ATDTDA - grace

[Paul Mackin]

On Sun, 2007-02-11 at 06:26 -0800, Mark Kohut wrote:
> I think Ms. Kelber is correct....TRP's use of 'grace" is anti the
> Calvinist/Fate one... it is the "grace' of the preterite....the
> unfavored in life or by Religion.
> 

In other words, 'Grace' has been secularized--it is no longer
ecclesiastical or theological, but has become strictly concerned with
things of the world, the temporal.

This shift from Heaven to Earth does not obviate the basic thrust of the
word. Grace imho still implies the hope, if not much of an expectation,
for some kind of betterment in the life of the dispossessed of the
world, some change from the status quo.

While AtD does not take a theological view of what Salvation from the
injustices of the world might  entail, it nevertheless refuses to draw a
strict line between the Sacred and the Profane. There is obviously a lot
in the book that is quite spiritual, mystical, and, of course, even
magical.



> Joseph T <brook7 at sover.net> wrote: 
>         
>         On Feb 10, 2007, at 4:07 PM, Joseph T wrote:
>         
>         > > "He understood that things were exactly what they were.Â
>         > > It seemed more than he could bear."
>         > 
>         > > He doesn't exactly give away the store on that one. 
>         > 
>         > Â  Â thoughts on grace: The word first appears in the
>         > english translations of the Bible when "Noah found grace in
>         > the eyes of the lord" here it means favor . Of all the
>         > people on earth God just really liked Noah,everyone else
>         > could pretty much drown. But the roots of the word are in
>         > Roman/Latin mythology and language. The Charites, figures
>         > of Greek mythology known as "The Three Graces". In Greek
>         > mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites (ΧάÏιτεÏ
>         > ‚; Greek: "Graces"), goddesses of charm, beauty, nature,
>         > human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered
>         > three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea ("Beauty"),
>         > Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer"). In Roman
>         > mythology they were known as the Gratiae. 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > The word projects in 2 directions, physical gracefulness and
>         > spiritual blessedness.  
>         > 
>         > 
>         > The word is big  in the writings of Paul and "John", and
>         > takes on the meaning of  the unmerited favor of God
>         > accessed through the atonement of Christ.  In the
>         > reformation the concept of Grace was a little like Shambalah
>         > in ATD; everyone wants to get their first, colonize and own
>         > the keys.  Calvin says grace is pre-determined : you're
>         > either doomed or saved , nothing you can do about it, the
>         > good just know they're good(which is why they can act like
>         > such pricks). Luther and Arminius have different takes
>         > focused on choice and mercy, and so ad infinitum. 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > Lew's vision of "grace" feels Calvinistic and hard. Miles
>         > and the Chums  seem to be headed toward a much friendlier
>         > interpretation.      
>         > 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > 
>         > On Feb 10, 2007, at 1:28 PM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:
>         > 
>         > > SPOILER ALERT -- last page
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > TRP uses (and defines) the word "grace," on p.42.  It's
>         > > also the final word of the novel.  Not sure if there are
>         > > other references in between.
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > P. 42:
>         > > "One mild and ordinary work-morning in Chicago, Lew
>         > > happened to find himself on a public conveyance, head and
>         > > eyes inclined nowhere in particular, when he entered, all
>         > > too briefly, a condition he had no memory of having
>         > > sought, which he later came to think of as grace."Â  Next
>         > > paragraph:Â  "He understood that things were exactly what
>         > > they were.  It seemed more than he could bear."
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > Right after this, he's hired by White City Investigations,
>         > > after impressing Nate with his ability to observe things
>         > > (just as they are?).
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > A couple of reviewers seemed to take the mention of grace
>         > > at the end of the book in its religious sense.  The
>         > > Inconvenience has become sort of a public conveyance, the
>         > > world in microcosm, and it flies toward grace.  But if
>         > > grace is understanding that things are exactly what they
>         > > are, it seems that TRP has something other than the
>         > > religious connotation in mind.  Things that are exactly
>         > > what they are don't have any particular grace of god
>         > > bestowed on them.  They belong more to the preterite than
>         > > the elect.
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > On a totally different plane, maybe TRP had this in mind:
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > "The goal of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment
>         > > (GRACE) space mission is to obtain accurate global and
>         > > high-resolution determination of both the static and the
>         > > time-variable components of the Earth's gravity field."
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_Recovery_and_Climate_Experiment
>         > > 
>         > > 
>         > > Laura
>         > 
>         > 
>         
> 
> 
> 
> 
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