Lies
Posted by: tony on 09/19/2007 11:12 PM
Updated by: tony on 09/19/2007 11:12 PM
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Expires: 10/20/2007 12:00 AM
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Jennifer at Et Tu? again writes up an interesting theological article. She explains the "father of lies" title given to Satan:
We all have a strong, mysterious need to insist that we're "good people"...yet we all have an equally strong, equally mysterious tendency to do things that are not at all good. It was when I took a step back to see what happens when those two forces combine that I realized where Satan gets his nickname. Our innate repulsion at the thought of doing something evil means that there's only one way that actual evil can flourish: through lies.
Yes we do. This is why true conversion requires that we are honest with ourselves. That's why examination of conscience is so critical to a good confession.We all have a strong, mysterious need to insist that we're "good people"...yet we all have an equally strong, equally mysterious tendency to do things that are not at all good. It was when I took a step back to see what happens when those two forces combine that I realized where Satan gets his nickname. Our innate repulsion at the thought of doing something evil means that there's only one way that actual evil can flourish: through lies.
Rapists tell themselves that the women wanted or deserved it; shoplifters tell themselves that they need the stolen merchandise, or that the big company won't miss it anyway; when a wanted child is born very prematurely it's a precious "baby", when an unwanted child is killed at the same gestational age it's "just a fetus"; in an example I just came across today, the animal cloning process creates "a whole new genetically identical embryo", whereas the human cloning process creates the less personal-sounding "stem cells".
Once I came to this realization I saw examples everywhere -- most of all in myself. I didn't let the house get trashed because I was being slothful and selfish, it was because I "didn't have time" to clean up. When talking about a person with whom I was irritated I wasn't gossiping and being uncharitable and hypocritical, I simply wanted to alert my husband to the situation and this person's character defects so that he could keep her in his prayers. When I slept in on Sundays instead of going to church I wasn't being lazy or disrespecting God, I was just choosing to keep the Sabbath holy in a different way -- and, besides, I wasn't officially a Christian yet anyway so it probably wasn't even required of me.
Another thing I've discovered is that Satan twists the truth just a little. He doesn't tell "whoppers", because nobody would believe him. He whispers little things like: "That tabernacle in the front is distracting during Mass. Why don't you give it a place of honor in a side chapel?", or maybe: "You don't need to kneel before your Lord anymore because you're a 'resurrection people'", or: "That priest isn't anything special. You're all members of 'a royal priesthood'".
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