THE CENTURY OF HELL

REQUIRED

EXPERIENCE OF HELL

HUMANITY AND HELL

THREAT OF HELL

HESBURGH

THE PROBLEM OF HELL

In this concluding section of the course, we ask how we should deal with experiences of Hell on earth. I don't think anyone will dispute the fact that human beings sometimes do barbaric and unimaginable things to each other. Over the past 100 years alone, consider the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the communist extermination campaigns in Russia, China, and Cambodia, and the atrocities in Bosnia. But how should we respond to acts of organized evil? One possibility is to sit back and accept them as part of the cold reality of life. Another is to make our peace, reluctantly, with these events in order to create the necessary political conditions to return to civilization. Another is to exact revenge on the evil doers. A final option is to use legal tools to bring the offenders to justice.

Another issue is how we should deal with these acts on a personal level. This is a major theme in Christianity. If other human beings do terrible things to us, should we promote reconciliation and struggle to forgive them? Another possiblity is that we are the perpetrators. How can we reasonably expect the victims to deal with us? How can we make our peace with our own crimes? Or can we?

Tuesday,April 25

Image IX. Terrorism: "Hell on earth"

Damon DiMarco, Tower Stories, pp. 310-319.
Osama Bin Laden, "Your Security is in your own Hands"
Bergen and Pandey, "The Madrassa Myth"
Geoffrey Galt Harpham, "Inadmissible Evidence"

Songs censoredin the wake of the attacks on 9/11/2001

Thursday, April 27

Meeting with Fr. Theodore Hesburgh in 1315 Hesburgh Library

Discussion topics: War, Evil, Hell, Terrorism, Catholic higher education, or Fr. Hesburgh's choice

Tuesday, May 2

Image X. Genocide, Terrorism, and Justice: "To hell and back . . . ?"

Caring for Others and Forgiving Ourselves

"Abuse at Abu Ghraib"

Background Reading (not in your Reader):

"Executive Summary: Investigation of Intelligence Activities at Abu Ghraib"

Sworn Statements by Detainees at Abu Ghraib (these are graphic and disturbing documents which you are not required to read)

Abu Ghraib photos (these are graphic photos which you are not required to view)

William Bole, "Forgiveness Makes Future Possible"

 

The Essay Question for your Final Exam is Here.