Enigmas are things or people that baffle us like a puzzle or riddle that we struggle to solve. One enigma is the mix of good and evil in our day. It seems like the cycle of history yet again repeats itself. We were taught Bible principles such as the golden rule and even have “Good Samaritan” laws in place to protect those compassionate ones who help others. Yet the evil “voices” seem to be ever louder without a “mute” button.
This good and evil puzzle is not a new phenomenon — I’m reminded of Thomas Jefferson. He studied the Bible and even wrote a book, The Life and Morals of Jesus Christ. It was a compilation of Bible passage ethics without the deity passages of Christ. Jefferson believed in the existence of God but did not believe in the deity of Christ. It was literally a cut and paste of various Bible passages, not his own writing. The book is part of the Smithsonian Museum of American history and referred to as the “Jefferson Bible.”
Further, in his living room at Monticello, Jefferson had an almost exact copy of Guido Reni’s famous painting of the Bible story of Salome bearing the head of John the Baptist on a platter. At the time, the Jewish King Herod had John the Baptist executed to silence the prophet and his message. Jefferson had the painting there as a “conversation piece,” to promote civil ethical conversations of hard subjects.
Jefferson was not a proponent of the separation of church and state that we have today that has silenced religious discussion. Instead of continued silence regarding religious ethic discussions, maybe it’s time to have Bible conversations again in the public forums. The Bible was the “talk of the town” in the 1740s at Granby’s inception during the Great Awakening revivals. Such conversations might again stir the conscience to promote more of the good and restrain the evils of the heart.
Otherwise, the enigma sadly continues, unaddressed, if not growing worse.
Skip (Walter) Mission, a lifelong Granby resident, has taught Bible classes in Granby and elsewhere for several years at various venues.