The Blood of the Lamb

Throughout history, religions have addressed the question of suffering in the world.
Western and eastern religions have answered this question in different ways. Then, in the
modern era, people have answered the question without resort to traditional religious beliefs.
This semester’s writing assignment revolves around those viewpoints. To begin, read the
assigned text The Blood of the Lamb by Peter De Vries. As you will see in the Foreword, the

book is a comic/tragic novel based, in part, upon the author’s own experience in the early to mid-
20th century.

1. How did De Vries (from a modern, secular viewpoint) react to suffering? Why did he
come to that conclusion? Select 2 or 3 BRIEF quotations that illustrate that response.

2. What is the traditional Western/Christian response to suffering and evil?

3. How do Eastern religions, e.g. Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., respond to suffering and evil?