“The Good I Do…”

I make no claim to being Christian, although, unlike many people who claim to be Christian, I have read the Bible cover to cover more than once. It contains history, poetry, mythological stories, and in some instances simple, yet profound, advice on how to be a decent person and live a kind and compassionate life. The Beatitudes alone could serve as a guide for successful living in almost any society and among any race of people.

For example, in the Bible, the Apostle Paul was a fascinating character who wrote several letters to the early Christian congregations offering solid advice that still benefits us if we adhere to his words. One admonition comes to my mind in the chaos of our current American environment. He said, “All things lawful are not necessarily advantageous.” I’m paraphrasing 1st Corinthians 6:12 here. What he meant was there are things we can do legally that may not break any rules, but we don’t gain anything by doing them. In some cases, we may even be injured by doing them. This is simple advice for individuals. It’s legal to sit at home and get drunk every day if we want to. But what happens eventually when we do. We end up an alcoholic with severe health problems and, if we continue, we murder ourselves without breaking the law. This is one common example. I’m sure most of us can think of a dozen more.

Why is this the case? Shouldn’t the laws of any collective society help us create a safe and healthy way of life for all? This is the point that I want to explore that goes beyond Paul’s narrow scope for individual Christians. The reason laws that govern us don’t always benefit us as a whole is because laws are made and obeying them forced by humans through an exercise of a power we call government. In a democracy, every citizen regardless of wealth or status is subject to laws made by a small number of the population chosen freely with a mechanism called voting. Each citizen gets to cast one vote. The idea lies in the theory that these elected officials make rules that best benefit everyone. If you passed the fifth grade in school, you know this already. So, the theory sounds great. Why isn’t it working in America currently?

Because humans are flawed. In the end, our representatives will tend to make laws that are often self-serving or see that those which do serve their interests get enforced while other laws either don’t get made at all or existing ones get ignored. Consequently, we have ended up with a society that favors some and is disadvantageous, even damaging, to others. One of the reasons for this comes from the fact that legality is a separate issue from morality. The intent from our “Founding Fathers” when creating the Constitution allowed for a positive separation of religion and government. It generates an atmosphere of freedom from the oppressive mores of one religion over other religions, which are all a matter of differing personal faiths rather than collective harmony. It must be this way for individuals to maintain the freedom to worship the way they want. We have a whole set of laws that guarantee this in order for us to even say we live in a free country. That was their intent. But I’m back to the idea of the human condition being flawed. The breakdown of any system based on the rule of law begins for me with another observation from the Apostle Paul. Romans 7:19 “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

The flaws in our character can cause us to make decisions that do us and others harm. We can  benefit from decisions that may cause others irreparable injury as well. I’m not qualified, and I have no desire to enter into a discussion of the plethora of psychological and sociological theorems that explain how this happens. It’s enough for my purposes to admit that it does happen, and if you are sentient and live in the United States, you observe it happening on a daily basis now that Donald Trump has been elected president again. Think of what Jesus says in the seventh chapter of Matthew: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (i.e. deeds).

Who benefits by the deportation of brown-skinned people? Who benefits by eliminating DEI programs and USAID and the Department of Education? Who makes a profit if we demand ownership of the Panama Canal, annex Greenland, or invade Mexico? Who wins if we cut off Ukrainian support? Why investigate the January 6 committee or pardon all those convicted by a jury of their peers for insurrection?

Almost 70% of America claims to be Christian and claims to adhere to one of the foundation principles of Jesus at Matthew 7:12, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Yet, the LA Times recently posited these questions regarding the Trump government’s current activities:

“So what explains the reason why people of great wealth and power seek to inflict pain and suffering on so many throughout the world? Why deprive them of badly needed food and medicine? Why blame immigrants and those whose sexuality or gender do not conform to outdated norms for problems in our society that they did not cause? Why make citizens pay more for lifesaving drugs that they can barely afford?”

There is no argument from me that democracy in America—the bureaucracy that implements it, especially—can be improved. But being destroyed and being improved is not the same thing. Recreated to benefit our wealthiest white citizens is not the same thing. If you think that voting and supporting our current political leaders makes you a good citizen and a Christian, you haven’t read or at least tried to understand the message of Jesus Christ. It is profound, but not complicated. Oh, and by the way, while we are considering language, maybe try to familiarize yourself with the word Hypocrite.