Why Alyosha?
Why do some folks lose faith in the midst of suffering and others, to the contrary, actually grow in their faith? What sets Job apart from Job’s wife? They suffered the same tragedies, didn’t they? At least in terms of the family. In fact, Job seems to have suffered more than his wife, and yet, she is the one telling him to curse God and die. I’m in no position to judge anyone; I’m not sure what I would do in these circumstances. Job’s wife may very well have been a noble person, but the truth is, the same crises drive people in very different directions.
This question has plagued me for years and it is one of the many reasons I’ve been drawn to a certain 19th century Russian. Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in 1821 into a family of comfortable means. His father was a medical doctor and respected member of Moscow society. Both parents raised him with prayer and Scripture being a daily part of family life.
But Fyodor’s relatively easy life began to spiral into circumstances that would invite pain and suffering. In 1849 he was sentenced to die for being involved in an anti-Tsarist plot. As he anticipated the bullet entering into his head, the execution was called off and he suffered the next six years in a Siberian labor camp, followed by four years of mandatory military service. The years in prison left him with scars, both physical and mental, and a bad case of epilepsy.
Ready to start over, Dostoevsky married Maria in 1857. Both Maria and his best friend / brother Mikhail, died in 1864 within three months of each other. He later married Anna, his stenographer, and they lost two children at an early age. On top of all of this suffering, he was poor most of the time and he continually fought the demon of gambling addiction.
In this writings, Dostoevsky frequently gives the reader characters who respond in very different ways to suffering. We have the benefit of reading his works and examining and discussing their varying responses in light of biblical truth. My purpose with this initial blog post is to offer some background as to why I chose the name, Alyosha Society. You will find this brief description on the web site:
Why Alyosha?
In his magnum opus, The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky introduces the reader to several characters whose words and actions represent particular worldviews. Ivan wrestles with atheism as he cannot fathom that there could be a good God in light of such evil in the world. Dmitri struggles with hedonism as he seeks to bridle his passions. Their younger brother, Alyosha, carefully considers the teachings of his mentor, Father Zosima, and chooses the road less traveled, the road of faith and incarnation.
The Alyosha Society is a group of curious bibliophiles who seek to hear the counsel of the many Zosimas of the past. Our goal is to consider what the great minds have pondered through the art of literature and philosophy and discuss how we might be faithful disciples of the true and living God.