Evil People Believe They Do the Right Thing

March 7, 2009

Today's Reading: Numbers 15-16 and Acts 19

In the movies, the villains are always the ones who do evil for evil’s sake. It’s always funny to see James Bond villains have these huge master plans to conquer the world of commerce, when the villain could just invest their money wisely and get the same amount of financial gain.

Yes, we would like to believe that all people who do evil do it because they are looking for some sort of thrill. I suppose that it is our duty as Christians to deny them that thrill so they can see the wonders of heaven.

The truth is, a lot of people who do evil think they are doing it for the right reason. I’m sure that Hitler probably thought he was doing the world a favor when he sent Jews to the concentration camps. I’m certain the Khmer Rouge thought similar things with their genocide. The various mass slaughters in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur are probably based on someone who is probably under the belief the he is down the right thing.

This was most certain the point of view of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. I’m sure they probably thought Moses was a real tyrant, and they had to dispose of him or he would lead the people to their doom. I can’t help but wonder what side I would have been on if I had been there.

Would I have gone with the three and ended up swallowed up by the Earth? Would I have weighed all options before taking a side, or would I have gone with whatever crowd is convenient for me.

I think all of us believe that we are doing the right thing, even if we are not certain that we are. Sometimes the consequences are a little more than we would want to face.

Take the Jews as they were trying to exorcise a demon out of someone. The seven sons of Sceva apparently decided to give the Christian method a try, but it is clear their heart was not in it. I’m sure they probably thought they were doing the right thing, but they ended up running away, naked and bleeding. You know, I really don’t want to know how one evil spirit could get seven naked and bleeding, and that is one scene that I would probably speed through during the movie version.

So how do we know we are doing the right thing? We don’t. The issue is what happens after we do the “right” thing.