Hey Guys, The Ocean is Dirty

     This has been posted on my facebook page several times in the past couple of days.

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." Gandhi

    I get that so many are wanting us to remember that just because a few people in a group do something heinous, we shouldn't condemn the whole group. If these men who are suspected of planting the bombs at the Boston Marathon are actually Muslims, that doesn't make all Muslims terrorist. Just like the actions of a particular "Christian" church don't necessarily reflect the views of all Christians. I couldn't agree more with that sentiment, but I have a couple of real problems with the above statement.

     If the ocean is clean and a few dirty drops are introduced, then the ocean is no longer clean. It is only clean if no dirt is in it. Yes, it could be dirtier, much dirtier, but it is not clean. This kind of thinking is prevalent in our society today. Sadly, even in our churches. We have the idea in our heads that we are pretty good people. Once in a while we tell a little lie (only to protect someone's feelings, of course), drive a bit faster than the speed limit, fudge just a tad on our taxes, or pass along a juicy bit of gossip (in the guise of a prayer request), but for the most part, we are good people. We support our schools, are good neighbors, give to charity, and try to help out where we are needed. Somehow we think that that makes us clean. Ladies and gentlemen, if the standard is the subjective view of society, we are all in big trouble. Clean is going to get dirtier and dirtier. Just where will we draw the line? If, however, the standard is the purity of a thrice holy God, then we are so far from clean we might as well be a toxic waste dump. We are dirty. The ocean is dirty. Yes, even just one drop of dirt keeps it from being clean.

    My second problem here is with the first sentence. "We must not lose faith in humanity." I say we must not place our faith in humanity. If your faith is in the goodness of people, you are going to be sorely disappointed many times in your life. Yes, there are people who do heroic things, kind things, loving acts, but there are also people who do horrific actions that make us shudder. Eventually, even those wonderful heroes are going to do something that isn't quite up to your standard of goodness, then what? Put your faith in something solid, something that is always good and never lets you down. Our faith should be in God. He is always just, loving and merciful. He never changes. He is the anchor that will hold you steady when horrible things like Columbine, Aurora, Newton and Boston make the headlines. Faith in Him is what gets you through the pain, loss and suffering that goes with these tragedies. As much as I appreciate and applaud the actions of first responders and every day heroes in the midst of such terror, the only thing that will bring you real peace is faith in God, not humanity.