Why Are Heathens Raging?
Why Are Heathens Raging? is a fantastic piece of writing with unique descriptions of people, environment, and happy circumstances. The moral lessons and shocking statements at the close of the short story add to the message's power. The short message for the viewers and the humor make it a perfect piece of literature. The narrative begins with Tillman's two-week hospital stay due to a stroke attack, when he returns home. (Cohon 4). Walter, a son of Tilman and his wife, is 28 years old and resides at home with his parents and older sibling. The wife of Tilman is described as a hard woman and the last of the nineteenth century. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to explain the theme or the message of the short story and how illusions in the New Testament contribute to the topic.
Responsibility
Responsibility is the common theme in the story, especially how a mother could be hard to her son like in the case of Walter and her mother. The message behind the short story is a demonstration and explanation behind many shocking events that took place in the contemporary world. In this case, it seems that somebody has sinned and they have to pay for their sins. Terrible as it may sound, it has to happen. The father is an atheist who is paying through the death of the son who is innocent except for his suicidal move which is condemned by the church.
Issue of Right and Wrong
However, the young man pays for the mortal sins of his father of not only being a disbeliever but also mocking God (Cohon 9). There is also an issue of right and wrong throughout the story which ends by the author passing judgment from the perspective of the Christian. Similarly, there is the constant connection between violence and salvation throughout the story. At the end of the story, we are led to believe that Walter is headed for a hopeful path given that he has been reading the biblical version of love in St. Jerome. It states that love must be full of anger and this brings in Jesus as a General with Sword marching forward to do violence. The kind of violence may be the anger filled love or the charge forward to wipe out the sinners (Cohon 12).
New Testament Allusions to Responsibility
The theme of liability is vividly mentioned in the book of Galatians in chapter 5 to 15. It maintains that every person in the society must be responsible for doing the best they can with their lives. People must learn the art of sharing all the right things that they possess as well as the experiences they have acquired over time (Kennedy 25). It continues to point out that people should not be misled as no one in the entire universe can make a fool of God and what is planted by a person is what they will harvest when the time comes. It means that people will be judged in the end according to their conducts and how they assume the responsibilities of their poor neighbors and friends through sharing (Kennedy 32). Walter as the main hero seems to have failed as a Christian because he has not shared the real message in the book that he was reading which later turns out to the bible.
Reflection on Family Life
Among the readers of Paul were the believing children and grandchildren of a widow. According to them, making provision for the widow was a significant expression of a genuine faith in Christianity and responsibility towards the needy in the society. Paul pointed out that acts of negligence needed to be rectified and according to him, it was a possibility that heretical movement that took a dim view of marriage life was undermining the traditional values of marriage life and family values. The piece focuses on family life and reflects on the book Why Do The Heathen Rage? In the manner in which the author points out the misunderstandings between Walter and his mother due to his perceived faith in Christianity. Walter is obsessed with reading, and the mother is against it oblivious that it is through reading that Walter finds peace away from home that was filled with several issues (Cohon 7).
The family is the fundamental unit of the relationship between humanities, and it is foundational to both the church and the society. The divine origin of the household and its foundational character makes it domineering hence it is necessary to give priority to the ministry of the family both from the personal perspective to corporate. Therefore the practice of Christian virtues should begin right from home just like the book of Deuteronomy states (Wilson 43). However, the family of Tilman has failed in embracing this, and that is the reason why there are issues that cannot be sorted out by mere human effort, but there is the need for supernatural intervention. It is the lack of responsibility and commitment to Christianity that the family bond in Tillman's family is going asunder.
Work Cited
Cohon, Samuel S. Why Do the Heathen Rage?. Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.
Kennedy, James Houghton. The Second and Third Epistles of St. Paul to the Corinthians: With Some Proofs of Their Independence and Mutual Relation. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.
Wilson, Ian. Out of the Midst of the Fire: Divine Presence in Deuteronomy. No. 151. Scholars Pr, 1995.
