Saturday, June 8, 2013

The Myth of Innocence

Simon Cramp recovering in hospital after bashing in Sydney CBDThis man's name is Simon. He was in Sydney one Saturday night recently, minding his own business when he was assaulted without provocation by a group of rowdy troublemakers. Simon was found unconscious on George Street in the early hours of the morning, and according to the doctor who treated him, was minutes away from losing his life. He is recovering in hospital.

My 17 year old son and my 15 year old daughter were in Sydney last night. They are responsible, well behaved children, who don't look for trouble and consquently rarely find any of it. But what do you do when trouble finds you? I look at this picture and think it could, but for the grace of God, be my son, or my daughter. They didn't get home last night until after 2am, and my wife and were worried. We had text messages saying they were on their way, to comfort us, but anything could have happened on the one and half hour drive home.They could have become victims. Statistics.

Whether they were innocent or culpable would be a mute point if tragedy struck. Simon was an innocent bystander who was king hit by a stranger. Innocence did not save him, nor would it save my children from harm.

The fact is that we are all guilty. Guilty of something or other, and we all live with guilt. While many deny it, and others struggle with it all their lives, some admit it, confess it and seek help.There is no true innocence in humans. We are stained. There is nothing within us that can remove the impurity, the stench of sin, the burden of guilt. We need a Saviour. Have you met him yet?

Photograph courtesy of  Mitch Gardener via ABC News

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  5. It's awful what happened to Simon. I hope that he makes a complete recovery, not only from his physical injuries.

    On another note, thanks for stopping by my blog. I enjoyed your piece. Just browsing through your blog has shown me that you have a great sense of humour. Will be following. :-)

    ~ Nadine

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  6. My heart cracks wide for Simon. There are no words.

    I agree with you David, we are all guilty of something. Regardless of whether we look to a Savior, each of us is responsible for his or her own actions (I believe He would agree). When we make mistakes we should not only be held accountable but accept responsibility. The burden of guilt you speak of, the impurity, does have a role. It is the glue that holds society together. In the U.S., personal responsibility means less with each passing day. Blame the other guy is the motto here. It is unfortunate that those who do not feel the burden of guilt, who aren't looking for redemption, are most in need of Him. It is the ultimate Catch-22.

    VR Barkowski

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    1. Astute as ever, VR. However, I think whether we feel guilty or not, or are searching for redemption or not, we are all equally needy.

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