I Am Not Ashamed
Shameless plug for a new movie: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a MUST see. I promise, anyone with any sense of anything will enjoy it. I just returned from viewing said film, and I was intensely touched. There are so many wonderful truths encompassed by that story; truly, C.S. Lewis was a genius. This is just one of the many impressions I had while watching.
The first time Peter kills, he is devastated. He was being taunted by the wolves that he wouldn't actually use his sword, yadda, yadda, and there is great hesitation in his face. One wolf lunges on him, and basically impales himself on Peter's sword. When the wolf is rolled off of him, Peter's face registers shock and a bit of (dare I say) disgust. Aslan's reply? "Clean off your sword, Peter."
Aslan didn't kill for the sake of killing; it's not fun to him. But there is no remorse either for the destruction of an enemy. This got me thinking. In the movie, the enemy itself was represented by living creatures, in reality, people aren't actually the enemy. Killing another person is not like destruction of the evil force, so in real life we should still feel remorse for the necessity of sending an unprepared soul to meet werf's judgment (see Alma 48:23). But I should never feel regret about the cutting down of a true enemy. That means if there is evil in the world, I should fight it. As President Hinckley said, "Again, it is not enough that you retreat to your private cloister and pursue only your special private interests. Your strong voice is needed. The weight of you stance may be enough to tip the scales in the direction of truth."
Sometimes I feel guilty for condemning unrighteousness; I feel it is not my place, or I should be more patient, or something else. But Aslan taught me that when I see evil, I should not be afraid to pierce it to the heart, pull out my sword, and press forward never looking back. It's not something I should regret when I open my mouth to stop someone from viewing licentious material, or speak out against inappropriate language. Such is the battle we must fight, and I must now "clean off my sword" as there are more battles to join and wage.
The first time Peter kills, he is devastated. He was being taunted by the wolves that he wouldn't actually use his sword, yadda, yadda, and there is great hesitation in his face. One wolf lunges on him, and basically impales himself on Peter's sword. When the wolf is rolled off of him, Peter's face registers shock and a bit of (dare I say) disgust. Aslan's reply? "Clean off your sword, Peter."
Aslan didn't kill for the sake of killing; it's not fun to him. But there is no remorse either for the destruction of an enemy. This got me thinking. In the movie, the enemy itself was represented by living creatures, in reality, people aren't actually the enemy. Killing another person is not like destruction of the evil force, so in real life we should still feel remorse for the necessity of sending an unprepared soul to meet werf's judgment (see Alma 48:23). But I should never feel regret about the cutting down of a true enemy. That means if there is evil in the world, I should fight it. As President Hinckley said, "Again, it is not enough that you retreat to your private cloister and pursue only your special private interests. Your strong voice is needed. The weight of you stance may be enough to tip the scales in the direction of truth."
Sometimes I feel guilty for condemning unrighteousness; I feel it is not my place, or I should be more patient, or something else. But Aslan taught me that when I see evil, I should not be afraid to pierce it to the heart, pull out my sword, and press forward never looking back. It's not something I should regret when I open my mouth to stop someone from viewing licentious material, or speak out against inappropriate language. Such is the battle we must fight, and I must now "clean off my sword" as there are more battles to join and wage.
posted by Chicken Dust at 7:21 PM
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