Yesterday we went and saw Spiderman-3. T’was a lot of fun. But being a comic freak, one can’t help grumbling a bit about the deviation from the “Ultimate Spiderman” series (the movie was based more on the original version of 1960’s) – According to my huge collection of Marvel and DC comics, Venom was created in a lab by Peter Parker’s dad, Gwen Stacy was more of a street-smart rebel, Sandman was never involved in the murder of Ben Parker etc etc. But hey, I will survive.
With great power come great responsibilities.
Immortal words by Ben Parker. Clichéd and hackneyed, but at the same time deep and insightful. I think there is a great lesson to be learnt from Spiderman. SRS, take note.
Nobody appreciates people who abuse their power, especially if that power is an outcome of a self-proclaimed autocratic societal diktat. Vigilantism, as mentioned in my previous post, is a result of the failure or incompetency of the law and order system. However, there is a big difference between the SRS and the likes of Spiderman, Superman, Batman etc. The method of operation (or should I say execution) of some of the SRS members is more similar to the likes of vigilantes like The Punisher, or when Spiderman wears the Venom suit, or when Superman puts on that red Kryptonite ring…
I appreciate all that the SRS has done for Mizoram when it comes to destroying Proxyvon tablets and other illicit intoxicants. Seriously, that is a truly noble deed.
But… the proverbial but…
That does not mean one can take the law into their hands and play God. Especially when we proudly claim Mizoram to be a Christian State (unconstitutional as that may sound). How Christian is it, when we have blood in our hands, or when the people elected to lead turn a blind eye to such actions?
Leading an unchristian life is unfortunate. But leading an unchristian life because of misinterpreting the teachings of the Bible is tragic. The latter is filled with zealous fervor, fanatically believing that he is fulfilling God’s wishes when in fact all he’s doing is hurting Him.
Rev. Mel White, cofounder of Soulforce, stated: “Historically, people's misinterpretation of the Bible has left a trail of suffering, bloodshed, and death”.
John MacArthur in his article entitled “Interpretation” at Bible Bulletin Board stated:
Justification of the notorious Witch hunt in Europe and early American colonies where women were burnt alive at random under false heresy accusations, justification of anti-miscegenation where white supremacists (KKK etc) claim that it is the Lord’s intention to separate different races and prevent them from inter-breeding, justification of “The curse of Ham” that encourages African slavery in America etc.
So the question is, if such a behavior in Mizoram is unchristian, then what kind of a Christian leadership should one expect? The answer, quoting from GotQuestions is:
It is quite obvious none of the role models of past Christian leaders mentioned above are the ones who go around beating up people fatally in order to cleanse the Christian society. Forming an association to prevent the entry of drugs and alcohol into Mizoram is indeed a good Christian gesture. I truly applaud the SRS for such a valiant effort. *Clap clap clap* But is violence really necessary????
Seriously, if one thinks that violence is essential in order to prevent the perpetuator from committing that crime again, then that person is dwelling in a delusional World. Because if the person’s sole source of income depends purely on drugs trafficking or illicit breweries, trust me, he will keep on committing the crime over and over again until he is caught once more. The only solution to that is imprisonment. That is what Jails are for.
And if there is something wrong with the Jails or people officially assigned to keep such people in prison, then there is something seriously wrong with the Leaders elected by the people. Is it nothing but pure hypocrisy if such a Leader elected by the people stand in front of the Church preaching the good word of the Lord and yet ignoring his duties here on Earth? How can such a Leader even consider himself to be a man of God when he knows very well that the neglect of his responsibility is having such a serious consequence among the masses? How divine is that?
As a Christian majority State, the quality of our Leaders must be devotional. But as long as we claim to be Christians and yet end up ignoring our duties or misinterpreting the passages from the Bible in order to justify our own personal whims, I might as well stick to comparing such leadership in Mizoram to comic characters as mentioned in the beginning. After all, both are fictional.
With great power come great responsibilities.
Immortal words by Ben Parker. Clichéd and hackneyed, but at the same time deep and insightful. I think there is a great lesson to be learnt from Spiderman. SRS, take note.
Nobody appreciates people who abuse their power, especially if that power is an outcome of a self-proclaimed autocratic societal diktat. Vigilantism, as mentioned in my previous post, is a result of the failure or incompetency of the law and order system. However, there is a big difference between the SRS and the likes of Spiderman, Superman, Batman etc. The method of operation (or should I say execution) of some of the SRS members is more similar to the likes of vigilantes like The Punisher, or when Spiderman wears the Venom suit, or when Superman puts on that red Kryptonite ring…
I appreciate all that the SRS has done for Mizoram when it comes to destroying Proxyvon tablets and other illicit intoxicants. Seriously, that is a truly noble deed.
But… the proverbial but…
That does not mean one can take the law into their hands and play God. Especially when we proudly claim Mizoram to be a Christian State (unconstitutional as that may sound). How Christian is it, when we have blood in our hands, or when the people elected to lead turn a blind eye to such actions?
Leading an unchristian life is unfortunate. But leading an unchristian life because of misinterpreting the teachings of the Bible is tragic. The latter is filled with zealous fervor, fanatically believing that he is fulfilling God’s wishes when in fact all he’s doing is hurting Him.
Rev. Mel White, cofounder of Soulforce, stated: “Historically, people's misinterpretation of the Bible has left a trail of suffering, bloodshed, and death”.
John MacArthur in his article entitled “Interpretation” at Bible Bulletin Board stated:
But it is also true that in many cases there are believers who for a number of reasons misinterpret Scripture. They come to Scripture with their presuppositions and force the Bible to conform to those presuppositions. They come to the Scripture with their predigested theology and their understanding of doctrine perhaps from the past and they want to force the Word of God into that. Or perhaps they are enamored by some prominent teacher or prominent writer and they sort of line up with that individual and they want to affirm what he says or what that group says without regard for a careful understanding of Scripture.Christian societies have never been a stranger to Bible misinterpretations. Just like how some section of our Mizo society justify their action by claiming it to be the Lord’s commandment, other Christian societies have indeed committed such a faux-pas:
Justification of the notorious Witch hunt in Europe and early American colonies where women were burnt alive at random under false heresy accusations, justification of anti-miscegenation where white supremacists (KKK etc) claim that it is the Lord’s intention to separate different races and prevent them from inter-breeding, justification of “The curse of Ham” that encourages African slavery in America etc.
So the question is, if such a behavior in Mizoram is unchristian, then what kind of a Christian leadership should one expect? The answer, quoting from GotQuestions is:
There is Noah with his perseverance. Or Abraham with his great faith. We could look to Joseph’s unmatched integrity or to Daniel, a man of lofty moral character. Queen Esther showed tremendous courage in a hostile environment while the humble maidservant Ruth is a portrait of quiet dignity and inner strength. And no study in biblical leadership could ignore King David—a man whose passion for God is unparalleled in the pages of Old Testament writings. Moving into the New Testament, we have Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is a model of unequaled virtue. Too, there is Peter with his extra helpings of devotion and enthusiasm. And then we have the Apostle Paul, a man who considered suffering for the sake of the Gospel a reason for great personal joy.And then of course there is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the ideal balance of sacrificial love and unbridled strength, who commands us to be non-violent and remind us that “those who live by the sword will die by the sword”.
It is quite obvious none of the role models of past Christian leaders mentioned above are the ones who go around beating up people fatally in order to cleanse the Christian society. Forming an association to prevent the entry of drugs and alcohol into Mizoram is indeed a good Christian gesture. I truly applaud the SRS for such a valiant effort. *Clap clap clap* But is violence really necessary????
Seriously, if one thinks that violence is essential in order to prevent the perpetuator from committing that crime again, then that person is dwelling in a delusional World. Because if the person’s sole source of income depends purely on drugs trafficking or illicit breweries, trust me, he will keep on committing the crime over and over again until he is caught once more. The only solution to that is imprisonment. That is what Jails are for.
And if there is something wrong with the Jails or people officially assigned to keep such people in prison, then there is something seriously wrong with the Leaders elected by the people. Is it nothing but pure hypocrisy if such a Leader elected by the people stand in front of the Church preaching the good word of the Lord and yet ignoring his duties here on Earth? How can such a Leader even consider himself to be a man of God when he knows very well that the neglect of his responsibility is having such a serious consequence among the masses? How divine is that?
As a Christian majority State, the quality of our Leaders must be devotional. But as long as we claim to be Christians and yet end up ignoring our duties or misinterpreting the passages from the Bible in order to justify our own personal whims, I might as well stick to comparing such leadership in Mizoram to comic characters as mentioned in the beginning. After all, both are fictional.
