Forgive us our debts

Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood has a habit of picking timely topics to write about. Her latest book, Payback, is about debt. She'll be delivering this year's Massey Lectures on the subject.

What does it have to do with this blog? Atwood's authored two books that can be considered science fiction, namely The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx & Crake, both of which included religious themes. And the concept of debt is central to diverse religious traditions, along with related ideas like obligation, ransom, blood-price, etc. (Since Atwood has described herself as a pessimistic pantheist, I suspect she feels we humans have ungratefully piled up staggering debts against the natural world that brought us forth.) In this CBC interview she discusses the book and touches on the religious and existential aspects of debt. For example:

"...maybe there should be some kind of accounting taking place... maybe we do owe something to somebody for the fact of our existence."

Speaking of the Massey Lectures, a different Margaret delivered the 2002 lectures: Margaret Visser. She spoke on the idea of fate. Her latest book is The Gift of Thanks, a subject not unrelated to that of debt or obligation! She was recently in Winnipeg to speak on the topic for the 2008 Slater-Maguire Lectures at St. Margaret's (no relation) Anglican Church. They don't seem to have posted the lectures proper but her sermon on "thanks" vis-a-vis the Eucharist is online here.