Newspaper - Thoughts for Sunday, 18 Feb.2024

16/02/24 10:48

World Champions in Playing the Blame Game

If there is one thing that we humans are good at, then it is putting the blame on others. The world was still young when it started. The forbidden fruit had not yet been digested and Eve pointed at the snake and Adam pointed at Eve. Children do the same thing starting at a young age. A popular target is of course the parents. All my problems come from their wrong way of rearing me. Or maybe it because of society or teachers. The modern psychology does away with guilt and renames Evil as Good. And for the last 50 years we know that our genes are to blame for everything. Politicians have it down to a fine art. Some of them even start wars and claim that they were “forced” into it. The buck gets passed around a lot.

It used to be easier – we put the blame on the devil or God. But nowadays that is more difficult because so many people don’t believe in either one of them. Nevertheless, it can be heard from non-believers and atheist that God is to blame for all the misery of the world or that God made us like we are.

Actually, we should look deep in the mirror to see that we are fault ourselves. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote: Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (ESV James 1:13-15)

No question about it: we all have weak points which we are born with or which have developed over time. The question is rather what are we going to do with it. As humans we have the possibility to grow and to say “No” to evil. We can give our guilt to God and with His help, we can become more and more like the people He intended us to be, before Adam and Eve started playing the blame game.

Randall Smelser
Preacher of the Christusgemeinde (Christ Church) Peine-Stederdorf