Faith Meets Life: Atwood on Mother Earth and Jesus
In her latest book, Margaret Atwood takes a run at offering spiritual advice to her readers. She has called the book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth.
As you might guess, the book is full of warnings about carelessly taking on debt. Atwood draws on studies of animal behaviour to show that even animals seem to distinguish fairness from unfairness, and that this could have helped humans form an understanding that debts need to be repaid. That's the fair thing to do.
She examines the culture of Ancient Egypt and how people of that society believed not only in material or financial debt, but also in moral debt. That moral debt had to be dealt with in the afterlife. A person's heart was weighed in the balance against the “goddess of truth, justice, balance, right behaviour and the order of the cosmos.” The heart found to be indebted to the goddess was devoured.
In her survey on debt, Atwood reflects on the Jewish and Christian traditions (which are inextricably linked anyway). They frown on overspending and the high debt that often follows. And they frown on creditors who take advantage of those who need to borrow in order to survive, say, by charging high interest.
In the Jewish writings (Christian Old Testament) there is a call to wipe out debts every 50 years. (This is in the context of a village economy where everyone knows everyone and no one is supposed to be in debt to the point where there is no hope for his family.)
By the end of the book it is clear that Atwood's discomfort with debt concerns not so much financial or moral debt. It is humanity's debt to Nature (with an upper-case “N”).
The last chapter ends with a retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is led by the Spirits of Earth Day Past, Present and Future. They show him the devastation wrought by unbridled human technologies.
In the end humanity owes Nature for the destruction we are wreaking on the planet, but there will be a “payback.” According to Atwood, Nature has the ability to settle old scores; she may devour her oppressors unless...
What I find interesting is this quasi-spiritual warning. I wonder, why should readers see nature in spiritual terms?
Interestingly, from the book one can conclude that Atwood is an ex-Presbyterian. Presbyterianism has its roots in Scotland; it is a significant branch of the Protestant branch of Christianity.
Atwood seems not to be impressed by Presbyterian thought or the thinking of organized religion generally. However, she does seem to express appreciation for Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus Christ. She writes, perhaps admiringly about his tendency to hang around with tax crooks, prostitutes, and those who drink too much (page 138 and following).
Perhaps we can follow Atwood and look a little more closely at Jesus. According to the original accounts of him, he came not only to heal us and to reconcile us to God in spite of our sins. He is the Creator and came to heal the cosmos, the whole of his created world. If that's the case, don't we have access to a powerful motivation to care for the planet that is our home? If Christ is serious about healing the world, we can be too.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
As you might guess, the book is full of warnings about carelessly taking on debt. Atwood draws on studies of animal behaviour to show that even animals seem to distinguish fairness from unfairness, and that this could have helped humans form an understanding that debts need to be repaid. That's the fair thing to do.
She examines the culture of Ancient Egypt and how people of that society believed not only in material or financial debt, but also in moral debt. That moral debt had to be dealt with in the afterlife. A person's heart was weighed in the balance against the “goddess of truth, justice, balance, right behaviour and the order of the cosmos.” The heart found to be indebted to the goddess was devoured.
In her survey on debt, Atwood reflects on the Jewish and Christian traditions (which are inextricably linked anyway). They frown on overspending and the high debt that often follows. And they frown on creditors who take advantage of those who need to borrow in order to survive, say, by charging high interest.
In the Jewish writings (Christian Old Testament) there is a call to wipe out debts every 50 years. (This is in the context of a village economy where everyone knows everyone and no one is supposed to be in debt to the point where there is no hope for his family.)
By the end of the book it is clear that Atwood's discomfort with debt concerns not so much financial or moral debt. It is humanity's debt to Nature (with an upper-case “N”).
The last chapter ends with a retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is led by the Spirits of Earth Day Past, Present and Future. They show him the devastation wrought by unbridled human technologies.
In the end humanity owes Nature for the destruction we are wreaking on the planet, but there will be a “payback.” According to Atwood, Nature has the ability to settle old scores; she may devour her oppressors unless...
What I find interesting is this quasi-spiritual warning. I wonder, why should readers see nature in spiritual terms?
Interestingly, from the book one can conclude that Atwood is an ex-Presbyterian. Presbyterianism has its roots in Scotland; it is a significant branch of the Protestant branch of Christianity.
Atwood seems not to be impressed by Presbyterian thought or the thinking of organized religion generally. However, she does seem to express appreciation for Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus Christ. She writes, perhaps admiringly about his tendency to hang around with tax crooks, prostitutes, and those who drink too much (page 138 and following).
Perhaps we can follow Atwood and look a little more closely at Jesus. According to the original accounts of him, he came not only to heal us and to reconcile us to God in spite of our sins. He is the Creator and came to heal the cosmos, the whole of his created world. If that's the case, don't we have access to a powerful motivation to care for the planet that is our home? If Christ is serious about healing the world, we can be too.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
