God and Goodness

In Why I Am Not a Christian, Bertrand Russell claims that one of the reasons he is not a Christian is the hypocrisy of believing in Christ’s teachings but failing to act them out: “Christ said, "Judge not lest ye be judged." That principle I do not think you would find was popular in the law courts of Christian countries. I have known in my time quite a number of judges who were very earnest Christians, and none of them felt that they were acting contrary to Christian principles in what they did.” He points out other examples of hypocrisy pertaining to punishment and giving to the poor.  Many have similar issues with the Christian church.  He admits that it is hard to completely follow certain guidelines, even given by your god, but the fact that these are ignored more than they are followed is the issue.

Those who follow their religious guidelines closely, such as those who give to the poor, do not judge, and do not seek vengeance, seem to be morally sound.  Unfortunately, this is rare.  For instance, selfishness, providing solely for oneself and her family rather than giving to the poor, seems to be human nature.  Yet, holy texts, such as the Bible, say to give everything you own to the poor.  It is difficult to decide to what extent we can hold people accountable for.

In The Apostle, Sonny is a preacher who openly deals with human error and temptation.  He has an intimate relationship with God and truly believes in redeeming individuals in his congregation.  Sonny’s journey begs the questions: how much of life and our human nature is inevitable?  How do unfortunate circumstances alter a person’s opportunity for peace?  If “good people” do bad things, can they still be considered a “good person?” To address one of Russell’s concerns, is Sonny a hypocrite for lashing out on Horace, or is he a human being?  Christians lean on the idea of God because God gives grace and forgiveness for faults.  Whether or not we agree with that ideology, I think we should align with the teaching that even morally sound people make mistakes circumstantially. Russell claims that your intentions are not important, your actions are: as cliché as it may be, my conclusion is that we are all human beings and even with complete devotion, no one can be perfect. 

Hannah Montana's Input