. Also, I am realizing that in the beginning of the garden of Eden they had not yet known sin and they still had a relationship with God. Not only were they able to have a relationship, but they were very close to him and in frequent communication with him. It wasn’t until evil was introduced through the temptation of the serpent and the eating of the fruit that sin and suffering were able to be experienced. When this occurred, their relationship with God became more distant as shame got in the way. This leads me to come to the conclusion that it was intended for our relationship with God to be pure and without the influence of sin. Because of this, it is possible to have a relationship with him without the struggle of sin being involved. (I don’t believe it is possible on earth in its current state, but that it is possible as a theory.) Because of this you do not have to know evil to know God. Therefore, it would be possible for the Green Lady to have the relationship with Maledil that she does.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jack Snowdon: Danger in the Lake

I will readily admit that I may have procrastinated a bit much in regards to working on my blog posts, waiting for that perfect moment of inspiration to strike, when I should have been working to flesh out my own ideas rather than just letting them come to me. However, with that concession in mind, I am glad to say that something exactly like I had hoped for happened while reading the discussion between Ransom and Hyoi in Chapter 12 of Out of the Silent Planet . The discussion revolves largely around the concept and experience of love and appreciation among the hrossa, and sees Ransom struggling to understand how they can content themselves with valuing the memories rather than replicating the actions, as well as questioning why that can be the way it is with such dangers as the hnakra dwelling in the local waters. Though he does struggle to comprehend them, Hyoi has an answer every step of the way, culminating with the line, "...And I say also this, I do not think the forest woul...
Read more

Katelyn Joyce- The Magician's Nephew & Biblical Parallels

  When reading The Magician's Nephew, I am not sure why I was so shocked at all of the connections that can be made back to scripture. As this is a common occurrence in Lewis’ writing, it should not surprise and excite me as much as it does when I first grasp what is being said and I begin to make those connections. I think it will always catch me off guard and amaze me how intertwined the two storylines can be without them being identical. This is especially true in The Magician’s Nephew. You can see a clear parallel between this book and the book of Genesis in the Bible. Digory is sent to an area of Narnia closed off from the rest and surrounded by a golden gate to retrieve a fruit. He is tempted to use the powers of this fruit to his benefit, but he does the right thing and presents it to Aslan as requested of him. This is similar to the trees and the fruit in the Garden of Eden. There lies a tree with the power to give understanding to good and evil. Eve is tempted and takes th...
Read more

Samuel Swenson-Reinhold: Naming & Knowing

 Once again, I'm going to be referencing my favorite book of all time, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. One of the key elements of Kvothe's character is his desire to learn the 'name' of things - when you learn the name of something, you have control over it. However, learning the name of the wind, for example, is something incredibly difficult. You have to understand the nature of the wind, you have to know it. So knowing the word "wind" doesn't mean you have power over it. It requires this almost Heideggerian conception of listening and knowing the world and nature.  Kvothe grows in his understanding of the world and at one point learns the name of lightning and the wind, allowing him to wield immense power. This particular aspect of Rothfuss' fantasy had me thinking about our conversations in class about how we 'name' and label things in the prosaic. We think we "know" something, but really we are making an observation. It...
Read more