Balance: Good, Evil, Fury and Acceptance... Also, an Excellent Quote

As I mentioned earlier, the comments on this post are up to 140+ at the time of this writing.  One of the commenters, geekwitha45, said something that I really liked, here quoted in it's entirety:

The irrational belief that gunfire somehow carries with it its own extra moral dimension of evil independent of the evil of the actor wielding it always amazes me. I guess despite ipods, humans never really stray far from their demon haunted animistic world.


>>that you're quite simply far, far more likely to be shot in the US than in the UK

And in the UK, you're simply far, far more likely to be beaten senseless, and spend time in a coma ward than in the US.

And yet some folks in the UK has the gall to tell us that this somehow forms the basis to claim the moral high ground? Especially considering the context of institutionalized defenselessness?

There is no virtue to be found in helplessness.
There is no virtue to be found in granting evil any advantage whatsoever.

Providing a wide field of low risk soft targets legally, culturally and psychologically restrained from fighting back is one heck of an advantage to grant.

It seems to me that we are entirely right to hold in contempt both individuals and societies so enervated that they won't lift a finger to protect themselves.

I cannot help but feel sympathy for those who believe and act otherwise, who are trapped in that web of enfeeblement, and I cannot help but feel disgust for those who institute, enforce and perpetuate such an evil.

  THIS IS GOING TO BE MESSY, AND I MAY OR MAY NOT REACH ANY CONCLUSIONS.  BUT I NEEDED TO BABBLE.

This is something that I have been thinking about lately, and of course I go and complicate it by throwing some religion in too.  It is hard to find that place between standing against and fighting evil, and showing love to someone despite their beliefs.  As a Christian, I am called to "make disciples of all the nations," right?  Love and Kindness, eh?  But also, I am to never accept evil, and never to compromise with it.  I mean, my leader is described in Revelation 19 like this:

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. From His mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it He might strike the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

Not a dude who panders to the opposition.  And we "shall be like him."

But here is an issue.  What is evil?  You might have the classic image of villain with the black hat and mustache, or maybe some third-world dictator who eats babies for breakfast.  And while both of those may be true, evil is much more common in the world.  I think that C.H. Spurgeon approaches it very well in this sermon:

Whatever I may not be, one thing I know I am—a sinner, guilty, consciously guilty, and often miserable on account of that guilt. Well, then, the Scripture says, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners."

 And now we can get to my point, and it is roughly the same as Kevin's in the Constrained vs. Unconstrained post.  These people who call for the government to save us from the inconvenience of life don't see themselves as sinners--they're helping!--and are immediately going down the path of evil.  If instead you realize anything could go wrong and that you can't help it (also known as "Murphy was an optimist"),  you are cocked locked and ready to rock, physically, mentally, and morally. 

After all, scripture says in Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose."  It doesn't say "We know that all things will be good for those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose."