Posted by Mouse at eureka.wits.ac.za on January 19, 2000 at 09:22:30:
In Reply to: My 2 Cents posted by T-Money on January 19, 2000 at 00:52:37:
Got to agree with you. An equally raving looney god sending Bartelby and Loki to hell seems to go against the 'message', as I perceived it anyway. Although I thought god's 'ego problem' in not wanting to be proved wrong (and ending existence for the transgression) edged a bit too close to the Zeus-thing for me.
Newbie (moi) question: I heard that part of the reason the Lutheran church establised itself as a (protestant) break-off from Catholicism was because Luther refused to believe that one's sins were forgiven by 'passing through' some door (a real one, in the Vatican I presume??). Is this what
was alluded to by the use of the arch as a gateway to redemption? Again, it may be that I'm seeing what I want to see, but wasn't part of the message (here I go again) that there are no such short cuts or physical reinforcements for faith (for if Loki and Bartleby went to heaven then the
arch was superfluous)?
As for deserving to go to heaven (whatever that is) who does? Bethany was an 'abortionist' (gasp) - murdering innocent babies (double gasp) - but it's not PC to condemn her etc. etc. Bartelby's losing his head at the end (I mean before he heard THE voice) could easily be justified - he did and he believed it at the time. Anger. Loki was doing his job, originally, at least, with god's blessing. Whose the murderer? For me, the point was that it's all about a redemption that entities other than 'god' probably couldn't understand or practise - but that it's really comforting to have an 'idea' that it's there.