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Discussion Questions for ARENA
- In Chapter 3 (p. 44) Pierce tells Callie there are
fourteen identical gates that supposedly lead to the Inner Realm. Why
are there fourteen instead of one? What do you think the multiplicity of
identical gates represents? Since the gates themselves are the same and
there is only one Benefactor, what makes the gates different?
- What
methods do participants use to attempt to scale the cliffs and reach the
gates? How do these compare with the way provided by the Benefactor? Why
are the other attempts not effective? Are there parallels between the
participants' struggles and the ways people attempt to reach God and
salvation through their own means and methods?
- Some
people have settled down in the Arena to stay. Why do you think they
would do that? Do you think most make a conscious choice, or does it
just happen? How does this relate to people's approach to faith and
their relationships with God? If
you were to categorize yourself, where do you think you might fall?
- The
answers to why the participants have been put into the Arena are not
revealed until midway through the book. Was this frustrating for you?
Why do you think the answers were not revealed sooner? How does this
compare with how and when God provides answers to our questions about
why we are here and what we are to be doing with our lives?
- In
Chapter 17 (p. 215), during a conversation with Callie Pierce says,
"And choosing is what the Arena is about, isn't it?" Do you
agree with his observation about the Arena? Is the same true of our
lives on Earth? How did the participants' choices affect their
experience in the Arena? How do our choices affect our lives?
- How
much control do we really have over the course of our lives? Do you
think lack of total control is a disturbing concept for most people to
contemplate? Why or why not?
What sorts of things do people do in an attempt to gain a sense of
control?
- When
the group is waiting for Elhanu's go-ahead to leave Rimlight, they
become very impatient. Are there times God deliberately makes us wait
for things? Why might he do this? Why do you think it so hard to wait?
What does waiting do for us?
- How
did Callie conquer her acrophobia? What were the two options given in
the story (p. 239) as things we can choose to think about? How does
Callie's experience help you understand the best approach for conquering
your fears?
- Does
Pierce's struggle with fear and self-recrimination make him more
sympathetic or less? Did it surprise you when he failed after the first
mutant attack? Did you share Callie's disgust at that point? Why or why
not? How about later on in the story? Did your feelings toward him
change? When and why?
- When
the travelers are in the grotto, why can't they see the triple-circle
device that will open the passage to the Safehaven? In the heat of a
crisis or difficulty have you ever forgotten the things you know and
believe? Do you think this is a common problem? What effect do emotions
have upon our spiritual lives?
- The
essence of Cephelus' argument in his appeal of his sentence is to
question how Elhanu can claim to love all his creatures and then consign
them to eternal torment. Doesn't
that negate His love? How do free will, divine justice, and love
intersect? And how is this demonstrated
in what Elhanu did for participants in the Arena?
- In
Chapter 29 (p. 359) Callie says, "It's not faith that's the issue,
it's the object of faith." What does she mean by this? Are there
people in life who have a tremendous amount of faith in the wrong
object? Even if you became suspicious that you were trusting in the
wrong object, how easy would it be to change? What are some of the
things that would inhibit change?
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