Sympathy for Sinners

In the Aug. 21 “Letters to the Editor,” I was surprised that one of your readers (“Good Friday in Focus”) seemed angry that a secular rock band did not observe Good Friday with solemnity. (Do all Christians?)

Then he used a song they played at their concert to try to illustrate his point, but I have my doubts he has read the lyrics before judging the band.

Getting past the ironic title, Sympathy for the Devil, the song’s lyrics describe the evil one as one who “stole many a man’s soul and faith.”

It describes his presence at a number of our atrocities in our history before it implicates us in sin with the verse, “I shouted out, ‘Who killed the Kennedys? When after all it was you and me’” (me being the devil).

While the song may not quite be a musical Screwtape Letters, it may contain more theology than some of the band’s fans will ever hear in pop music.

Should we really expect the Rolling Stones, a band once described as the bad boys of rock ‘n’ roll, to sing about Easter? Perhaps Easter is not their area of expertise. But maybe they know some things about human nature that we can learn.

We can thank Jesus that we can have some sympathy for the devil since he has lost the battle, as Revelation 12:11-12 says: “They conquered him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb,” and “he knows he has but a short time.” And when others do not meet our standards, we can turn to Matthew 5:44 for Jesus’ advice to love our enemies and pray for them.

The sinners’ concert was originally scheduled earlier, but was delayed five days due to President Obama’s visit. Sin can be complicated and messy, which may be one of the reasons the Creed says Jesus will judge us.

Terry Thul

Rochester, Minnesota

 

Francis on Life

At the Women’s World Summit of April 23, 2015, Hilary Clinton declared, “Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated religious beliefs have to be changed.”

And yet, even though she has declared war on the Church, nominal Catholics such as Joe Biden (“Joe Biden’s Unfaithful Witness on Marriage,” page one, Aug. 21 issue) still support her. Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, justifies his 100% approval rating from NARAL by claiming to be a “Pope Francis Catholic.” But consider these words:

“Concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings ... if we fail to protect a human embryo? … We forget that the inalienable worth of a human being transcends his or her degree of development. … The Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics.”

These quotes are from Sections 120, 136, and 188 of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si (Care for Our Common Home).

Don Schenk

Allentown, Pennsylvania

 

Dinosaurs and Scripture

A prudent response to “What Do You Say When Kids Ask About Dinosaurs?” (In Depth, Aug. 21 edition) can be found in Scripture.

Genesis 1 starts out: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was waste and void, darkness covered the abyss, and the Spirit of God was stirring above the waters.”

One can ask, “What waters?” The answer is revealed in 2 Peter 3:6, “By these means the world that was, deluged with water, perished.” This was not Noah’s flood that is referenced. It was the first flood that destroyed the dinosaurs and all other creatures that man could not have possibly co-existed with. Man was created after the first flood. After the second flood, God set his arc (rainbow) in the sky as a reminder of his promise to never destroy the Earth again by water. This would seem to be the only plausible response to the question of when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Bill Domenico

Hammonton, New Jersey

 

Pyrrhic Victory

I want to comment on the David Daleiden case that has been covered in the Register, particularly his acquittal (“Daleiden’s Charges Dismissed,” page one, Aug. 7 edition).

There is a pyrrhic victory here only because none of the evidence Daleiden accumulated can be used against Planned Parenthood in its trafficking of fetal body parts. The reason is that none of his information was obtained legally.

Daleiden had to commit fraud in order to expose the organization’s crimes by obtaining a false driver’s license and creating a bogus company.

Consequently, this poses an interesting ethical dilemma. Do the ends ever justify the means? Is it permissible to commit a series of crimes with the sole purpose of exposing a larger one? The only way Planned Parenthood’s crimes could legally have been exposed is through law enforcement.

Sting operations conducted by federal and local law enforcement agencies involving undercover agents posing as drug dealers, Arab sheiks, etc. are commonplace.

The only concern they have is that they do not end up committing entrapment by encouraging the person to commit a crime that he or she might not otherwise have been inclined to do.

Private citizens, however, do not have this authority. Only the state, to use political-science terminology, has the legitimate use of coercion.

Unfortunately, Daleiden’s actions have put Planned Parenthood on notice, which may make it more difficult for law enforcement to do any sting operations. In addition, no such operations are going to happen under this administration or a Clinton one.

I’m curious now as to how the pro-life community can legally shut down Planned Parenthood’s racketeering.

Francis Jacobson

Bainbridge Island, Washington