Thursday, November 17, 2011

Good and Evil; Everyone's Fundamental Choice

The problem of Good is as real as the problem of Evil. The first extant document we have of the early church is "The Didache" or "The Teachings". In it is the notion that the pathway to Death and the pathway to Life are always before us. This is true at every level of life it seems to me, personal social and historical. To be sure, large institutions like Nations and Churches have merits. But they also have stains that blot out any hope of seeing redemptive value in what they are. But there is this thought. If we say we believe in Democracy, then of necessity we must have politicians and government. If we say we believe in Justice, it follows then, that lawyers and courts become an inevitable necessity. And if we say we believe in God, then clergy and churches become yet another inevitability. Seen from this view, there is plenty of sin to go around. But there is also beaucoup redemption. The fundamental question for us is which will we choose; the pathway that leads to life or the pathway that leads to death. A ponderous question for each of us to ponder because I believe God is calling each of us to step up to the plate. Apathy only guarantees that someone worse than ourselves will take power.

2 comments:

amesababe said...

I am very much alive. One piece of information that really needs to be publicly broadcasted is that the us government does not honor its treaties with the native american people. You should educate yourself about The six nation confederacy and help me to publicize just how shitty the us government is. check out Ganondagan, friends of ganondagan,

"Fr. Paul" Bresnahan said...

Thank you for the feedback. I've been invited to provide a bit more advocacy for disabled folks too recently. What is abundantly clear is this...the failure of the Constitution is that the powerful and the rich are running roughshod over minority peoples of all sorts. I did do some research on the Six Nation Confederacy. The Dean of my seminary and several of my parishioners have been among Native/First Americans. I need much more education. But this I know, the Oligarchs are seeking to leave us all in the dust, and we must rise up to block those efforts.