Analysis of The Inquisitor's Argument in The Brothers Karamazov
Dostoevsky makes a strong case against Jesus in "The Grand Inquisitor": Jesus did not love humanity sufficiently to care for the greater good of the race.
The majority of people, according to the Grand Inquisitor, are weak and "like sheep." Jesus prized freedom of faith above all else, and because he cared more for that freedom than for the happiness of people, the Grand Inquisitor and the Catholic Church, as led by he Inquisitor, reject Jesus. Only the strong, like the Inquisitor, who can "go the forty days and nights in the desert," are capable of attaining the reward of Heaven, while the weak millions, "who are weak but still love Thee... must exist for the sake of the strong." The Inquisitor states that the reason the weak cannot take the narrow road to Heaven is that they are afraid of freedom, that "they can never be free." Trent Reznor of the musical group Nine Inch Nails summarized the Inquisitor's view of humanity in "Happiness In Slavery." In the second verse, Reznor sings, "Slave screams! But he's glad to be chained to that wall!"
The central argument that the Grand Inquisitor makes involves the temptation of Jesus by the Devil in a desert. Satan poses Jesus three temptations, each of which would better the earthly lot of man but decrease his freedom, and Jesus rejects each. First, Satan says, "You must be hungry, turn these stones into bread and feed yourself and the people." Jesus says, "Man does not live by earthly bread alone." Jesus was not just refusing to assuage his hunger: by performing a miracle, he would have lessened man's freedom of faith. Satan was asking the same question, on the behalf of humanity, that Jame...
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...e harmful than any vice ("sin") is "active pity for all the failures and all the weak: Christianity."
An interesting test of the Inquisitor's view of freedom will come on this next election day. Our state senator, and many other people, claim that "we need more restrictive laws help fight crime in our neighborhoods" and that new laws will "assist our law enforcement officials... in their efforts to control the pornography industry." I don't intend to argue the pros or cons of more restrictive pornography laws, but one thing is certain: these laws will limit American’s freedom of speech. Will American’s give up some freedom for a possible payoff in lower crime? I think Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor would be interested in finding out.
References
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Trans. Andrew MacAndrew. New York: Bantam, 1981.
rejected it for the sake of freedom. The GI goes on to say that instead of taking mans
Although the government has no direct place in the silencing an individual’s convictions; however unpopular, no such immunity is given in the case of one’s peers. The judgement of one’s peers is almost always enough to silence any dissenting opinions. The social cost of an unpopular opinion Twain writes: “... can ruin a man in his business, it can lose him his friends, it can subject him to public insult and abuse, it can ostracize his unoffending family, and make his house a despised and unvisited solitude (Twain).” It is quite ironic that freedom of speech stresses being free, but nevertheless comes with such a great cost to the individual. With such great expense at stake, exercising one’s right to honesty always comes second to maintaining social status. Furthermore, Twain compares the costs of free speech to murder. He writes of free speech: “It ranks with the privilege of committing murder: we may exercise it if we are willing to take the consequences (Twain).” Twain rather amusingly juxtaposes the crimes of murder and free speech. The two actions are in theory completely unalike, the former to be punished and the latter to be defended. Yet Twain instead comes to the conclusion that they are actually both privileged and are punished in the same way. Both when committed, immediately condemn an
Lies play a central part in the play as the story is based around lies
One of the central principles of Enlightenment states that people should be ruled by laws and not by rulers, as this principle is the rule of law. A mysterious contradiction, which lies in the concept of human freedom, has opened to Dostoevsky in the early period of his life. The whole meaning and joy of life for man lies in this concept of free agency and this self-will. In "Crime and Punishment," the problem of self-will gets other artistic decision. The writer reveals the essence of the self-will of Raskolnikov using the words of Rodion Romanovich's for the good of humanity, which is the equivalent of the Crystal Palace, where the idea of Napoleon clearly emerges. This concept describes an elected one, who if standing over humanity and prescribing personal laws to them. Therefore, the writer uses his novel to prove, that the law is the central issue for the stable life of humanity, and anyone has the power and right of disobedience.
In an allegedly postmodern world, when looking at tolerance for ideologies other than our own is said to be the only absolute and controlling ideology. Inasmuch, as its doctrine of “sin” suggests that all humans are inherently flawed; Christianity is often viewed as judgmental and intolerant of others. Granted the approach of a certain Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas pushes the extreme that makes all Christians cringe in this area. Christians should not be embarrassed of the doctrine of sin today. Moreover, Christianity should not try to soften what it says about the human condition to be more readily acceptable to a broader world. This world needs help, guidance, and rules if we are to succeed as a human race.
...oing so let to his realization of what he did – a punishment worse than death in that he has to live in the sin he created for himself. Satan, another notable figure controlled by a consuming pride, desired to be God, not to be a servant of God. In reluctance to serve Him, Satan was pushed from heaven.
In other words, Jesus, although perfect and blameless in all His ways, took on the title criminal and died as such. He was crucified on a cross at Calvary. No other God has died for his people. Jesus drank the cup of wrath that was reserved for mankind (Matthew 26:39). Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The death and resurrection of Jesus purchased victory over death for humanity, if they choose to accept Him as their Lord and Savior (1 Cor. 15:55). Those who cling to the Gospel, either in sharing it or receiving of it, must believe that Jesus’ death is the only route to attain salvation. He is the only way, truth, and life (John 14:6,
As humans, we’re all sinners. Our psychological makeup and our position in society controls the way we act. Some of us have committed atrocious acts that we’re not proud of and those people have found themselves turning towards faith to turn their lives around so they can find redemption for what they have done. In both Fyodor
thing, with all of that noise. I lit another candle to carry with me downstairs, and opened up my
If we start letting simple freedoms go, we could lose some major ones. Works Cited Huxley, Aldous. A. & Co. Brave New World. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.
Magesa suggests not to use the abstract Christian concept of sin but to speak of ‘wrong-doing’ or ‘destruction of life’. Evil is always attached ...
long time, and we wanted to go shopping and head back to our cabin before
have noticed it before. That was all, now all I had to do was find the
On the one hand is Jesus that wants humanity to be free and tries to forgive and justify human beings. On the other hand is The Grand Inquisitor that wants to help humanity by forcing people to obey the rules and limiting their freedom, because he thinks that human beings are too weak to manage their freedom by their own, so they need someone ruling them, and describes it, “No science will give them bread so long as they remain free. In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet, and say to us, “Make us your slaves, but feed us.” ” (Dostoevsky, 1971, p.17). In other words, this quote means that The Grand Inquisitor understands that society with authority is the only way to keep the peace and
When considering morality, worthy to note first is that similar to Christian ethics, morality also embodies a specifically Christian distinction. Studying a master theologian such as St. Thomas Aquinas and gathering modern perspectives from James Keenan, S. J. and David Cloutier serve to build a foundation of the high goal of Christian morality. Morality is a primary goal of the faith community, because it is the vehicle for reaching human fulfillment and happiness. Therefore, great value can be placed on foundations of Christian morality such as the breakdown of law from Aquinas, the cultivation of virtues, the role of conscience in achieving morality, and the subject of sin described by Keenan.