Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Theorizing Again

I'm reading The Handmaid's Tale for Sally's class, which I absolutely hate, but I am enjoying the theory. Yes, yes, I know. You absolutely love the book. How could I even think such an absurb thing? I don't know. I've been known to hold stranger opinions. Anyway, some theory to contemplate, argue with, whatever.

"We do not yet have a moral theology that teaches us the aweful, awesome truth that we have the power through acts of love or lovelessness literally to create one another."

"Perception is the foundation to conception. Ideas are dependent on our sensuality. Feeling is the basic bodily ingredient that mediates our connectedness to the world. All power, including intellectual power, is rooted in feeling. If feeling is damaged or cut off, our power to imagine the world and act into it is destroyed and our rationality impaired. But it is not merely the power to conceive the world that is lost. Our power to value the world gives way as well."

Beverly Wildung Harrison in "The Power of Anger in the Work of Love."

7 comments:

Rachel said...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 - no theory needed :)

Why do you hate the Handmaid's Tale? I thought it was ok, although to be honest, I kind of forget it.

Charmi said...

No theory needed? Of course I'll have to disagree. You have to have a framework, a theory of life, to even be able to comprehend John 3:16.

The Handmaid's Tale is a tortuous read. But we can tear it apart Friday.

Rachel said...

Seemed pretty simple to me. Seriously, though, is this professor having you read any actual religious texts?

Lol re:The Handmaid's Tale...I honestly don't even remember how it ended. I remember I read it all, though, and thought it was at least decent. Sorry I recommended you a book you hate.

Charmi said...

I can feel your Christianity prickling from afar. The world "actual" made me laugh. But we read stories about women's experiences in/with the world of religion.

And simple it ain't. You have to believe a whole host of things before you can make any heads or tails out of 3:16. Like, say, God is a "he." Or for instance, believe what, exactly, about "his" son? Or, perhaps, believe that everlasting life is the thing everyone desires most and that it would perhaps be a good thing.

Don't get me wrong, John is one of the best books in the bible, but I'm past the point of being handed anything on a plate and being told I'll like it, it's good for me, just swallow it down. If you're afraid to dissect the bible, you're gonna be in a world of hurt.

Talia Reed said...

I've never heard of The Handmaid's Tale.

Rachel said...

Sigh. My only point was sometimes human beings focus so much on theory we can't see the forest for the trees, especially when it comes to religion. We make things so much harder than they have to be so much of the time.

"Christianity prickling from afar" is a great phrase, though, and cracked me up to boot.

Rachel said...

Oh, and by "actual religious texts" I simply meant texts on which the world religions base their theology. There are many, many stories about women that are actually IN the Bible (gasp), and I'm fairly sure the other holy texts probably include women as well.