e people such as Ilyushka and Sonya. Their argument is much stronger. They are better for the cause of the improvement of social issues than the actual orators for the masses. Why? They offer the solution for peace in one's soul. They offer it with faith in God, not the rational path of the Western thinker or with the denial of a Russian nihilist, but with a leap of faith that charms one against actual, brutal, world. The tyrants, the intellectuals, the Ivans cannot be prevented, but faith can defeat them, over and over again. The bow and the kiss have to exist. Children die, children suffer, society is unjust, people kill for stupid reasons and base, vile feelings. In a world that is hopelessly destined to go on like that, faith, God, are the best answers to our despair. Intellectualism obviously does not bring much advantage or peace--faith and love do. With God one's pride can be defeated, one's responsibility recognized, one's active love awakened, one's soul saved: By the experience of active love. Strive to love your neighbor actively and indefatigably. Insofar as you advance in love you will grow surer of the reality of God and of the immortality of your soul. If you attain to perfect self-forgetfulness in the love of your neighbor, then you will believe without doubt, and no doubt can possibly enter your soul. (Brothers Karamazov. II, 4)) Ivan recognizes that same necessity and usefulness of God. However, he does not really believe in God, thus he cannot forgive, he cannot forgive himself, and most importantly he does not believe in the immortality of the soul and in justice. He does not love. Without a belief in the existence of justice crime has no meaning. His idea of God is worthless because he is an atheist, he does not believe. The only way out is not through the lie, with which the Church for centuries managed its affairs, but through true and honest belief that things have a purpose and th...
