Debating an atheist about evil is one thing, but how could we respond at the bedside of a dying child in the house of a desperate family? Dostoyevsky’s own son died at three years old, and interweaved in his Magnum Opus is a profound reflection on the result of tragedy––and how to keep tragedy from unraveling everything you care about.
The problem of evil is one of the most cited arguments against Christianity and the existence of God in the modern age. Dostoyevsky’s brilliance articulated a potent blistering assault on the existence of God through Ivan Karamazov, a character who is as brilliant as he is passionate. The sentiment, “God does not exist––and I hate him!” could summarize his views, and the views of many atheists. But is atheism really better equipped to deal with the cruel realities life gives us? Is a tragic optimism, or even a deep insurmountable joy despite the tears, an unjustifiable position? It seems that despite the rage against God, atheism is not an intellectually consistent nor emotionally satisfying answer to the problem of evil.
Within The Brothers Karamazov is a chapter so powerful, vivid, and shocking that it has since impacted the course of Western Civilization. The Grand Inquisitor declares that Jesus Christ has actually acted cruelly towards man for giving him free will, when he knows so many are too weak to follow Christ. Is that true? Does God expect too much from mere mortals? Are his rules, precepts and teachings simply too hard? Or are Christ’s commandments actually the gateway to a relationship with God? Perhaps even the road to virtue, even the destination of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is about the journey rather than the destination.
Dostoyevsky says that self-deceit will lead to ruin. Peterson adds that virtue will strengthen you against despair when suffering strikes. Jesus has something even more profound to say about how the truth sets you free.
The Brothers Karamazov (1880) is the pinnacle of Dostoyevsky’s literary and intellectual work. His critique of European Enlightenment ideas, including atheism, utilitarianism, socialism and utopianism, find their culmination in this profound tome. Dostoyevsky wrestles with the problem of evil, unlike in his previous major novels, and also perfects his summary of the problem of atheism: “Without God, anything is permissible.” Dostoyevsky also ventures forth into existential territory, asking and answering questions regarding the goodness of life in the face of suffering and whether free will is a gift or a curse. All of this and more in a riveting murder mystery, featuring love triangles and prison escapes, pious monks and the lowest sinners.
Debate between Mark Stanley and Alex Defoist on November 19th, 2019 on “Why I Am / Why I Am Not a Christian.”
Notes From Underground (1864) is a blistering assault on utopianism, socialism, and Marxism based on Dostoyevsky’s view of human nature. Even if a utopian society was attainable, says Dostoyevsky, we would not be satisfied by endless food, comfort and pleasure. If you satisfied every human desire, we would throw it all away just for something interesting to happen, just to give ourselves a challenge to overcome and prove that we are human beings and not lap dogs. According to Dostoyevsky, we would rather wallow in misery and self-pity than be handed everything on a silver-platter! It is our unique proclivity for destructive decisions that make us human, and we wouldn’t give that up for anything… even heaven on earth.
Well Read Christian is pleased to announce that our very own Mark Stanley, host of the Well Read Christian podcast, is going to participate in a virtual debate on November 19th, 7pm PST. You can watch this debate on Facebook Live or on Youtube Streaming. It is hosted by The Gospel Truth.
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In case you missed it live, here is the is a link to the Youtube Video.
The prolific Russian author Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) explores the key themes of vanity and the meaninglessness of existence. A young lawyer finds himself in solitary confinement after accepting a bet, and has nothing but time to read every great book written by man. Yet in the end, he realizes that everything will be swallowed by death…
Christian thinkers have argued for millennia that only God can give objective grounds for the transcendent moral law. Fyodor Dostoyevsky flips that equation in the face of the death of God in Russia, “Without God, anything is permissible.” That is, if God doesn’t exist, there is no such thing as an act that is off limits, immoral or evil. Dostoyevsky warned that if Russia tries to live out the European Enlightenment worldview, then society will quickly realize that a godless universe is a lawless universe.