Us and Them
Which nation on earth today acts like Babylon of old?
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With such violence Babylon the great city will be thrown down, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and minstrels and of flutists and trumpeters will be heard in you no more; and an artisan of any trade will be found in you no more; and the sound of the millstone will be heard in you no more; and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more; and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more; for your merchants were the magnates of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth.” - Revelation to John 18:21-24
To our enemies, it is us, while to us, it is them.
I wonder sometimes what the world would be like if we had no record of these stories in The Bible.
Jesus pointed this out in a way when he criticized the Pharisees and Scribes for using the law to benefit themselves and not help the widows and orphans.
The Bible can be used as a weapon as well as a crutch. We can claim we are being holy and do horrible things, so long as the one we are doing them to is evil and corrupt.
We become God when we use God's judgment for our own gain.
Would we do that so often if we had no record of God's interaction with humanity? I wonder.
The battle of good versus evil was described in stories long before the words of The Bible were shared orally, so maybe it is not The Bible that is the problem, but us.
We need a good fight. It makes us whole, justifying our existence, giving us purpose.
What is the point of life if we have no one to fight, no one to defeat? We need to show the world we are the righteous ones, the better ones, and not our brother's keeper.
The challenge we face is not whether we can retaliate against the onslaught of evil. It is whether we can stop the escalation of violence without letting evil win.
Jesus said we should outwit our enemy by turning the other cheek, but what if that opens up our neck to the sword?
The battle of good versus evil is the ultimate game. We thrive on it. And the only way it ends is if both sides stop playing.
What are the chances of that?
More to come...