Disarming Evil

Isn't the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. - Isaiah 58:6-8a

Recently a young man, bound in chains of sin and blinded by bitter lonely tears, opened fire and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech. While the VT incident was tragic and should not be minimized, I am alarmed by those who are making snap judgments as to whom or what is responsible. There is a tendency to do this when calamities occur because such crimes are so horrifying that the mind seeks a quick and simple resolution. We must be careful to jump to the right conclusions. As terrible as the VT massacre was, it is only a small taste of evil’s full capabilities.

In Chad, hundreds of thousands of people have died, largely of machete wounds.

Thousands died a few years ago when two planes crashed, hijacked by men with box cutters.

Thousands die every year from bombs fabricated largely out of fertilizers.

There have been calls by some to ban the weapon used in the VT massacre. Yet, to think that we will be able to disable evil from committing these kinds of terrible crimes by removing a particular weapon is dangerously naïve. While we would be patting ourselves on the back for eliminating a threat, evil would simply be looking for another expedient weapon.

Unfortunately, this simplistic thinking is gaining ground among America’s Christians. We throw money at problems, assuaging our ill-conceived guilt over where we happened to be born, without truly effecting changes because we deal with symptoms rather than offer cures.

Evil is cunning. Evil is maliciously intelligent. Evil people love what they do. They are passionate about their sin. They are driven by greed, self-entitlement or rage to hurry toward their crimes. They cannot sleep until they have done their evil deed for the day. They cannot rest unless they have caused someone to stumble. They eat wickedness and drink violence.[1]

The only true cure for evil is active, potent, in-your-face goodness.[2] The world needs to be introduced to hope.[3] They need to know that they can have a right relationship with the Father by bowing their knee to their rightful King.[4]

They need to see the tzaddikim steadily working for justice[5] – each taking one other person by the hand and teaching them the Way. Justice won’t come easily. Some people will never yield to righteousness, just as they refuse the sovereignty of Melek Kabowd.[6] As in any struggle, we will lose a few good people, yet we must continue until the King returns and establishes final justice.[7]

[1] Proverbs 1:10-16; 4:14-17
[2] Romans 12:21
[3] Matthew 28:19-20
[4] Matthew 11:27; 28:18; John 5:22, 27; Acts 28:18
[5] Proverbs 28:5
[6] Psalm 24:7
[7] Revelation 2:27; 19:15