PROVIDENCE

the quality in divinity on which mankind bases the belief in a benevolent intervention in human affairs and the affairs of the world. The forms that this belief takes differ, depending on the context of the religion and the culture in which they function. In one view the concept of Providence, divine care of man and the universe, can be called the religious answer to man's need to know that he matters, that he is cared for, or even that he is threatened, for in this view all religions are centred on man, and man is individually and collectively in constant need of reassurance that he is not an unimportant item in an indifferent world; if he cannot be comforted, to be threatened is better than to be alone in an empty void of nothingness. According to J. van Baal, a Dutch anthropologist, Man experiences his universe as a universe full of intentions, a universe which holds a claim on him, addressing him with something undefined, urging him to act or to be in some way or another. The experience is strongest in moments of crisis, when events turn up with such an overwhelming force that it is as if they address their victim, delivering a message to him. In answer to such a universe, religions must offer a coherent view of God or gods, world, and mankind and must give man and his physical or psychical well-being, or both, a prominent place within this world view. Thus, in all religions Divine Providence or its equivalent is an element of some importance. Additional reading No general introduction to the subject written from the point of view of the science of religion exists, but useful articles are found in some specialized encyclopaedias, such as Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics (1919). Further information has to be gathered from monographs about specific problems related to Providence, e.g., John Bowker, Problems of Suffering in the Religions of the World (1970).