Self-Righteous Indignation
I did something today that I usually don’t do. I posted a comment on a Yahoo! article. Lately, I’ve become fascinated with reading responses to various articles on world events – things that may have a religious connotation – either directly or indirectly.
For example, I read an article this morning on Yahoo! about the horrifying events unfolding in Indonesia concerning the perpetual volcanic eruptions that seem to be getting more violent, despite expectations to the contrary. The comment section had grown to nearly 4,000 comments before I decided to enter the fray. Of course, I didn’t read every single comment, but just enough to get a sampling of people’s opinions on the matter. I was appalled (but not the least bit surprised) at the callousness of some commenters who looked down on the Indonesians as an inferior people. The reasons for their inferiority varied: morons who built villages on the sides of an active volcano; Muslims who are facing divine judgment for their false religion; etc. etc. Some were quite harsh and merciless in their appraisals. The general consensus for all the negative reactions is this:
the Indonesians are just getting what they so richly deserve.
As I read through these comments, shaking my head at such self-righteous attitudes, a scripture popped into my head. it comes from the Gospel of Luke. In chapter 13 Jesus is thronged by thousands and in response he begins to instruct the people. At one point: (more…)
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