Is it culture gap? I think it funny when I saw the confessions after the fever. Or at least it is not a serious thing for me.
Well, you don't have to be a "Christian" to "believe in" Robinson Crusoe. You just have to be scared out of your wits, think that you are going to die, and be on a desert island, alone.
In that situation you would beg for God, or anyone, to come and help you. If you need a modern example, see the movie Castaway. That guy endows a basketball with human qualities rather than exist alone.
I am not a Christian. I have sometimes been an atheist, but I can relate to the sheer terror of the Crusoe character and all his holy devotions and prayers. It was all he knew, and in that situation, he had to draw on everything to get strength.
I admit it takes patience for a person born in these times to read the humanity in a character drawn by an author like Defoe. He was born in 1660! Still, it reaps rewards. You get to find out that you share traits in common with people who lived 400 years ago, and it isn't so farfetched to believe in the powers of God or anything else, when the chips are down.
People share the same fears, doubts, insecurities, pride, and greed regardless of what age they are born into; the basic nature of man remains unchanged. People still lie, still steal, still take the Lord's name in vain, still covet what their neighbor has, ect. - therefore breaking the commandments of the Lord.
People say they will go to Heaven because they are good people but we cannot judge ourselves by our standards but rather we will be judged by God's Holy standards. If we just look at the Ten Commandments we would all fail. That is why we need to repent of our sins and accept the salvation Jesus Christ was crucified to provide for us.
So I do understand Robinson Crusoe. It is relevant in any time period because people will always need God.
I'm not a christian, nor do I affiliate myself with any religion in particular. However, I can completely understand one's need for re-assurance in a situation of solitude, such as Robinson Crusoe's. While the religious implications of the work may be a bit dated, this story itself remains, at least in my opinion, timeless.
"You have conquered, and I yield. Yet, henceforward art thou also dead - dead to the World, to Heaven and to Hope! In me didst thou exist - and, in my death, see by this image, which is thine own, how utterly thou hast murdered thyself." E.A. Poe
"It is better to be hurt by the truth, than to be comforted by a lie." - Unknown
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote