DEACON 11: The Good and the Bad

DEACON 11
The Good and the Bad

I understood he was about to talk about good and evil and as I approached I wondered what on earth he would say…

Then he began:

“Some of the ideas related to the concepts of good and bad have been altered in these days. We used to think of good and bad in terms of absolutes, and that is what’s been altered. Now we are to believe that there are no absolutes that it all comes down to the consequences of the act. And that may or may not be true. For me, I do not accept it as truth. There is an organic difference between good and bad. And when it comes to people, being either good or bad, there is a very clear and distinct difference.

«No one can deny that there are good people and there are bad people. I do not know how they got that way. The mind of humans is a mystery and the origins of the mind is even more mysterious. And what goes on inside the mind, thoughts, impulses, instincts etcetera, that no one but God knows. I don’t care what psychologists or neurologists say. The truth, and truth is also an absolute, is that no one knows what goes on inside a person’s mind. So why there are bad people, or why some become bad at some point in their life, is a great unknown.

«However, are we equal? Well… equality is not a natural occurrence. Everything is nature has a purpose and a function and everything was made perfect for their assigned purpose and function but not necessarily equal to any other thing. Human beings are the same. We are not descendents from animals nor are we evolved creatures. We are created by God in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27) and with a spirit that enables us to transcend the gap between the profane and the sacred. That is not possible for evolved animals or plants. So equality was not a part of the scheme of the Creator. For each their abilities in accordance to their function.

«Yet, harmony is important in life and in society we must all be equal under the law. And that very important quest, to make us equal, under the law, is a job for the government. In society we cannot tolerate differences based upon sex, gender, race or colour. The job of good government is to iron out our differences and allow us all to work and live as equal members of society. But what of the bad people? What of the anti-social ones that wish to disrupt the peace of our communities? Punishment? Being equal under the law is not a moral equaliser.

«Punishment is important. We cannot tolerate criminal or anti-social behaviour that is violent or in any way damaging to others. But the job of punishing criminals, that commit delinquent acts, is the job of the government as well. Governments must strive to maintain a balance between our Human Rights and their duty to sanction delinquents. It is not our function to judge or to punish. It is the job of our judges and our free and democratic judicial systems.

«We are taught that God lets it rain upon the just and the unjust and lets the sun shine on the good and on the evil, (St. Matthew 5:45). Therefore our commandment is to love (St. John 13:34-35). Jesus said we must love our enemies as well as our friends (St. Matthew 5:43-48) and to pray for those who hurt us (St, Luke 6:27-28). Can we do that? Have we ascended to the point where we can forgive and turn the other cheek? (St. Matthew 5:38-48).

«In closing I want to leave you with the knowledge that there is absolute good and absolute bad in this world. We are judged at the end by the one who can take our soul. We are taught along the way what is the righteous path, but we have free will. We are all children of God, and to some He has given the right to call themselves sons of God (St.John 1:12). And we, who are good, are not equal to those who are bad. Yet, it is not up to us to change anything, the wheat must grow alongside the weeds. (St, Matthew 13:30).»

May God bless…