We all fall short

"Men can act brutally under certain circumstances, but their conscience pursues them.Certainly there are men to whom love, sympathy and conscience are alien, but they are mentally ill." (The Biology of Peace and War)

Mental ill or evil? I believe that given the right set of circumstances, anyone of us is capable of behaving in a way which we would not have thought possible. We can't say for sure how we would act if such and such an event happened, or if we were caught in a particular situation. We can suppose and hope for action commensurate with our character, but who knows? People both overestimate and underestimate themselves frequently.

Some people who do bad things are clearly mentally unwell, while others are evidently bad people. We all have the potential for good and evil. How many evil deeds are required for a person to be deemed evil? Do acts of charity and selflessness wipe out the stain of what Christians call 'sin'? Who decides who is a good person and who is a bad person? Who has enough knowledge to make such a judgement?

We have all fallen short of the Glory of God.

T is for Thuza

T is for Thuza

“She, like her fellow travelers, was throwing the dice for the last time, trying to reach Australia where they had heard stories of peaceful wide open spaces and a generous government. They had handed over their last coins, dumped their identity documents and begged with the smugglers agents for the privilege of being transported in miserable conditions on a dangerous voyage. In her case, her mother had arranged it all but with no money, and her pleas for mercy having fallen on deaf ears, she made an arrangement with one of them. It was all she had to give and he happily took it from her. She was seventeen years old. She was alone. Her name was Thuza.”

From chapter 1, Ashmore Grief.

In Ashmore Grief, Thuza represents the vulnerable, the lost and the hopeless. I live in paradise. I know nothing of war, famine or political or religious persecution. I was raised by two parents in a stable home, and all my life I have prospered in the fertile ground of freedom and affluence. I have had a wealth of amazing relationships and plethora of wonderful opportunities. I go where I want, when I want to, and I eat and drink what I want to. I have bucket loads of leisure time and my work is not arduous. I have never been struck by tragedy of any kind, and I have never been a victim of violence, nor been forced from my home. From time to time I get a bit lost, and I have experienced loneliness but I have never plunged into despair.

Maybe, you also have been blessed like me. Perhaps not, but if not, then you probably know someone who has suffered, or who is suffering. Why not me? Is that what you ask yourself? I do. Why have I escaped the evil which seems so prevalent in the world? I don’t know, but I’m thankful. I thank God for his grace and mercy.

Heart of Darkness

I just finished reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (read my review on Goodreads here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117837), and I was reminded of the potential for evil which lies within all of us. Given the right set of circumstances, or the wrong ones depending on your perspective, each of us has the latent capacity to do something of which we would not have expected ourselves capable. The people around us, even those we know, love and trust may choose a course of dangerous and disturbingly unanticipated action. Have you ever played the game called, what if...?

In Heart of Darkness, Conrad examines this idea, and seems to suggest that evil is a kind of madness. The title of his novel refers both to the setting for the book, in a Congolese jungle, and to the moral condition of the almost mythical central figure, Kurtz. Consider this quote from Heart of Darkness, and you might wonder about how much choice Kurtz had in the person he became.

"...a spell...this alone had beguiled his unlawful soul beyond the bounds of permitted aspirations." (p.96)

Are some people evil? Do others choose to be evil? How many evil acts does it take to make you an evil person? What is evil? Obviously there is no scope here for me to discuss these questions, but I would invite you to ponder the concept of evil.

This week in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, something happened which can only be described as an act of horrifying evil. Eleven year old Luke Batty was bashed to death with a cricket bat by his father in front of onlookers. The man, who was fatally wounded by police when he failed to surrender, had a history of mental illness and was estranged from Luke's mother. Despite this, she said that both Luke and her trusted him, and had no reason to be concerned for their safety.

I feel like crying as I think and write about this awful, unimaginable tragedy. Was it an act of evil or madness? Or are they the same thing?

This is the world in which we live, permeated with evil in its many guises, where darkness lurks in our hearts, and yet we stumble on blindly because we don't always recognize it, and when we do, it frightens us. But we are not helpless, nor hopeless. God has given us the resources to fight the darkness in our hearts, to resist evil wherever and in whomever we see it, and to love and forgive one another, until he calls us home.

Full Story:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/luke-batty-had-trusted-his-father-who-killed-his-son-before-being-fatally-shot-by-police/story-e6frg6nf-1226825644467

I don't like angels because...

Here's my beef with Supernatural's portrayal of angels.

There is an angel called Joshua (left) who is the only one who talks to God, and as he points out, it is mostly him talking because God doesn't have much to say. Another angel called Zachariah plays tricks on people, and manipulates them and calls them offensive names. He gets angry when he doesn't get his own way, and he keeps on talking as though only he speaks the truth when his actions belie his words. 

Castiel (right) rebelled against Heaven, because he has a soft spot for the Winchester boys. He looks confused most of the time, and at one point was searching for God but has now conceded that God is gone and He doesn't care. Gabriel disguises himself as a demi-God and torments people for his own amusement. Anna became human and had sex in the back of Dean's car before becoming an angel again. And let's not forget Lucifer (below right) who is roaming the earth now, footloose and fancy free.

I could go on, but all this proves is that what I am watching is complete fantasy. Wow! What a revelation. I know it's fiction, but before the apocalypse story line, I could distinguish between good and evil in Supernatural. Castiel was a 'good guy': a fearsome solider of Heaven, for example. That's what post modernist story telling does; it blurs the lines between good and evil. Supernatural's angels are all nearly as bad as the demons.

I prefer my angels like they are in Touched By An Angel. They speak God's truths into people's lives, they protect them, guide them, counsel them and encourage them. They demonstrate real love and at the same time, obedience to their father who sent them. They are not morally ambiguous, and they don't hurt people or cause trouble.

Assuming you also believe in angels, which kind do you prefer. Which do you think is closer to the truth?

Although this mini series on angels has captured the imagination of the world, it is time to move on. I'd love to hear your thoughts on angels.