in the beginning
harmony beauty balance
what on earth happened
innocent child yet
better had he not been born
whatever happened
a gentle breeze comes
offering life to the soul
will we breath it in
a faithful selfless
surrender can only be
an act of free will
I have not read a lot of literature on Hitler's profile but I have seen a lot of video footage from that period.
ReplyDeleteHe was a beautiful child ( one of those ones who make you all broody and clucky)
I can only think that something went awry in his childhood which could have resulted in a mental disorder. I don't think we will ever get to the truth about him It is common to demonise figures like him but he must have had attractive qualities otherwise he could not have charismaticised an entire nation.
His personal staff would have been understandably too intimidated to give frank interviews after the war.And now they are all dead.
God does not create evil Man creates evil with greed causing poverty and all the ills which flow from that.Children are at the mercy of their parents and the society they live in.Hitler had obviously no regard for humanity whatsoever. If he had experienced true goodness and caring at some stage of his formative life he may have had a different view on things. I say man is the monster who creates monsters... not God.
As for this predestination nonsense..Yes God is all knowing and omnipotent.However a good analogy would be God as a psychic who himself chooses never to use or investigate his powers.Man was given free will for a reason ie not to be enslaved to tyranny authority and ultimately to decide his own fate.
Thus spake Cressida before her morning cup of tea.
Only God can judge Hitler, Cressida, and all the factors impacting on him. Who knows whether he was acting freely when he committed such evil or whether he was disordered in some way and therefore not morally responsible? Read the pride, spite and hatred in Mein Kampf - it's palpable.
ReplyDeleteThe same 'social and emotional' factors cannot be offered as an 'excuse' for Adam - metaphorically or actually.
It is my belief that God offers us all sufficient graces to chose His way and to overcome whatever barriers are put in our path. Thereafter, it is with us to respond in some way and at some point in time. Hitler made choices. So do we all. And little choices lead to bigger ones.
Here ends Dodo's lesson before he has his last whiskey and trots off to bed.
That's what I said already you silly Dodo.You don't LISTEN
ReplyDeleteAdam is a classic case of self destructive behaviour.
He had it all.. no excuses ..and deliberately sabotaged himself.It was the first example and lesson in psycho analysis.He was bored because everything was too easy and he did not fully realise the consequences of his actions otherwise he would not have transgressed. He was just stupid.As for Eve tempting Adam (well that could be the usual blame game of refusing to be accountable for ones actions)
The idea of perfection i.e everything rosy in the garden is not perfection at all.Perfection emerges from contrasts and struggle.
The Adam and Eve Bible story illustrates to us that the male is not really very smart. .God makes things very clear but men choose not to see.Woman is demonised by the Eve character as the untrustworthy temptress and this has coloured popular opinion amongst men against women as a justification for the persecution of them and as a justification for male homosexuality throughout the ages.
Cressida
ReplyDeleteI think you are applying post-fall reasoning to pre-fall events.
Adam's behaviour was not initiated simply by internal motivation. How could it be as he was made "good" by God? The 'idea' was planted into his and Eve's head by Satan, ho twisted God's words, and God permitted all this to allow free will.
"He had it all.. no excuses ..and deliberately sabotaged himself.It was the first example and lesson in psycho analysis."
No excuses, agreed. God was clear with him about the consequences and he decided freely to disobey without any post-fall impediments - such as our inherited inclination to sin and our upbringing and social circumstances which can impair our intellectual, psychological and spiritual development.
"He was bored because everything was too easy and he did not fully realise the consequences of his actions otherwise he would not have transgressed."
Nope. He was fully responsible; was not bored; and fully understood the warning God had given him. That's one of the reasons he blamed Eve!
"He was just stupid.As for Eve tempting Adam (well that could be the usual blame game of refusing to be accountable for ones actions)"
Nope. How could he be stupid when he was created by God sufficiently developed intellectually, emotionally and spiritually to deal with the temptation when it came?
Bored and stupid just do not do as an explanation, I'm afraid. And remember, according to the bible, he was present whilst Eve was being tempted and did nothing to intervene to stop her doing whatever she did. It was a joint act - although it was the woman who was first conned by Satan and the persuaded Adam. Adam can't get off the hook that way either.
"The idea of perfection i.e everything rosy in the garden is not perfection at all.Perfection emerges from contrasts and struggle."
Perfection doesn't exist this side of Paradise. Again you are applying post-fall logic to the pre-fall situation. Perfection, as I've written in my little piece, was created by God. The missing bit of the jig-saw was human free will. The last stanza sums up my understanding of this. Will anyone be bored in heaven or have to struggle? Yet this is what God gave Adam and calls us all to.
"The Adam and Eve Bible story illustrates to us that the male is not really very smart. .God makes things very clear but men choose not to see.Woman is demonised by the Eve character as the untrustworthy temptress and this has coloured popular opinion amongst men against women as a justification for the persecution of them and as a justification for male homosexuality throughout the ages."
Nope. Leave your "feminism" at the door! The bible has plenty of role models for brave, faithful women and brave and faithful men. Men and women are different but equal and have different parts to play in God's design. Again, my final stanza tries to capture this. It's why marriage is seen as on a par with God's relationship with us and why the Church is described as the Bride of Christ.
How is "sexism" a justification for homosexuality?
In summary, Hitler will have been offered sufficient grace by God to overcome his inclination to evil. The worse the situation, the more grace that is offered. He rejected the gift of grace or made insufficient use of it and so it was not efficacious. His only 'get of jail' card is if he was born so mentally impaired, or was so mentally damaged during his life, to a point where he could not exercise free will or be aware of the consequences. There is no evidence for this judgement but this in the Hands of God.