I think I don't appreciate evil's evilness enough

[Mr. Bultitude]

I've been reading the Psalms lately, and I see laments about evildoers over and over (and I'm only on Psalm 10!). "How many are my foes!" ""Strike all my enemies on the jaw!" "Break the teeth of the wicked!" and on and on. I've been realizing that, though I "know" what evil is, it always seems removed. It seems "other." I think I don't even appreciate my own depths, much less that of the world. I can't help but think that it has a lot to do with the culture I'm in. Our cultural narrative is one of upward progress: this century is better than the last, which was better than the previous - which ignores the wars and genocides that are happening right now. But when those things are talked about, they're excused as being in a "backward" part of the world, one that hasn't "caught up" to the progress the rest of the world has experienced. That, of course, ignores the things that are happening in our part of the world: murder, rape, abduction, human trafficking... But our culture's remedies for these problems is medication and isolation. Medication, through legal or illegal drugs. Isolation, by shielding ourselves from the outside world; we come home, drive into the garage, and shut the portcullis (garage door). Our rock, our fortress, is not God, but our houses, with its fences and security systems and electronics that drown out the outside world.

That may have been a tangent. But my point is that in this culture, where we plaster over things that are unpleasant in order to keep the narrative of upward progress alive, we can forget what evil is. I attend a university right now where every week we get "timely warning" emails about this or that mugging or robbery or burglary that happened on or near campus (and a couple weeks ago one of our football players was murdered). Yet it still all seems foreign to me. David's pleas to God to "break the arm of the wicked and evil man" seem foreign to me. I want to know how to gain more appreciation for the depths of wickedness near me. I want to gain the same passion he has for restoring the world's brokenness.

A couple half-formed ideas I have are to do police ride-alongs and to get involved in prison ministry, so that I can see unpapered-over evil firsthand. Do you have other ideas?

 

[Jack K]

I think you have some good observations there. I've seen many attempts to defend Bible passages about God's destruction of evil people by attempting to put the evil in context and show that it was unusually bad. Perhaps what we need instead is a better sense that all evil, even the "not-so-bad" sort, is horrendous in the eyes of God and his children. A bigger view of God's holiness would serve us well when it comes to hating what is evil, or even noticing it.

 

[Hamalas]

This would be worth reading along these lines: The Evil of Evils: The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin (Puritan Writings): Jeremiah Burroughs: 9781877611483: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Timobe]

Thanks you for your frank and vivid thought. In my opinion, the "passion for restoring the world's brokenness" and gain a compassion that imply the hate of the evil begin by considering the love that God have for that football man that was murdered near you ; but, of course, it sometimes just doesn't help. But pray for that, be frank toward God ; he can give you that "level" of compassion for which you are looking for. And, you can do (and that remain the best way to gain a real compassion that will make you hate the evil) campaign of evangelization with your church, enrol in a humanistic association (even in a non-Christian association) centered on the helping of the poor people, people touched by drugs,... I can ensure you that the christians that works with people touched by drugs have a powerful hate of the drugs, of the evil created by it, of the sin and his damages.

 

[Peairtach]

Just take a look at your own heart and life, and at your baptism. Sin is moral filth, and not only sins against the seventh commandment, but against all the commandments. Sin is enmity and hatred towards our Holy and good God.

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[Free Christian]

Hi David. Years ago in my late 20's to mid 30's I did a fair bit of security work. One job was being a foreshore Ranger where we patrolled the beach front holiday areas I lived in. Sometimes on foot and sometimes in a 4wd. Thousands of people would flock there in the summer months. Our job was to keep the peace at night. Watching and seeing people do the things they did wore me out. For me that is, I don't know that the things I experienced gave me any great insight other than knowing how bad people can really be to one another. I don't feel it enriched me in any way. I did find out doing it though that what people see and hear in the news is only a fraction of what really goes on. One New Years Eve there was people smashed in the faces with bottles, a rape, some-one base ball batted, fights and who knows what else went on in just the area we worked that we did not see or hear about. On the news the police praised everyone for "a trouble free New Years Eve celebration". Gotta feel sympathy for the Police with what they go through each day and night though. Sometimes I wish Id never done it though to be honest.

 

[Peairtach]

Remember that the evil of the wickedest men that is reported on the news is shared by you for the nature of it. It is just by God's grace that you haven't run to the extent in it that they have.

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