They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
~Lord of War (there is language on the quotes page)
I strive to be a good man, but I rarely act.
In fact, just this weekend I chatted with my best friend about a political hot topic: Abortion. Since I read blogs of all persuasions, I was giving him some of the reasons that I've read recently that come from "the other side."
After a while he looked at me and said, "Where are you coming from with all this? You state these opposing views but you never say where you stand. What are you getting at?"
I said, "The current arguments are getting us nowhere. It's the same with homosexuality and a bunch of other issues: People just aren't discussing this because they're calling each other names. I want to find a way where we can keep talking."
"That's the difference," he replied. "The other side is coming from such a different worldview/perspective that we can't talk. And that's not going to stop me from trying to get involved at a legislative level to get our nation going in the right direction."
That was sobering to me. And the point is well taken. But...
But these are my friends, people I care for, fellow bloggers who are really smart, good people... they merely look at the world from a completely different perspective. And while I firmly believe their perspective is flawed/wrong, they're not going to see it my way, especially if I keep using phrases that point out the "evils" of their way of thinking.
And even if I did speak up, does it help?
I read a post earlier today that demonized a popular Christian figure. I left a comment that I thought was well reasoned, backed with Scripture, and gave another view. I'm not sure how it will be received, and I doubt the comment will be published. And, ever since posting my response, I've wondered: Should I have just kept my mouth shut? Am I helping anyone (especially Sonlight) by challenging people to think through their ideas?
I write such responses because I want to be active on the blogosphere, but does it help people think through things better? Is it helpful?
Presuppositions. Pet ideas. Hidden agendas. Assumptions. All of these allow bad ideas to prevail, which then, in turn, allows evil to prevail.
Even if you can come up with rock-solid logic that cuts to the heart of the issue, the heart of the issue doesn't matter. Evil still prevails.
Much like religious discrimination in our nation.
May your family continue to strive to be good, have the wisdom to know when and how to act, and may we all rest in the grace given to us while evil continues to prevail. Because, yes, evil prevails, but it doesn't win.
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father
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