Chapter 2 question (up to 2 pages): Re-read Arthur C. Clarke's story, "The Star," in which the Jesuit priest is confronted by a terrible irony. Examine the events of this story by applying the
theories of Design (in section 2.2), Theodicy (section 2.3) and Faith (in section 2.5). Cite the
Chapter 2 sections as you apply their theories to the story. Cite examples from the story like this:
(Clarke 37) etc. A few terms explained for this story:
1. A supernova is a natural event in which a star uses up its hydrogen fuel, collapses, and
explodes. The release of energy is titanic and vaporizes all but the farthest planets in that
solar system, and would sterilize with radiation any life in other star systems within a radius
of about 50 light-years.
2. The mission: the crew of the story travel aboard a faster-than-light space-vehicle, so
they are exploring other solar systems far from our solar system.
3. The Jesuits: "Jesuit, member of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order of
religious men founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, noted for its educational, missionary,
and charitable works. The order has been regarded by many as the principal agent of
the Counter-Reformation and was later a leading force in modernizing the church. ...Almost
from the beginning, education and scholarship became the society's principal work. The
early Jesuits, however, also produced preachers and catechists who devoted themselves to
the care of the young, the sick, prisoners, prostitutes, and soldiers, (and in the 1700s earned
the hostility of Spain and Portugal by defending the Native Americans from the abuses of
Spanish and Portuguese colonists). ...They were involved in a broad and complex list of
activities, including the field of communications, social work, ecumenism, human rights, and
even politics." (Britannica. com)