In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” Lucifer proclaims, “Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.” Lucifer willingly chose Hell over Heaven. And I’m certain he felt justified in doing so.
Recently, we have experienced yet another senseless tragedy, yet another monstrous act of violence, yet another horrific slaughter of innocents. Such villainy is all too common today. Across the globe, evil men (and women) somehow find justification for evil.
And in the wake of this latest horrific act, many—too many—will attempt to seize on the tragedy, to cash in on the grief to promote their own selfish agenda, to justify their own evil.
The vultures are circling yet again, salivating over the prospect of feeding on the dead.
Details are emerging about the shooter’s terrible homelife, about the bullying he endured at the hands of others. He was a victim certainly. But somehow, in his mind, he twisted all this into a justification for murder. He justified himself killing innocent children.
I will not name him. I will not give him, even posthumously, any notoriety. At the very least, he deserves ignominy.
He is dead now and has gone to the justice of God.
He was slain by a courageous Border Patrol agent, while local law enforcement waited more than 40 minutes without acting.
May God bless the hero who risked his own life to prevent more slaughter. I wish I knew his name, because HE deserves to be named. (The gunman’s bullet ripped through the hero’s hat. That’s how close he came to sacrificing his own life.)
Shame on those who will use this monstrous act for their own ends, never letting “a good crisis go to waste.” They say, “But I’m just trying to make the world a better place!”
To which I say, “Seriously?” You think you are the heroes here? You’re ghouls, feasting on the corpses of murdered children.
Rather than exploit this tragedy or simply wallow in the horror of it, let us examine our own hearts. I certainly am. May we turn to God. May we beg His Son to heal the wounds in our own souls before we justify evil or exploit evil for own ends or give in to grief.
Hatred, no matter how justified it might feel, will never make us happy. Hatred and love cannot co-exist in our hearts. Let us choose love over hatred.
Revenge, no matter how justified it might feel, will never make us happy. Revenge is not justice. The ancient Nephite prophet, Mormon, witnessed the complete destruction of his own people, slaughtered in the name of revenge and hatred. I’m certain the Lamanites felt justified in genocide. Mormon said, “Behold what the scripture says—man shall not smite, neither shall he judge; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.” (Mormon 8:20)
Self-righteousness will never make us happy. It only makes us feel (falsely) superior. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
Being a victim for the rest of our lives will never make us happy. Victimhood is its own self-perpetuating hell. Let us choose Heaven over Hell.
Having been a victim never justifies bullying, no matter who the target is. Bullies target those who cannot fight back or defend themselves. Bullies often cut their victims off from any hope of succor. Yet, too often, we cheer the bully on or stand aside and let the bully act with impunity. (Because, after all, the bully was once a victim, right?) Bullying is cowardly. Having experienced evil at the hands of others will never justify committing evil ourselves.
Evil never justifies evil. No matter how righteous we may feel in exacting our revenge, we are never justified in hurting innocents.
“Okay,” we say, “but I’m not going out and shooting children. All I’m doing is <insert-petty-evil-here>. What I’m doing is righteous, even if I am committing some petty evil. God will justify me in committing sin in the name of good. Surely, the object of my hatred deserves what they get. And if there are innocents who suffer as collateral damage, oh, well. After all, I’m the righteous one!”
But God says, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20)
The answer is—and always has been—love. In other words, the answer—is and always has been—Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the One who atoned for our sins and failings (and we all have them), the One who will judge us all in the end.
When faced with a choice between love and hate, Heaven and Hell, why would we willingly choose Hell?
Like this:
Like Loading...