Archive of the Day
From Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer:
"When Alex left for Alaska," Franz remembers, "I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist. I decided I couldn't believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex."
posted by JMW at 1:27 PM
2 Comments:
That's a silly sentiment. God gave us free will. He also gave us intelligence and common sense. McCandless was a silly person and got what was coming to him (much like Timothy Treadwill). 'Grizzly Man' is a wonderful film, and I look forward to checking out 'Into the Wild' (great book), but it does not change the fact that these guys were morons. It is called natural selection, and I believe that is compatible with a God intelligently thinning the heard and disposing of the likes of McCandless and Treadwill. It is like getting mad at God for not protecting someone from suicide. It was their choice.
-Dezmond
It's herd.
And I think you're being too extreme, but I often think that. You know I don't think God can protect anyone, anyway, but I thought it was an interesting passage -- partly because it shows that some of the people McCandless met had clear affection for him, and based on some of the feedback to my review (including yours), it seems like there's a contingent of people who can't believe that someone who's careless and naive and overly idealistic can't also be likeable. I find that deeply strange.
But it's good to have you back in the comments section from time to time, Dezmond....
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