NewLifeFromHeaven.com Blog

After the interviews of people of faith, now it is time to turn to atheists and agnostics.
Mr. Dore, who does not like labels, said, “I’ve always considered myself a spiritual person.”
A contributing factor to his ‘spirituality’ would be his religious background. His Dad was raised Catholic, while his Mom’s background was most likely Protestant.
And yet, for Mr. Dore, spirituality is not necessarily theistic. Dore said, “The idea of God is not something I can wrap my head around.”
A probable cause of this mental inelasticity had to do with his upbringing. He said, “We rarely talked about actual religion.”
But Mr. Dore still thinks “It is important to be exposed to spirituality.”
He is open to the idea of going to church, but would prefer that they “don’t really press the religion on the audience.” Mr. Dore cited that a unitarian or universalist church could fit the ticket.
With his engagement, he is now thinking more about religion. His fiancee was raised Catholic; his fiancee’s Dad is Irish Catholic and her Mom is a Puerto Rican Catholic.
Some of his questioning revolves around prayer. Mr. Dore believes that we determine what is going to happen in our lives, and not a prayer.
The conversation then turned to the afterlife. When asked about Hell, Mr. Dore replied with a smile, “I think I’m going.”
Mr. Dore elaborated on his response. “The afterlife would be fun but I don’t necessarily think it exists. The afterlife is a phenomena you wouldn’t know anything about until you are dead.”
The specifics of the Christian afterlife were also discussed. Mr. Dore said about the existence of eternal homes, “Heaven and Hell: that is such a toss up for me.”
Furthermore, there is the Last Judgment. Dore declared, “I wouldn’t want to be judged,” but he added, “I also think I am a good person.”
As to the morality of this world, Mr. Dore said, “I would like to believe there is more good in this world than evil.”
The Religious Viewpoint now continues with more Atheist and Agnostic interviews:

Ms. Boucher said Catholic guilt has caused some turmoil in her spiritual life. This has led her to exclaim, “I just can’t make up my mind. I’m flexible. I’m willing to consider possibilities.”
On the one hand, Boucher likes the spiritual insights of the Quakers, on the other had, she said, “I am a searcher on a journey. This is sort of a way of saying I just don’t know. I like the independent study of religion.”
Boucher likened her search to taking a national roadtrip while only using state maps.
The image of America also carries a spiritual analogy for Ms. Boucher. She said, “In some ways, being an American causes me to be a seeker: we are expected to question and to seek out knowledge.”
This is not the only factor in her spiritual search. Boucher said, “It is part of my personality to question and not assume: whether this be for better or for worse.”
As to the idea of a Final Judgment after death, Boucher said, “I hope it goes well for me.”
Ms. Boucher also elaborated on what she thought the criteria for judgment was. She said, in the form of a question, “Did you generally try to be a good person while you were on the planet?”
As to her judgment, she asked the judge to “be nice.”
Boucher explained that the judgment determined our eternal state. She said, “Those who are deemed worthy, go to a very nice place; those who are lacking, go to a not very nice place, if either place exists.”

Josh Hamburg finds differing viewpoints in his household. His Mom is Roman Catholic, while his Dad is Jewish. When he was growing up, he would go to Catholic church during the week,? and temple on Friday. When he was eight years old, he decided not to go any more, but he kept his belief in higher force.
Hamburg was concerned with the discord that religion causes. He said, “Organized religion is the most divisive force, joining one would create more of a division.”
This was the reason he “did not want to be in a certain sect or denomination.”
Hamburg explained, “I only have three members in my family, and we have three different religions, so this causes some interesting dinner conversations.”
He said they will “debate over one point, and it will come down to religion.”
The range of their discussions goes from “what is kosher to international politics.”
When asked if the different faiths of Wayland have affected him, he said, “Wayland hasn’t affected my spirituality, but my outlook on other beliefs.”
Furthermore, Hamburg prays. He communicates with a higher power in his head. He said, he does “refer to this as God.”
Hamburg shared one certainty. He said, “There definitely is an after life, I don’t know if it is heaven, hell, reincarnation, but it does not end in black; otherwise your life would be completely meaningless.”

Soo Jin Lim has struggled with the numerous faiths of the family members that surround her. Her sister and mom are Catholic, her dad is an Atheist, some members are Buddhist, another one is a different kind of Buddhist, her Mom’s brother has Traditional Korean beliefs, and her Aunt is a Christian.
Lim was exasperated. She said, “It is really confusing; which one is the correct one?”
This issue has not been just a recent one. Lim said, “I’ve been dealing with this problem since 4th grade”
With resignation, Lim said, “At some point, I gave up trying to find where I am, but I kind of wish I could have faith in something, I want to believe in something, I just don’t know what it is.”
At the moment, Lim believes that there is “no afterlife: you are worm food.”
Part of her personality is tinted with logical positivism. She said, “Unless I am 110% sure of the fact, I cannot believe it.”
Sadly, she said, “I never believed in Santa Claus.”
And yet, Lim believes in some type of fate. She said, “Some things happen because they are meant to be; even if bad things happen, good can come out of it.”

Alex Korndorf went to Catholic school, but he now feels that God is no longer necessary.
He said, “I don’t see why I should believe in a god; there is no reason from science and I have no need for personal fulfillment.”
Korndorf said that the reason most people pursue religion is that they do not want to make decisions for themselves. People would rather have a set of beliefs governing the choices they have to make.
Not believing in an after life, he said, “to some extent, we all realize that this life is all we have.”
Korndorf is frustrated with anyone that sets aside reason. He has gradually grown more intolerant of religion. He said, “Religion seems like imagination to me.”
Yet, he said, “Some religions are more ethically viable than others.”
Readers, please give me some feedback on this column. Let me know if you want to be interviewed. Tell me if we should continue with people of faith or people with skepticism. Either, God bless you, or live long and prosper.

!!Quotes of Week:

Anon: “These new mice are tiny and tacky. The keyboards are clunky and are like five bucks; I think they got them at Big Lots.”

Ms. Boucher: “I would like that chair to be made out of candy so I could eat it.”

!! Pseudo Obits
In a tragic situation last Friday, Jill Nietzel and Sarah Murphy were attacked while walking past a Walkers’ Restaurant. In shock, Nietzel died of a heart attack. Murphy died of a blunt head injury. Their loving families will sadly miss these two brave women. A witness to the crime reported that “both of the ladies cried out to Super Man to save them.” This odd phenomena of belief in superheros has also been testified to in other bizarre incidents. Further research reveals that a new cult has formed around the Man of Steel. The leaders of this religion claim that Super Man offers a 50% money back guarantee if he fails to save adherents. Both families will be receiving this money.

Alex Bardelmeier is the god of soccer, reading, and running.His symbols are the Encyclopedia, a shin guard, and curly hair.His weakness is easily getting tired and having difficulty finding lost items. His strength is speed and agility.One day, Alex forgot his sacred writings for his worship ceremony and was required to go and fetch it. After taking some time, the general assembly of gods began to imagine that he fell and cracked his head open and was lieing there wondering why none of the other gods came to help him. Luckily, the soccer star stayed on his feet and was only troubled by trying to find his book amidst his messy room. Just as Karolyn, the god of caring, was about to fly out to find Alex, he returned. The god of running promised to never drop the ball again and always bring his literature. Alex’s sacred scripture was recorded by Shakespeare in semi-cryptic verse. This caused everyone to have trouble understanding the wisdom contained in Alex’s writings.Fortunately, Alex is willing and kind enough to share his proverbs with his followers.

In The Furnace of Affliction
From Grace & Truth Magazine
June 2006 Vol. 73 No. 6

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48: 10 NKJV

In the furnace of affliction
It is God who tests the ore.

Gentle is the hand that leads us

Till we reach the other shore.

In the furnace God does train us

Knowing we can stand the test.

Burns and dross and all that hinders

Gives to us His very best.

In the furnace does it please Him

Seeing us in constant pain?

Nay, through sorrow God is planning

Not our ill, but heavenly gain.

Author Unknown

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

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The Golden Dog (Written for school by an anonymous 8th grade girl)

Sammy is a male golden retriever. He is one and a half years old. He has very long reddish-golden hair. He has brown eyes and looks like me!

I take im out to go to the bathroom, feed him, give him water, and play with him outside with his tennis ball, basketball, and soccer ball. He also loves to wrestle.

I love him and treat him as a member of the family because he is so important to me. He cheers me up when I am feeling sad. He always greets me with a wagging tail.

People think he has good manners and is very well behaved for his young age. People also think he is cute.

One time, when he was a little puppy, he got so excited to see someone that he started to pee all over the place. Being a boy it went everywhere.

Having a pet takes lots of responsibility.
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Eternal Life (Written by one of my uncles for my Christian Grandmother’s funeral)

Dear Family and Friends,

Some people strive to build a legacy that is based on their great accomplishments; others leave behind a legacy of great character for those who follow in their footsteps. By the standards of world, Mom did not accomplish great things that will be recorded and remembered in history, but in the eyes of God and those who knew her she left us an example to follow.

Each of us may remember Mom for different facets of her character, but I praise God for her rich generosity, unequaled compassion, matchless love, abiding loyalty, unparalleled endurance, and unbreakable faith in God. In my eyes, these last two years have refined and demonstrated the enduring quality of Mom’s character as she faced the biggest challenge of her life, living with cancer and facing death with dignity and grace.

I have marveled at the legacy she has left behind for her family and friends. I can only hope that when life’s most difficult trials put me to the ultimate test, that my character will be strong and shine as brightly as Mom’s.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Mom’s support network. Her family, friends, and fellow Christians have been a constant source of encouragement, comfort and help during Mom’s lengthy battle with cancer. Your prayers, cards, telephone calls, flowers, visits and presence was a constant reminder that God promised to never leave or forsake us. As we think of you, we thank God that His love was embodied in all you said and did for out family.

On behalf of Mom and my family, I would also like to express my appreciation to Dr. Kushner and the staff of the University Hospital of Madison; Dr Yee and the staff of Hillside Hospice in Beaver Dam. If cancer could be conquered by human compassion, strenuous effort and medical science, Mom’s cancer wouldn’t have stood a chance. While your efforts did not ultimately win the war, they did give Mom’s family and many friends precious months to spend with her. That is a gift we treasure. God blessed us through your care.

Some cures must wait for the glory of heaven. As I watched cancer take its toll on Mom’s body, I tried to keep in mind what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4. “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” The Bible says, “Therefore, we do not lose heart.”

I found this bookmark in one of Mom’s books. It proclaims boldly:

What Cancer Cannot Take From You.

It cannot take away your faith, Shatter your Hope, or lessen your Love.

It cannot destroy true Friendship, Invade the Soul, or take away Eternal Life.

It cannot conquer the Spirit of God.

( Unsure of Author of Poem–If Author, Let Me Know)

The Bible encourages all of us to run the race marked out for us with perseverance. Mom ran the raced marked out for her and that race included an uphill battle with cancer. On her 70th birthday, May 31st, Mom crossed the finish line and was embraced in the loving arms of Jesus, the author and perfecter of her faith. I am confident that Mom has received her victor’s crown, and has left us a legacy to imitate. She will certainly be missed, but will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved her.

This question has puzzled man since his beginning. Philosophers have come up with systems saying that all we can be sure of is the self. Other intellectuals claim that we are gods and are constantly evolving better and better. By bringing religion into the picture, there are stories of demons, angels, monsters, dragons, and God. The universal aspect of belief in the supernatural leads one to consider if there is evidence for other worldly beings. Take a journey through the framework of the Brothers Karamazov to explore proofs for the existence of God and demons and see how much of an influence these beings play on the characters of the novel.
Before proving the thesis of there being other sentient creatures, let us explore the skeptics’ objections. Doubters might say that these are forces that are part of the human psyche and have no existence outside the being of the human. Freud declared that it is the id, ego, and super-ego battling it out.
Possibly, the trials and tribulations a human being experiences are external in the sense that they brought about by societal influences via religion, economics, politics, education, etc. Being raised a Hindu, when would live so as to achieve unity with Brahman. Living in a capitalist economy, one would live so as to make as much money as possible. Being a democrat would lead one to strive for social programs. Going to college, one would have a different view of the universe then an uneducated person.
There are neural-chemical processes that fire randomly in the brain so as to cause meaningless positive and negative emotions that cover and taint the sensual experiences. Dopamine, endorphins, adrenaline, testosterone, estrogen, and a vast array of other hormone/neurotransmitters give people experiences without any choice on their part. You are born with certain genes and chemicals and thus one becomes what the chemicals make them.
Perhaps, other humans ideas and behavior influence our soul. This is a simplified version of a whole society influencing a person. At this level, the influences have greater depth and more effect on the individual. In this case, a family living on an island, would not have a government telling them what to do or a priest telling them what religion to practice, but the members would form opinions and be solely directed by their fellow human beings.
On the other side of the argument, there are people that have testimonies to there being other unseen beings living among us. Science has even come to the point of saying there are other dimensions. Spiritual beings could live in these other dimensions and come down to our dimension to interact with us. Colleges have opened paranormal majors and studies in E.T. intelligence. S.E.T.I. is a well know group that offers distributed computing software so that a network of personal computers can help find other worldly sentient life. Various world religions have a system of other worldly beings including: angels, demons, ancestor spirits, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, anthropomorphic creatures, etc.
Looking at world literature, one must turn to the Bible. This book has especially made a great impression on the western hemisphere. Being proven accurate in areas of archaeology, science, and prophecy, the Bible is like no other text. The Bible records a civilization called the Hittites that the scientific community wildly discredited until remains of the society were found. Medical practices such as washing hands under running water, identifying that the life of the flesh is in the blood (in opposition to the commonly held practice of bleeding sick people), and verses to suggest the earth being circular/ spherical. Around 300 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in one man named Jesus Christ. The possibility of this being random chance is inconceivable. If this book is accurate in this many fields, it lends credibility to its talk on spiritual topics. The Bible is stock full of angels and demons all under the supreme power of God. This text must be considered, if it is valid in its spiritual teachings on other worldly beings.
Forces outside of people even bother people who do not want to believe in them. This shows that these believers who are conditioned to accept other beings are not the only ones being bothered by them. Atheists have been led to belief after experiencing angelic or demonic presences. Common ordinary people have seen visions of heaven or hell. Maurice Rawlings, in his documentary entitled “To Hell and Back,” contains interviews of people that say they have experience an afterlife with beings they have never seen before.
The processes in the brain, when seen from a close up perspective, may seem random, but there is beautiful harmony when looked at as a whole. Mozart, Abe Lincoln, and other brilliant people who are extremely talented can be bothered by experiences of mania and depression and still retain their brilliance. If the processes are random, where does the intelligence come from? If the processes are ordered, where does the madness come from?  Surely external beings could bare on the case of fully functioning people having occasional torments.
When someone commits a sin, they can attest to being lured and tempted to go deeper into sin by some other being than their own heart.
The Brothers Karamazov provides literary pictures of this cosmic struggle throughout the text. Father Ferapont, Fyodor, and Evan, can be seen being pulled downward into desperate insanity and a complete disregard for morals. Aloysha and Zossima, and other characters, can be seen being pulled up by a higher force. Dmitri is saved by Grace from killing his father. Aloysha is given a divine revelation. This points to two definite sources of power in this universe, even if one side only has  temporal, miniscule power.
Alyosha plainly states, “I want to live for immortality, and I reject any halfway compromise”(Pg.26). This young man firmly decided the afterlife was his prize. Alyosha’s true dream is that “all will be like children of God, and the true kingdom of Christ will come”(Pg.31). His deep heart desire is for all to know God as a father knows his child. Alyosha’s respect for his elder was extremely high. “His greatest concern was for the elder: he trembled for him, for his glory; he feared any insult to him”(Pg. 33). This young man knew the love of God and the love of man.
Furthermore, Zossima taught that “A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern any truth either in himself or anywhere around him”(Pg.44) The bible also talks of a man who pretends to love God and is proved wrong in his love of God because he does not love his brother. It is of utmost importance that we above all be true to thyself. The monk also taught that “The more you succeed in loving, the more you’ll be convinced of the existence of God and the immortality of the soul”(Pg. 56). Many characters in BK doubt and then believe in the existence of God. If they all had more active love, this doubt in God would more quickly vanish. These doubts of God could also be caused by demons planting seeds of doubt or more properly stealing the seeds of life. For the devil has come “only to steal, and kill, and destroy”(John 10:10) Zossima was aware of the problem of evil spirits and fully believed that “If demons raise their heads, recite a prayer”(Pg. 77) and they would flee.
An example of demon possession is seen in the story of a woman coming to Zossima.
“One crazy woman was led up to him. As soon as she caught sight of the elder she began     shrieking and writhing as though in the pains of childbirth. Laying the stole on her     forehead, he read a short prayer over her, and she was at once soothed and quieted”
(Pg. 47)
The church also had ceremonies were demons were exorcized. They did this by the body and blood of Christ. “When the sacrament was carried in and they were led up to it, at once the “possession” ceased”(Pg. 47) God’s power was revealed in His sacraments.
The buffon was well filled with nasty spirits.”But the silly devil…snatched up Fyodor Pavlovich”(Pg. 88). Fyodor wondered if he would be dragged down to hell with hooks. He did not seem to care too much about going to hell and was fully expecting to go to gehenna when he died. Demons throughly controlled his life and brought out every imaginable sin–alcoholism, gluttony, lust, adultery, lieing, greed, envy, pride, blasphemy, and numerous others.
Dmitri was torn in different directions by spiritual sources. He prayed “Let me be following the devil at the same time, but still I am also your son, Lord, and I love you, and I feel a joy without which the world cannot stand and be”(Pg. 107) This man was constantly buffeted with devils and lovingly tugged by angels. Silly, but possibly profound thoughts, entered his head. Dmitri wonders, “Can there be beauty in Sodom?”(Pg. 108)
Aloysha felt that in the monastery he was safe. He thought in his heart that “Here was quiet, here was holiness, and there– confusion, and a darkness in which one immediately got lost and went astray…”(Pg. 157). Alyosha thirsted for righteousness and was worried that the world would tarnish his soul. He knew that every evil lurked “out there,” but easily forgot that evil was in every human heart. This blackness was also in the monastery.
When he was feeling run down, Aloysha “thirsted for joyful tenderness, the same tenderness that always visited his soul after praising and glorifying God, of which his prayer before sleep usually consisted”(Pg. 158). Alexi knew that true joy comes from God and that the soul longs for communion with the divine.
Zossima preached a love that did “not hate atheists, teachers of evil, [or] materialists”(Pg 164). His doctrine of active love encompassed care for the whole human race. He constantly prayed for the needs of humans and preached the truth to all seeking for it. He lived a simple live in honor and worship of God. This great man of God led by example, in word and deed.
On the other hand, the mushroom eating Ferapont has a revealing dialogue with another monk:
“[I am] in constant communication with the Holy Spirit. He flies down. He does. How     does he fly down? In what form? As a bird. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove? There     is the Holy Spirit, and there is the Holispirit. The Holispirit is different, he can descend as     some other birds–a swallow, a goldfinch, a tomtit. He speaks. Human language”(Pg. 169)
Ferapont has forgotten to test the spirits to see whether they are of God. Has he ever asked this holispirit if Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? It seems more probable that these could be demons. Ferapont has harbored resentment and hatred in his heart against Zossima. This gives the forces of evil legal right to his life. He also could be seeing illusions from his lack of food or ingestion of psychedelic mushrooms.
For all his strength, even Alyosha has his moment of doubt. “Maybe I don’t even believe in God”(Pg. 220). Alyosha confesses this to Lise; He is profoundly saddened by the inevitable death of his elder. Zossima is his life and his love, he has no idea how to carry on in this world without him. The real kicker is that his elder commanded him to leave the comfort of the monastery. Alyosha is stirred to the core about the temporality of life.
Evan declared that “I believe in order, in the meaning of life, I believe in the Word for whom the universe is yearning, and who himself was ‘with God,’ who himself is God, and so on, and so on and so forth, to infinity”(Pg. 235) This “atheist” at times seems to be a full theist. This would be accepted as a full confession of faith in some churches. Evan also spoke that “I have a childlike conviction that the sufferings will be healed and smoothed over, that the whole offensive comedy of human contradiction will disappear like a pitiful mirage”(Pg. 235) It seems that his trouble of reconciling a holy, good, perfect God with the suffering of innocent children has been solved. Evan also makes an insightful statement. “I think that if the devil does not exist, and man has therefore created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness”(Pg. 239). Evan can see the brew of evil in the heart of humankind.
Scholars hold widely varies opinions on whether or not other beings are among us. Looking at the view of internal components battling in the mind, it is interesting to note that Dostoevsky had explored the psychological complexes before Nietzsche.  Janko Lavrin admits how two great minds can come to two entirely different philosophies about life over the same issues. “The fact remains that most of the vital problems which Dostoevsky had projected into the characters of his own novels were also probed by the philosopher Nietzsche, however different his final conclusions may have been”(Lavrin 161). Lavrin also looks into the role that society plays on people. “In short, their[ Dostoevsky's and Nietzsche's] psychological and spiritual findings were due to their personal experience in the world they lived in”(Lavrin 161).
William Hamilton sees “the theme or problem of the novel [being] the existence of God”
(Hamilton 245). Hamilton throughly explores how the character relate to the question of the existence or non-existence of God. ” He takes each character in turn and looks at their relationship with the Divine. He also represents the novel in two main characters. Evan and Aloysha represent the pinnacles of believer and unbeliever; yet they both raise the question of God. Aloysha after a death and Evan about the world. The novel  as a study in Dostoevski’s struggle with God has its focus in the tension between Ivan and Alyosha. But this is not just a tension between Alyosha as believer and Ivan as unbeliever. Each of the brothers is himself a divided man”(Hamilton 246).
Michael Stoeber explains how “Dostoevsky’s exposition of the devil in action has been a focal point for various commentators”(Stoeber 27). Serge V. Gregory relates how “Dostoevsky created a work in which nihilism as a manifestation of the moral cynicism of secular culture would be dramatized as a palpable, believable evil, incarnate”(Gregory 444). Temira Pachmuss undertakes an exploration of “Moral nihilism, with its endeavor to replace traditional beliefs and deities with reason as the supreme guide for human behavior”( Pachmuss 25). Gary L. Browning looks into active love and how “experience teaches that most people cannot accept this heavy and alien responsibility unless they understand clearly why they should”( Browning 516). Richard C. Miller dissects “he large role which literary allusion plays in The Brothers Karamazov”( Miller 653). Richard L. Chapple defines the that “what has been taken from Dostoevsky and perceived as his essence by modern psychologists, religious thinkers,social scientists, and writers too often minimizes the Christian basis of his work”( Chapple 94). Harry Hill Walsh looks into how “Fyodor Dostoevsky suffered more than most”( Walsh 161). Mark G. Pomar  takes a look into how Aloysha’s “spiritual rebirth-appears especially challenging for the literary exegete”( Pomar 47). Carl E. Purinton investigates “that of Christian eschatology,[ and how it] is certainly one of contemporary interest and importance” (Purington 48). R. W. Hepburn extends his knowledge into understanding “evidence and argument for and against God’s existence”( Hepburn 312).
Tons of  brilliant minds believe and debate about the existence of spiritual beings living among us. These scholars all have theories about the unseen and look to logic and personal experience to verify these findings. From levitating objects to monks in super meditation, to moonlight spell castings to sunday church ceremonies, from ignoring God to being fascinated with angels, there are all types of interactions with the divine and demonic. Even Aristotle believed that there most be some type of Unmoved Mover. Aristotle concludes, “We say therefore that God is a living being, eternal, most good, so that life and duration continuous and eternal belong to God; for this is God” (phamen dê ton theon einai zôion aïdion ariston, hôste zôê kai aiôn sunechês) (Metaphysics 12.7; 1072b 28-29).

Bibliography

The Biblical Story of Joseph in Dostoevskii’s The Brothers Karamazov
Richard C. Miller
Slavic Review, Vol. 41, No. 4. (Winter, 1982), pp. 653-665.
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Slavic Review is currently published by The American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

Aleša Karamazov’s Epiphany: A Reading of “Cana of Galilee”
Mark G. Pomar
The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1. (Spring, 1983), pp. 47-56.
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Dostoevsky, Eschatology, and the Moral Law
Carl E. Purinton
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Journal of Bible and Religion is currently published by Oxford University Press.

Zosima’s “Secret of Renewal” in The Brothers Karamazov
Gary L. Browning
The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 33, No. 4. (Winter, 1989), pp. 516-529.
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European Languages.

The Book of Job and the Dialectic of Theodicy in “The Brothers Karamazov”
Harry Hill Walsh
The South Central Bulletin, Vol. 37, No. 4, Studies by Members of the SCMLA. (Winter, 1977),
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The South Central Bulletin is currently published by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Dostoevsky’s Devil: The Will to Power
Michael Stoeber
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-A Note on Nietzsche and Dostoevsky
Janko Lavrin
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A Catalogue of Suffering in the Works of Dostoevsky: His Christian Foundation
Richard L. Chapple
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94-99.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0038-321X%28198324%2943%3A4%3C94%3AACOSIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I
The South Central Bulletin is currently published by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Prometheus and Job Reincarnated: Melville and Dostoevskij
Temira Pachmuss
The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 23, No. 1. (Spring, 1979), pp. 25-37.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6752%28197921%291%3A23%3A1%3C25%3APAJRMA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R
The Slavic and East European Journal is currently published by American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East
European Languages.

Review: [Untitled]
Reviewed Work(s):
Atheism and the Rejection of God: Contemporary Philosophy and The Brothers Karamazov.
by Stewart R. Sutherland
R. W. Hepburn
Mind, New Series, Vol. 88, No. 350. (Apr., 1979), pp. 312-314.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0026-4423%28197904%292%3A88%3A350%3C312%3AAATROG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W
Mind is currently published by Oxford University Press.

“Banished from the Land of Unity”: A Study of Dostoevski’s Religious Vision
Through the Eyes of Ivan and Alyosha Karamazov
William Hamilton
The Journal of Religion, Vol. 39, No. 4. (Oct., 1959), pp. 245-262.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-4189%28195910%2939%3A4%3C245%3A%22FTLOU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U
The Journal of Religion is currently published by The University of Chicago Press.

Dostoevsky’s The Devils and the Antinihilist Novel
Serge V. Gregory
Slavic Review, Vol. 38, No. 3. (Sep., 1979), pp. 444-455.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6779%28197909%2938%3A3%3C444%3ADTDATA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
Slavic Review is currently published by The American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

St. Matthew’s feast day is September 21.  He is the patron of bankers, accountants, tax-gatherers and security guards.

Matthew was a tax collector, apostle, and an evangelist.  He was the son of    Alphaeus and lived in Capharnaum on Lake Genesareth.  The first Gospel was written by Matthew in which he speaks of his call to be an apostle.  Sitting at his desk one day, he saw Christ come to him.  When the Lord said to him, “Follow Me,” he at once left his work and followed the Master.  The people were surprised to see a Roman tax collector become one of the special friends and disciple of the Master.

Matthew also tells us of the banquet he gave that Christ attended.  It was a public farewell to his former friends.  Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.  Jesus said, “I have come not to call the just, but sinners.”  Matthew wrote his Gospel to convince the Jews that the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus Christ.

Matthew’s symbol is a young man because he begins his Gospel with Christ’s earthly ancestry and stresses His human character.

Matthew preached the Gospel among the Hebrews for fifteen years. He is also called the Apostle of Ethiopia.  His shrine is at Salerno in Southern Italy.  He died a martyr for Jesus in Ethiopia.