The incredible irony in this is that the world has long been a horrific and barbaric place, whose saving grace has been Christendom, bringing with it peace and civility. Yet though its benefits are marked, it could never completely extinguish the horror and barbarity just beneath the surface, always ready to reemerge.
And Christians, enjoying the bounty and prosperity of Christianity, are in many ways as prone to vice as were the old Hebrews, who living in the realm of JHVH, seemingly could not resist surreptitiously sacrificing their children to Moloch, with greed for even greater prosperity that never came from that empty idol.
Good observations. One can’t help but notice, when reading the Bible, that people don’t change much. It’s always the same old thing.
Pope Francis didn’t point out an ironic connection between this excerpt from 1 Samuel and those given in the lectionary earlier this week: Samuel’s sons had turned out badly, just like Eli’s before. The people wanted continuity in the “government,” and they weren’t getting it.
Yet the Progressives have been propagandizing that Christianity is a major cause of violence in the world.