This is the End

I must say that I really enjoyed this class. It was not what I expected but I learned a lot from the books we've read. I was surprised on the different views of religion by my classmates and by the authors. I've enjoyed reading the blogs and assignments, commenting on them and reading the comments about my blog and assignments.

I had a rough start because I am not familiar at all with blogging. I do not surf the Internet at all. But the important thing is that I've learned something new. I don't know if I ever use it outside of class, but it was a good experience for me.

I've learned that no matter how people express their views on religion, they all seem to agree that love is most important. In the NKJV Bible, I Corinthians 13:4-7,13 says,

'Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked; thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.'

'And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.'

I believe that each book read for this course represent the themes and messages the authors were trying to express.

Christine, I can see that you put in a lot of thought and research for this class. I've had mixed emotions while reading the books. In A Wrinkle In Time, I felt adventurous. My Name Is Asher Lev, made me feel compassion for little Asher. Uncle Tom's Cabin, gave me hope, fear, and anger. And The Power and The Glory, well, I was a bit confused at first but ended up being sad for the communities that suffered.

Overall, I think Christine did a good job planning this class and I think the class did a great job on the assignments. Thank you and good luck achieving your goals.

The Power and the Glory

After I had read about Graham Greene's life and read his book, it was believed that the characters and the events in this book represented him. He struggled through life like the characters did. He experienced mockery at the school where his father was headmaster. He made several attempts to kill himself because of the teasing. He spent his college years drunk. He constantly cheated on his wife, Vivien, for years before abandoning her and their children. He travelled with a Communist group for months. He believed in Christ but had trouble believeing in God. He struggled with his spirituality and drowned himself in self-pity and shame.

How does these events compare to the characters in the book?

The priest was haunted by his shameful past. He denied himself as a priest to avoid execution. He is bounded by his alcohol addiction. The priest's addiction symbolized his weakness and unworthiness in the country.

Mr. Tench has abandoned his wife and family. He seems strange and mysterious in behavior. Abandonment symbolizes his loneliness and the realization of living in an evil world.

Padre Jose was a coward and was ashamed of his fear of death. He denied the community of spiritual encouragement and love. His fear isolated the community's desire for spiritual guidance.

Coral questions her mother on if she believed in God. Coral's mother did not know how to answer the question and her father went somewhat avoided the question. Her parent's knew that there is a purpose for religion but did not connect that purpose with God.

The lieutenant executed priests that refused to abide by the laws. He succeeded his mission but in the end, his life served no meaning or sense of purpose. The lieutenant felt that the world would be better if we start all over by getting rid of the things and people that initially corrupted the world.

I did not enjoy this book because it is hard to imagine a world without love, hope, faith, unity, and God. But I have learned what life could be without God and I pray that everyone in this world would never know how it is to live without Him.

Every first Wednesday of the month, the Children's Ministry focuses on the missionary organization BGMC. We teach the children that there are people all over the world that have been executed for publicly worshipping God. We also tell them true stories about the dangers the missionaries faced when they started revivals and secretly built churches, provided bibles, and other resources to get the Word to them. We also tell them how they overcame these obstacles and are now building churches, orphanages, and schools for these people in need of the Gospel. Inspired by these stories and awed by the people, with God's help, that are responsible for this amazing breakthrough, the children will donate money through earning the money by doing extra chores in their home and community and by giving some of their money they've received on their birthday. They also prayed for their safety and prosperity for their mission. They could not do this if they did not have the love, support, and encouragement from others. They could not do this if they did not have God.

Uncle's Tom Cabin 2

I found the second part of the book more interesting than the first part. I could barely put the book down. I've mentioned in my first blog of Uncle's Tom Cabin that Stowe focused on the bond between a mother and her child. In the second part of the book, Stowe concentrated on the love and family. She expressed on how the trading of slaves affected the unity of the family. It caused separation, unworthiness, loneliness, and bitterness. Stowe portrayed three characters to describe affliction that slavery caused.

Topsy was a black slave girl described as dirty and filthy with an odd and goblin-like about her appearance (pp 246). Topsy never knew of having a family. She had been abused and rejected by her masters all her young life. Topsy never knew how love felt. She never had the joy to bond with another person. Topsy felt she was unworthy give love and to receive love because of her race. "There can't nobody love niggers, and niggers can't do nothin'! I don't care." (pp 290). So Topsy never tried to be good be because that would be the only way should could get any attention from her masters.

'Therefore we do not lose heart. Even through our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Tom lived by this scripture. He had always kept his focus on the eternal and not the temporary. Tom was promised his freedom by Mr. Shelby and Mr. St. Clare only to have it broken and in result, he was separated from his family and from the homes he grew to love. Tom was faithful to his masters because as a Christian, it was required of him. Tom told Mr. Legree that he would work hard for him in the fields or whatever he wanted him to labor but he would not compromise his faith for him. Tom knew that Mr. Legree can torture and/or kill his body, but he could not do anything to his soul. Tom kept his faith because he knew that one day he will be free and will once again unite with his family. Tom became free when he breathed his last breath to eternity.

'looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;' (Hebrews 12:15).

This was the fate for Cassy. She had fallen in love with a young white lawyer and bore a son and a daughter by him. She longed to be his wife but due to the circumstances that he was a free white man and she was a mulatto slave, they could not marry. She expressed how much she love him by putting him before everything including God. Cassy did not realize that's where she made her mistake. When you put other people and things before God, you are heading for destruction. Not only did she lose him, she also lost her children. In result, she became bitter and cursed God for her suffering. Tom tried to get her to release her bitterness and come back to God but she felt that He abandoned her.

I enjoyed this book because it covers everything I went through in life. I have been rejected, felt unworthy, lonely and bitter. I've cried tears of sadness dreading the stories of these characters. But I cried tears of joy when Tom was finally freed.

I've learned that no matter what afflictions you may incur by others, events, and/or yourself, God is always there for you. All you have to do is seek Him and trust that you will make it through in victory.

There are people today that are in bondage. They are a slave to themselves and the views of our society. Our society believes that you have to be slim and beautiful and/or have wealth and fame to be worthy. If you do not possess any of these qualities, then you will be rejected. This is why we have young people starving themselves to death, robbing each other, or selling drugs or illegal reproduction of products to people out in the streets. Our young people are pressured to be of worth to somebody...anybody. This behavior separates them from their family either through death or through imprisonment.

We need to let our young and old people feel that they are worthy and they do belong in this world. We all need to love each other like family. We need to believe that every single person is a member of the family of God. At least in His family, you are loved and not rejected. You are beautiful in His image and that you are worthy to inherit His kingdom.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

There numerous characters and stories makes it difficult to understand what is exactly going on. It seems like Harriet Beech Stowe had a lot to say all at once. But I do know that her major theme is anti-slavery.

Harriet Beecher Stowe shown the hardships and horror blacks went through during slavery. There were separation of families, abuse, physically and verbally. They were forced working labor without pay, no outside contact, and were considered property. They justified that the importance of slavery was to help build the economy of the country. Mr. Shelby is quoted in Chapter V, page 39...'ther is no choice here is sellning these two and selling everything. Either they must go, or all must go.' He felt that selling Tom and Harry was his only choice to settle his debt.

It is known that slavery was part of the building of this country but is it acceptable under these circumstances? Is it necessary to pull apart families and/or make them suffer through horrible beatings? Harriet Beecher Stowe says in this novel that it was not necessary to allow torture against humans for the country and countrymen to thrive.

There also was an emphasis on Christian beliefs to prove how immoral slavery is to the Backs. If you are a true Christian, then you would not accept the idea of owning another human being. The Christians they were for slavery believed that they were doing the blacks a favor by taking care of them. The slave owners that did not particularly believe in slavery believed that was the way things are and they will just have to accept it. The 'true' Christians used their faith to overcome the traumatic situations believing that God will see them through.

Harriet Beecher Stowe emphasizes the unity of the family. She focuses mostly on the relationship between a mother and her child. Eliza ran away when she overheard Mr. and Mrs. Shelby talking about her son being sold. In chapter 12, she mentions a family Mr. Haley bought and sold the woman's child while she was asleep. Mr. Haley did not understand the strong bond the mother builds with her child. He believed the the black slaves were capable enough to get over it like the flu. Harriet expressed how damaging it is to a mother and her child when they are separated.

Harriet Beecher Stowe went farther than the bond between the mother and child relationship. She went a step further and expressed the value of relationships of a person with others in his community. Tom built relationships with Mr. and Mrs. Shelby, and their son. He also formed a close relationship with Augustine and Eva St. Clare. Relationships that possess love, trust and support for one another can build strong communities.

The one theme that really affected me was the allowance of the voices of women whom expressed their opinions on slavery. Mrs. Shelby knew that she did not have the last say when it came to selling the slaves but that did not stop her for telling Mr. Shelby the moral thing to do.
Mrs. Bird also had her own opinions as well and did not hesitate to express her feelings about slavery. Throuth my faith, I learned that speaking out on what you believe in can eventually make a difference in someone's life. It can change the way people view the way they treat others.

On the website bleckblog.org, it mentions that Harriet was a daughter of an abolitionist and helped slaves on the underground railroad. These two facts reveals why Harriet Beecher Stowe was anti-slavery and how she helped the slaves.

I am not sure yet how I feel about this book so far but I hope that I will understand the second part better.