Empathy for the Devil

To be blatantly honest, this book would not have been one i would have intentionally sought out to read so major kudos to the designer of the book cover. What an exquisitely designed and exquisite piece of cover art. It reeled me right in! Even though I am not Christian I pride myself on being open to all faiths and I actively research the beliefs and histories of worldwide religions. This book gives us the opportunity to look at biblical stories from a different perspective. The perspective of the supposed villain and gage what might have driven them to do the deeds they did. It also allows us an opportunity to evaluate the dark side of human behaviour and acknowledge that yes, we ourselves have one! These stories make us look at our moralities and give food for thought on how we can make this world a better place by employing compassion and empathy. I particularly enjoyed the retelling of the stories at the beginning of each chapter. Very well written, thought-provoking and a truly fascinating book. One i could not put down. I read it in a day which goes to show just how engaging it is.

I think the title was the best choice - “sympathy” definitely doesn’t work. The author doesn’t want you to feel bad for these people. Or even understand their actions. Just understand that they are real people. It’s not empathy for what they’ve done or sympathy for who they are. But empathy for their humanity, even as it slips away.

Interesting discussion on <b>Cain</b>. It's fascinating how we, knowing very little detail, can believe that these stories are so black and white with definite heroes and villains. If you go back to the Bible story, all it says is that God noticed Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's. What does that mean? How did they know? Paul (or the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews) tells us it was a matter of faith. But did he know that? Or was he making a guess? It's interesting that, except for Rob Bell's writings, no one seems to ever ask or care: What's the Jewish commentary on this story?

<i>When we look to our identities to give our life meaning, they become idols.</i>

Interesting thought!

Though I don't believe the god that created our world cares about us or wants our worship, this is a good thought from a secular point of view. It can hurt us to let an identity be everything because identities can be fleeting. If we wrap ourselves up in an identity, when that identity goes away, we're lost.

And I found this to be good advice: <i>When we’re angry, we ought to pause and consider what part of our identity is being challenged.</i>

Geez. <b>Sampson</b> was a dick. But Paul calls him a man of faith! I can't believe that he broke all of God's laws and was called a man of faith. Basically just for killing Philistines. If he was living today, he’d be pretty popular among Christians, too.

From the section on <b>Jezebel</b>, I found this extremely compelling:

<i>Our bent toward building empires grows from humanity’s original sin: acting as though my vision of the world is the one that will best lead to flourishing. Theologians call this attitude pride. Pride is at the root of every empire ever built, whether on the world stage or in an abusive home. And contrary to popular belief, pride is at the root of Jezebel’s sin.</i>

This is something we have definitely carried through history - and pretty much still believe. We think our way is the best way, so we go forth and evangelize it and try to change the world to "be like us".

And this is a refreshing lesson we could all learn:

<i>In Jesus’ kingdom, whatever power, position, and influence we have is to be used for the sake of the other—for them, not for us. Jesus repeatedly, stridently dismantled the categories of us versus them. Rich versus poor. Jew versus Gentile. Saint versus sinner. Even heaven versus earth.</i>

I love the importance the author puts on helping others…but that’s the message of Jesus, no?

<i>As a culture, we are in very real danger of working too hard to silence these marginalized voices, to shout them down or ignore them rather than do the difficult work of emptying ourselves. We do this by shutting our mouths and listening to the people with whom we disagree and by putting aside biases we have for the sake of trying to put ourselves in the other’s shoes.</i>

<i>as we learn to follow Jesus in the ongoing act of dying to ourselves for the good of the Other, we find true community. We learn to love not because we ignore the quirks and pretend differences don’t matter. We learn to love because of our differences, because unity is not the same thing as uniformity.</i>

That’s last phrase is amazing: <b><i>unity is not the same thing as uniformity</i></b>

And one of Christianity’s more popular villains: <b>Herod</b>.

<i>The lack of a good choice is precisely why many people don’t like noir as a genre. We watch movies or read books to escape from reality. We want to live in a world—even if it’s just for a couple of hours—in which we know who the good guys are and that they always win. Noir forces us to acknowledge that reality is rarely as black and white as we wish.</i>

Sometimes. But it is refreshing to see art mimic life once in a while.

<i>Like Herod, we don’t live in a world of easy choices. We find ourselves caught between impossible commitments. In a world that’s not black and white, every choice feels like a compromise. So how can we be sure we’re not following in Herod’s footsteps? In a world that’s all shades of gray, how do we choose between bad and worse?</i>

Good points. It's much easier to identify with people when they share your struggles - trying to make the right decision, not knowing what the best path is, is difficult.

I love what he says here about balance - there is no balance. God should be first. But we don’t live like that - we try to balance God as a part of our lives, instead of making him the driving force of our lives - and by doing that, we commodify him. We make him one of many things to be balanced.

Huh. The author very nearly seems to elicit sympathy for <b>Herodias.</b> Her arguments are very nearly compelling - especially when she invokes the evils of patriarchy and the feeling of being abandoned by God. Then he goes on to talk about how she was shaped by her family life - I understand we all have to rise above this, but sometimes it’s difficult. And there’s no mention of John condemning Herodias’s first marriage - to her uncle as a child bride.
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<i>Sin is inescapable because we have been pumping it into our institutions, cultures, and families since humans have walked the earth. Sin, like a disease, infects us from the first breath we take, warping us as we grow. We shrug and say, “To err is human.” We have normalized sin to the point that we can’t even see that it is sin anymore. How could Christians have marched in the Crusades? How could Christians have actively participated in every level of the slave trade? How could Christians murder people they consider heretics? How could Christians turn a blind eye to the Holocaust? Today we make excuses: “They were people of their time. It’s not fair to judge the actions of yesterday by the morality of today.”

Fine (I guess). But the more important question here is: How am I a “person of my time”? What sins might I be participating in today—totally assured of my own righteousness—that will be condemned by the church of the future? Might they ask, “How could Christians have spewed hatred and death threats at the LGBTQ community? Why was the church so segregated? How could the Western church ignore the millions in the Global South who don’t have access to clean water? Didn’t they realize that creation is a precious gift from our Creator? How could they have been so careless with their food, their fuel, and their trash?” Sin has thoroughly warped the very fabric of our institutions. Like fish that cannot comprehend the ocean, we are blind to sin because it’s so pervasive, because it’s been infecting us since the moment of our birth.</i>
</blockquote>
This is amazing! It blows my mind. Yes. Why can’t Christians today think this way???

<i>But there is a gray area: while we are not held accountable for the sin we’re born into, that sin corrupts us. This atmosphere of sin warps us into beings for whom acting against God’s will feels natural. The insidious truth of sin is that it convinces us we are less than we were created to be.</i>

That's a new view of sin - at least, to me!!! We need to see the consequences of our actions - no matter how righteous we think they might be. Wow.

Whoa. With <b>Judas</b>, the author takes to task modern Western Christianity. I am impressed. Like Judas, we favor a victorious savior - one who wins. He even quotes Driscoll. It’s beautiful. We don’t want Isaiah’s suffering savior. We want the triumphant Trump who will win, beating the blacks and browns, the women, even those who are suffering.

After reading this, I’m reminded of something a friend recently said to me. You can’t have a story - or a hero - without a villain.

I need to keep remembering that. Even the villain has his part to play.

Wow - this author really has a compelling view of <b>Satan</b>. (Compelling in that it follows scripture better than today’s evangelical Devil myths.) And the interesting thing? Today’s evangelicals have more in common with this Satan than with Jesus. They are righteously indignant that grace can cover those that they see as less deserving of it. Those who, in their mind, are less pure.

It’s a messed up world when modern day Christians are more like Satan, and modern day Satanists are more like Christ. (Ha! After I wrote this I read: <i>Christians who refuse to extend God’s grace to the world around them are truly satanic.</i>)

<i>Frankly, a lot of religious people view a religious life as a sacrifice. Sinners get to have all the fun—sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll—while the religious folks sacrifice fun, joy, and excitement for an eternal reward. As a fringe benefit, we’ve decided we get to sit in judgment over the sinners, and it’s not long before a certain smug self-satisfaction creeps in as we contemplate their eternal torment.

Have all the fun you want now. We’ll see who’s laughing for eternity! No wonder the religious folks get upset when God shows up. Rather than standing aloof and apart in judgment with them, God is partying with the sinners.</i>

This is some good stuff. The author writes a fantastic book - by trying to understand the villains of the Bible, we can work to understand our own lives and how we try to live out what Jesus taught - or whatever values drive us. Recommended, regardless of your religious affiliation.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and InterVarsity Press for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>