Cruel God, Kind God: How Images of God Shape Belief, Attitude, and Outlook by Zenon Lotufo Jr.

Abstract

influences Catholic thought, lacks an eschatological vision for society transformed by salvation, and it is judged inadequate and lacking in ethical response.Returning to her case study, Pineda-Madrid reflects on the activist groups in Juarez and social protests against both the murders and government inaction. The prevalent symbols at these rallies are crosses painted either pink or black as grave markers for the missing murdered women. She argues that these acts of resistance count as religious practices, not just political ones, because of the cross symbolism and the salvific intent to stop the destruction of community along the Mexican border.The conclusion develops a constructive theology of salvation. On the cross, it is Jesus' love that is salvific, not his suffering as Anselm emphasized. The author develops a thoughtful definition of community, which includes sharing a consciousness of past, present, and future, which for Mexicans centers on key historical events and symbols, such as the cross, the Virgin, and the Exodus. From a feminist perspective, feminicide represents the crucifixion of women, and the response of salvation offers the possibility of the empty tomb, the defeat of death, and new life in community released from oppression.While the book's arguments for resistance to suffering and a social concept of salvation are persuasive, they are found in previous womanist and feminist theology. The chapter on Anselm functions as a straw man to provide a negative backdrop for the author's position and to avoid direct critique of current Catholic theology. Nonetheless, this book makes an original contribution in analyzing the feminicide in Ciudad Juarez, its political context, and its precedents in the Mexican imaginary's validating of women's suffering. It offers a stimulating Latino/a theology situated on the Mexican border and a persuasive ethical summons to active resistance.

Competition on the Origins of Life and the Scientific Oratory Tradition: Polarizing Evolution and Its Instinctual Faith in Prometheus

“…They are not encircled in heavenly light, nor do they offer comforting words of promise, but are experimenters, aggressive, violent, without pity, and do not see their creations as allies. They exhibit the contemporary heartlessness in science fiction that all life as expendable (Lotufo, 2012). As part of the transition away from hero to villain through the utilization of mad science, the film initially situates technological experimenters as "potentially hero," but also "potentially villain" (Hendershot, 1997, p. 31).…”