"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"
Chesterton once said that original sin is the one Christian doctrine that is scientifically verifiable, that is, that the evidence of sin in the race of man is observable always, at all times, and everywhere. Nowhere was this more evident than in London this day. Too often Christians think that horrific sin is beyond their ken--we are, after all, nice people! A few flaws, after all (venial sins?), but deep down--not evil the way those terrorists are. Are we? To which we must respond: there, but for the grace of God, go I.
Terrorists are in the grip of an ideology, to be sure. So were the Nazis; so were the Soviets. But does ideology cause men to sin? Or does it merely give them an excuse? And if the latter, what does this say about us? Perhaps that we are restrained from evil only by our circumstances, which are often largely outside our control.
(AP Photo)
posted by Bill R @ 8:43 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
How very true. I love Chesterton. Agatha Christie was also of the same mindset.
What a shame about the attacks in London. The only thing we have to be grateful for is that the death toll was so much lower than it could have been.
Dear MOG:
Thank you for a wonderful blogspot!
I, too am a Chesterton fan. I especially like his response to a question posed to him asking what he thought was the main problem with the Catholic Church, to which he replied, "I am."
The evidence of original sin is super-abundant, no doubt. So also is sin in general. I think ideologies can certainly inspire us to sin, since they can materially contain sinful concepts and even heretical ideas totally rejected by Church teachings. They are also a litmus test of our sinful natures. So my suggestion to the answer to your questions are both.
The problem posed by terrorism is how do we do battle with it? If anything, I see Islamic terror as a providential development and challenge to Christendom made flacid by moral relativism. It will require politically incorrect responses by brave souls who are willing to call Islam a heresy, and not a religion, and battle with it as a heresy. And second, they must work to change mankind's insipid response to Islam from milque-toast acceptance to violent rejection. There is no room in a world for a violently intolerant religion. And, third, do the military thing in the cause of justice.
UL,
No doubt you're right, but I for one don't need any inspiration to sin. I seem to find enough inspiration in my own heart!
As to what to do about terrorists, I also agree with you. I'd add that we Christians need see militant Islam primarily as a spiritual issue. It's not new: it's been around since the 7th century. Hilaire Belloc called it a "Christian heresy," and while that sounds odd at first, I really think he was on to something. Some heretics, such as the Donatists, were exceedingly violent toward all who disagreed with them. I think it's even possible that the Donatists were the "spiritual ancestors" of the early Arab Muslims.
Post a Comment
<< Home