(In case you wondered, I blog to help me organize my thoughts, so, I make no claim that everything will always make sense.)
I am not an evolutionist. I don't think man is improving, rather, I think man is tending to regress as he gets farther and farther from the moment of Creation and the Fall has more time to work its evil. I have heard a lot of other people espouse this opinion as well. But, I am wondering if the people that espouse this opinion really apply it to social issues, and does it really matter? The thing that brings context to this discussion is medieval punishments: dismemberment, hanging, cutting off hands, stocks, drownings, beheadings, burning at the stake, and quartering are only some of the most common of the medieval world's sentences for crimes ranging from theft to treason. In the modern world, these punishments are held as barbaric, inhuman, a violation of human rights, and people call for more "humane" punishments. Now, put this attitude alongside the concept that man is regressing since the Fall and you have a contradiction. If we are to be consistent, then we have to say that there may be something to the harsh punishments of the medieval era. Add to this confusion, early America also practiced many of these punishments, and the farther we go in becoming a secular nation the more lenient the penal codes become.
However, a few things obstruct a simple answer of "fine, go back to those punishments." First, the age old question of the balance of justice and mercy. Second, the equally old question of the proper measure of punishment for sin on earth in light of the Old and New Testament. Finally, there is one culture that does practice that manner and degree of punishment, Sharia Law under Islam is quite that severe. One could argue that Sharia is not a part of the question because it is a religious law as much as a social law, and without a Incarnate Savior they have every reason to practice the "eye for an eye" law that was the standard before the Old Testament was written.
So, my question is, are we consistant in saying that man is degrading and yet agreeing that the medieval era possessed a barbaric justice system, or is there something to be said for their notion of how to punish evil. And as a corollary, if you dare, where does Sharia Law fit into the discussion?
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I'm not willing to grant that man is regressing. Nor progressing, certainly....
ReplyDeleteI am still considering Lewis's hypothesis in That Hideous Strength, that evil is growing more evil and good is growing more good. It may be more a story idea than a serious proposal about reality, but it does frame the question in an interesting way. What does it mean to have the fallen world and the Kingdom of God coexisting side by side -- the powers of darkness hewing at the Church, the Body of Christ providing salt and light and leaven to a broken and dying world?
Maybe punishments really have become better (in some ways). Maybe other things are worse. Maybe redemption is a messy business.
Maybe we should be praying with John, "even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!"
Like Jonathan, I would disagree that people are regressing. Really, I think the orthodox view of the fall, regardless of how you interpret "total depravity" would say that man has sunk as far as he spiritually can. He may never do as much evil as could be conceived, but he can never become farther from God than he is in a fallen state.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I agree that it is difficult to compare contemporary penalties with a medieval system. There is some value in looking at a given practice, e.g. the stake, and saying that it is inherently a degradation of human nature. But, I think the modern assessment often misunderstands the purpose of punishment at all, and therefore treats people less as though they are rational creatures and more as if they were animals to be retrained. People do not abuse horses if they want them to work well, but nor do they hold them responsible for their actions.
Some brilliant philosopher long ago said that a think must be done in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason to be right. Perhaps everyone has some trouble on one of those points.