The Importance Of Faith In Arthur C. Clarke's The Star

Many people do not believe in a higher power or God. For those who do, it seems challenging for them to keep their faith. Especially when bad things happen, which can make them question their faith and whether god is real or not. In Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Star,” a group of space explorers discovered the remnants of an ancient civilization that was destroyed when the star blew up. One of the explorers is a priest, and the discoveries challenged his faith. At the end of the short story, the priest makes another discovery; he realizes that the star was the same one that initiated the birth of Jesus. The priest’s discovery confirms faith by indicating that human beings are superior to other beings; they are the “Chosen Ones.” Human
Throughout the Bible, they are verses about God's love for mankind. There might be things in life that make believers doubt the love of God but his words seem truthful and promising. Just as in “The Star” the priest started doubting God’s love after he realizes he blew up a whole civilization to use as a signal for Jesus’ birth. Even though the story is science fiction, it is a great example of believers doubting God when things go wrong. Everything God does he does it for a reason and he does not like it when others question him because it is a sign of doubt and unfaithfulness. The priest himself should know how God works and yet he still questions him. At the end of the short story the priest says, “God, there were so many stars you could have used. What was the need to give these people to the fire, that the symbol of their passing might shine above Bethlehem?” (Clarke 4). It does seem wrong of God to blow up a whole civilization so the light from the explosion can lead the wise men to Jesus’s crib. As a scientist, the priest should know about balance. The world must be balanced; if one person dies someone else must be born. If Earth and everything it holds gets to stay alive then something else must take its