![]() ![]() Black theology was created as a means to avenge social injustices and liberate oppressed peoples by placing the ability for change in the hands of the individual, rather than in the hands of God (Tweedy 2). He goes on to describe the ways in which this belief system expects individuals “to work toward enacting social change in the face of extreme adversity,” which is undoubtedly visible in Lauren’s philosophy (3). In the article, “The Anointed: Countering Dystopia with Faith in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of Talents”, Clarence Tweedy argues that “Earthseed’s God is not a new creation, but rather, derives from Black Theology” (2). As such, Butler offers a strong didactic quality throughout the novel, which intends to teach the reader the importance of individual responsibility and social activism using this budding religion as a vehicle for her message. In essence, she encourages us to act in order to prevent the advent of a world like the one she creates in the pages. Butler’s Parable of the Sower does more than entertain and shock us with the winding story it contains it also offers us a message meant to encourage us to take responsibility for ourselves, our communities, and the world we live in. According to Lauren, this provides followers of Earthseed the motivation to act in ways that shapes this change for the better, as she writes, “Belief initiates and guides action – or it does nothing” (Butler 47). Lauren writes, “God can’t be resisted or stopped, but can be shaped and focused…we can rig the game in our favour if we understand that God exists to be shaped, and will be shaped, with or without our intent” (Butler 25). Everything, including this God, changes and is shaped. ![]() Earthseed is based in the recognition of the importance of change. Her character’s personal development is closely linked with the development of her own religion. Lauren Olamina, the protagonist of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower engages with readers by unravelling her unique religious beliefs over the course of the novel. ![]()
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