Life and Death, Good and Evil

Gustave Dore: Paradise Lost - Satan

A few days ago, while driving to the dealership to get some service done on my car, I hit the wrong button on the steering wheel and found myself listening to what I guess was a local preacher here in central Florida. I had hoped to select one of the satellite radio stations but obviously didn't. (This happens a lot. The radio in this new car is more complicated than all the combined systems of the first car I owned back in the 1960s.) But instead of trying again, I found myself captivated by this preacher's voice, until he said something that took me by surprise. This is what I heard, at least as near as I can recall:

The world is evil, brothers and sisters, every bit of it. Satan rules the world and God made the devil to tempt us, and He made the evil world to challenge us. But most people have failed the challenge. They have succumbed. Because just like the world, people are evil, through and through. Evil is a part of our very human nature. And we can't overcome it, not without God's help. The only way to salvation is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Once you do that, Jesus becomes your shield and protects you from all the evil of the world. And those who don't accept Jesus will spend eternity in the fires of hell.  Salvation is as simple as that.

Wow! Now this was certainly a simple although rather grim solution to the issues of life and death and salvation. I didn't listen to any more but simply changed the station. I know neither the preacher's name nor his denomination, and the above isn't a word-for-word transcript -- my aging memory isn't that good -- but I believe it's pretty accurate and certainly captures the intent and meaning of what he had to say. I also know that his beliefs are certainly not held by the vast majority of Christian denominations with which I am familiar. And yet I couldn't help but wonder how many people believe what this preacher apparently believes.

Afterwards, as I made my way through traffic listening to some Vivaldi, I thought about what I had heard and considered how most errant thought usually contains some snippets of truth, but buried in a mound of false teachings. My next thought was how joyless such a distorted version of Christianity must be. How could someone who holds such beliefs ever be moved by a Beethoven symphony, or a Bach fugue or prelude, or a good, down-home country-western song? How could one appreciate the artistry of Michelangelo, or Monet, or even Picasso or Dali? How could he take in and appreciate the beauty of a tropical sunset, or the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, or the incredible vastness of the universe? How could such a person enjoy even life's simple things, like a good  home-cooked meal? What kind of life must it be for someone who sees the world and everything in it as evil?

Of course, such false teachings have been around a long time. They appeared as a form of gnosticism early in the Church's history and actually made serious inroads among Christians. Because of that problem with Jesus taking on our human nature, gnostics followed their logic and ended up rejecting His divinity, or the Incarnation, or His humanity, or all three. Some gnostics believed that the God of the Old Testament, the God of the Jews, was not the same as the God of Jesus Christ. This Old Testament God, they believed, was an evil God, the creator of matter. As you can see, such beliefs are in sharp contrast with those taught by the Church. In fact, John the Apostle quite likely wrote his first letter to counter these beliefs in the early Church. And as our preacher proved, gnosticism in some form is still around today.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: A Guide to Truth

This is why I find it so comforting to be a believing and practicing Catholic. Jesus promised He would be with His Church until the "end of the age" [Mt 28:20] just as He promised the Holy Spirit would guide the Church "to all truth" [Jn 16:12]. And guided by that Spirit, the Church, for 2,000 years, has been constant and consistent in its teachings on faith and morals. And so through its teaching authority it provides the faithful with the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit. This doesn't mean that all of us in the Church aren't sinners, for indeed we are. We can and do commit sin. Like St. Peter, we can even deny the Lord, and like St. Peter we, too, can repent and go on to live a life of courage and humility in complete obedience to the will of the Father. But despite the sinfulness of its members, the Church itself, the Bride of Christ, remains as the bulwark of truth, or as St. Paul described it, "the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" [1 Tim 3:15].

For example, the Church has always taught that God does not create evil. Indeed, this is the one thing that God cannot do, because God is goodness itself and evil cannot come from good. Doing so would be contrary to God's nature. Remember, even Satan and his fellow demons were once angels, spiritual creatures created for good. Created with an intellect and a will, they could know and they could choose. God didn't make them turn to evil; this was a decision made by each of them.

The Church has also always taught that material creation itself is certainly not evil. Indeed, in Genesis we are constantly reminded how God looked upon His creation "and saw how good is was" [Gn 1]. We are called to use the things of this world in good ways, in ways that do not promote evil, in ways that do not create obstacles to our salvation or the salvation of others. And just like the fallen angels, men and women can choose evil. Evil isn't some "thing" in the world that attacks us and turns us from God. No evil is something you and I can choose instead of the good. How did Jesus put it?

"But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile" [Mk 7:20-23].

This doesn't mean that our nature is inherently evil; it simply means that our intellect and will enable us to know and to choose, and that the choices we make are ours. And so the Church has always defended the goodness of our human nature. For how could it be inherently evil if God Himself -- He who is all goodness -- created us in His image: "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them" [Gn 1:27]? And would the Son, the eternal and creative Word of God, become like one of us and take on our human nature if our nature was evil?

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam - Sistine Chapel ceiling - Rome

Yes, God's creation  is good. Although every day we spend in it presents us with risks, God also promises that the end will be greater than anything we can imagine: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him" [1 Cor 2:9]. 

We should rejoice in it and be glad.

Pax et bonum...

"The Family" -- 21st Century Gnostics

The recent troubles that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has brought on himself have also given us a glimpse into the religious group to which the beleaguered governor belongs. This organization, which goes by a variety of names, is most often known as The Family and includes among its membership quite a few prominent politicians, including Governor Sanford. Often labeled a Christian, fundamentalist group with conservative political leanings, it's really something quite different. When one takes even a superficial look at the "theology" of the group it's evident that the New Testament isn't its primary source. Indeed, their beliefs are far from Christian and are really just a modern version of first century gnosticism.

According to Jeff Sharlet, who has written an expose-type book on The Family, they preach "a sort of trickle-down fundamentalism," believing that the wealthy and powerful, once they "get their hearts right with God...will dispense blessings to those underneath them." They believe that the elite win power by the will of God, who then uses them for his purposes. The Family's mission is to help the powerful understand their role in God's plan.

This idea that an elite, a privileged few in the know, have a direct connection with God is pretty much what the early gnostics believed. That 2,000 year-old predecessor to The Family blended those elements of Christianity that were acceptable to them with elements of some of the Eastern mystery religions so popular in the Roman Empire at the time. Gnosticism was a heresy then and it remains a heresy today.

The Family is certainly not Christian, since Jesus' teachings, except in the most distorted way, are conspicuously absent from its teachings. It is hardly conservative, at least in any traditional sense, because it places so little value on the individual citizen, focusing instead on a powerful elite. And I think most objective observers would agree that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is not a conservative. And yet, in speaking of The Family's current leader, Doug Coe, Secretary Clinton called him "a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God." Ms. Clinton wasn't just being polite for she is reportedly active in Bible-study and prayer groups conducted under The Family's auspices.

Such gnostic-based religious groups, and The Family is no exception, tend to be founded by those convinced of their own genius, certain that they, and they alone, receive privileged communications straight from God. They appeal to those with wealth and power, promising more of the same. Or they target those seeking wealth and power, promising their attainment. There's an evident arrogance to all this, an arrogance which I suspect "trickles down" and contaminates the members of The Family. It's the same kind of arrogance we have heard from Governor Sanford since he was caught, at least figuratively, with his pants down.

What I find especially interesting is that so little has changed in 2,000 years. We still try to create gods in our image, gods who will approve of and encourage our all too human failings. Ah, well, perhaps the governor will cast aside his arrogance, turn back to the One God and repent. Perhaps he will realize that The Family's false teachings lead only to a conceit unworthy of a child of God. Sadly, however, out of habit he will probably turn to The Family for counsel and guidance.

Pray for him, and for all who fall under the sway of the false teachers Jesus warned us about.

God's peace...