O is for Original Sin

“Wittaya used people the way his father had used tools. He remembered watching the man work and marveling at his artistry, his concentration. He could be awesomely focused in times of sobriety. Each tool brought to bear on the blank canvass of a piece of wood for a specific purpose, a limited time, then discarded and ignored until need once more. The finished product, a carving of breathtaking beauty for which men paid good money. Although possessing no such skill as a woodworker, Wittaya considered himself an artist in his own right.  He had a team of people upon whom he could call, but who were forbidden to trouble him even if they did possess such temerity. His favours were only ever gifts to be received according to his whim. The outsider may have seen caprice, but the superficial randomness masked engineering. Manipulation.”  

from chapter 11, Ashmore Grief

Pride is the original sin. According to the Bible it was pride which led Adam to disobey God’s command in the garden, and partake of the Forbidden fruit which then saw him and his wife, Eve, cast out of paradise. It was pride which saw Lucifer exiled from heaven along with a third of the heavenly host who thought to raise themselves above their creator. 

Pride makes a man declare independence from God and from others. I am enough. I can do it myself. Have you met a self made person? Have you heard their tales of triumph over the obstacles the world has thrown in their path? Pride rejects help even when it is needed. Pride doesn’t acknowledge other contributions to success. Pride justifies immoral or unethical actions. Pride audaciously declares, “I am the most important person in the world.” Pride focuses attention on the self. The ego becomes the master.

In Ashmore Grief, pride drives Wittaya Keawwanna. He dresses his pride in altruism, but his ambition is fuelled by a darkness which causes him to function with deliberate ruthlessness. The Proverbs tell us that pride goes before a fall...what calamity awaits Wittaya?

When has pride caused you to fall from grace?

Don't Tell me What to do

The flight attendant made the announcement as the plane touched down at the airport and began its taxi to the terminal. "Please remain in your seats with your safety belts fastened until the plane comes to a complete stop," she said. As soon as she had finished speaking, half a dozen people unclicked their seatbelts, stood up and began to gather their belongings from the overhead storage compartments.

The lifeguard blew his whistle three times, pointing and gesturing to a group of people, children and adults, who were swimming outside the flags at the beach. Because they ignored him, he was forced to move closer to the water and repeat his warnings. Shortly after, this group finally heeded the lifeguard and left the water. At the same time, another smaller group entered the ocean and began swimming outside the flags.

People still get booked for speeding, not wearing seatbelts and drink driving. These rules are designed for our protection, but some people apparently don't want to be protected. Some people think that only they know what is best for them. "Don't tell me what to do, " they say. "Don't tell me what's best for me. I'll be the judge of that."

God's "rules" are for our protection and benefit but most of us think that we know better than God. Pride is a huge obstacle to salvation, and rebellion is seated deep in the hearts of us all.

Pride goes before a Fall

"I was all on my own in a situation that I'd no control over - I started praying...it became a chant as I repeated it over and over to show my sincerity."

In 1999, aged 17, Jesse Martin became the youngest person ever to sail around the world solo. His feat has recently been emulated by coincidentally named compatriot, Jessica Watson who completed the trip three days before her seventeenth birthday. The above quote comes from Jesse Martin's book, Lionheart, which tells the story of his amazing voyage.

When he was in the middle of a fierce storm in which he really believed he might die, Jesse asked God to save him. He later attributed his survival partly to luck, but mostly to the power of the human spirit - no thanks to God. More relevant and powerful to Jesse is the "spirit of adventure which lies in all of us...with faith that we as humans will be able to overcome any hurdles."

Jesse's religion is humanism which is a religion based on pride, and pride is the worst of all sins. Pride caused sin to enter the perfect world God had made. Pride says, 'I don't need God or anyone else, I can do it by myself.' Pride cannot admit fault or weakness. Pride is still destroying lives today, even as you read this.

It's insulting to God to cry out to him in times of trouble, then ignore Him and give yourself the credit when things turn out well.

(see my September 4, 2010 post for more on humanism.)