THE DARK SIDE OF MERCY

Christianity has imbued us with quick acceptance of the idea that Mercy is an unalloyed virtue; that it is always good to show mercy.  In the Old Testament, however, the countervailing  virtue of  Justice is more prominent.  God was not kind to Job,  but  in the  end showed justice in rewarding Job's  steadfastness.   Time and again, an individual or a people would sin and be punished by God.   The Jewish people today carry on this tradition  in  their year-end custom of paying off debts and atoning for suffering one has caused.

The  New Testament turned this around with the concept  that anything  could be forgiven if one would only believe in  Christ.  Jesus  forgave  prostitutes and thieves.  He  preached  that  one should  love one's enemies, not punish them for their  transgressions.   One should show mercy.  And what about those  who  never need  to be shown mercy - the prideful, rich and powerful?   Why, they are damned, and so require God's mercy after all.  So everyone requires mercy; everyone is a victim.  This would be a terrible situation were it not for the fortunate presence of Jesus and his priests ("The Saviors").

From the above we see that a problem with Mercy is that  one can  display it only in a world where people are downtrodden.   A leader driven by the desire to show mercy thus has to make everyone  dependent  on him so that he can parcel  out  favors.   Like Jesus,  he comes to view others as wayward sheep who  don't  know what  is good for them.  Such a leader would hate a  world  where people were able to take care of themselves.

If this is how striving to be merciful affects leaders,  how then  does  the concept of Mercy affect  ordinary  people?   When people are enjoined to suspend judgment, to avoid holding  others responsible  for what they do or who they have become,  how  does this  affect  the  quality of life?  If a thief  is  excused  for stealing,  is he likely to steal less?  The concept of Mercy  has led  to the decline of real virtues and made the world a  poorer, more dangerous place.

What we need is a world where people can take care of  themselves and each is held accountable for his own acts.  In such  a world, Mercy is an anachronism




Click here to send me your comments!
Click here to return to Dave's home page