tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post603891752847156771..comments2024-03-22T17:35:52.045-04:00Comments on Extra Thoughts: The pity of it allLydia McGrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-40074393583824333562015-11-12T17:09:11.985-05:002015-11-12T17:09:11.985-05:00I suspect that all of us who have taken fire in th...I suspect that all of us who have taken fire in the culture war need to be talked back, from time to time, from crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed--whether that of retaliation or gloating over an enemy's downfall. The Scriptures of both Bible Testaments sound out sentiments quite similar to yours, Lydia. At the very least I find myself pulled to rejoice at the "educational opportunity" that might come to evil people when they suffer some of the hurt they inflict on others. But hurt people usually don't make good learners. And sometimes my inner thoughts are even less noble.<br /><br />I have always felt that the redeeming quality of the "imprecatory Psalms" (like 137) is that the believer most likely lifted bitter hatred to God where it might be dealt with, instead of using it to drive actual enactment. I encourage a good reflective reading of Psalm 73, which seems a twin to Lydia's theme and suggests a hint of pathos toward the wicked. Ah, for those rare moments when we can actualize the strategy of Rom. 12:18-21/Prov. 25:22 and heed the warning of Prov. 24:17-20.<br /><br />Btw, I had forgotten about Breivik, had never heard of Vox Day, and even had to look up SJW. I appreciate the opportunity afforded by this post to cultivate a more noble heart.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14816140945582832751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-46522720132827092092015-11-10T11:35:43.546-05:002015-11-10T11:35:43.546-05:00Yes, that's a perfect (and chilling) example.
...Yes, that's a perfect (and chilling) example.<br /><br />We had someone who showed up at W4 saying similar things after the Breivik shooting. I forget if we deleted the comments and also banned him, or condemned the comments and banned him, but we certainly did ban him.<br /><br />It would be sheer sophistry to pretend that Vox Day is not there acting as an apologist for Breivik. It is the merest fig leaf (and a pretty transparent one, too) to say things to the effect that one is merely describing facts on the ground or merely making predictions, etc., given especially his evaluative terminology.<br /><br />I have thought for a long time even from what little I know (and you clearly have more data to this effect) that Vox Day is not a good influence in the blogosphere in the political realm. There is too much darkness and destructiveness there.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-23096630812777196322015-11-10T10:59:50.591-05:002015-11-10T10:59:50.591-05:00Thanks for this.
I was thinking of writing a simi...Thanks for this.<br /><br />I was thinking of writing a similar piece, but focused solely on the author Vox Day, who you actually reference in your own piece. There is much to admire about Day -- he has written an excellent book of apologetics, he thinks clearly and writes intelligently about many issues (especially evolution), and he even writes some decent fiction. The problem is that he has given into the temptation you outline here -- which is a temptation Christ warned us about Himself:<br /><br />Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? “Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”<br /><br />Specifically, I cannot understand why Day walks up to the line he does of almost making excuses for Anders Breivik -- he does it in this post:<br /><br />http://voxday.blogspot.com/2013/09/breivik-sets-political-trend.html <br /><br />("the mass shooting of the Norwegian Labor Party's larval quislings...Breivik wasn't a madman. He simply put into action on what many Norwegians were thinking and his murderous actions were a warning sign of what was to come if the current program of mass immigration was maintained...I will not be in the least bit surprised if Anders Breivik is one day regarded as a national hero in Norway, much like George Washington and William Tell, two men who also offered murderous resistance to their own governments.")<br /><br />And he's done the same thing in many other posts. Perhaps he could wiggle out of the direct implication that he's condoning Breivik's actions ('I'm just pointing out the facts on the ground -- I think it is objectively true that one day the people of Norway will blah, blah, blah') but it is clear from his comparisons and choice of words (calling the children murdered by Breivik "larval quislings" and choosing to compare Breivik with Washington and Tell that something is very off with Day's moral compass.<br /><br />I think he fits perfectly into the problem you outline here, so I don't need to write separately about him -- I'm just glad you gave voice to the problem and provided one more light in the darkness for those of us who want to fight the good fight without losing our soul in the process.Jeffrey S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10411126704920184190noreply@blogger.com