Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil as an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
There's probably a better scripture that talks about this, but I don't have time to find it. Basically, I find it hard to believe that Satan would never condone any good, even for the greater evil, and God would never allow any evil, even for the greater good.
I wonder what God thinks about Robin Hood. As you know, one of the ten commandments is Thou Shalt Not Steal. Yet, Robin Hood doesn't keep what he steals for himself. He gives it to the poor. Does that make what he does a good thing, even though it's technically a sin? It couldn't. "The Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." (Alma 45:16) Therefore, Robin Hood's stealing is sinful and must have been inspired by the devil.
But how could Satan allow that? He must know that Robin Hood is only going to take Prince John's riches and give it to the poor. Charity is a good thing, right? Is Satan okay with enabling Robin Hood to show Christ-like acts of love and selflessness? Wouldn't it be better to tell Robin Hood "You're poor. Everyone's poor. Life is miserable. Prince John has money. God must love Prince John more than you. Life is unfair. God is unfair. Hate him,"? Or is Satan trying (unsuccessfully) to win Robin Hood over with envy and greed? Perhaps Satan is trying to turn Robin Hood into a regular thief who keeps what he steals. "After all, you're poor, too. And you did all that work to steal it back from Prince John. It must be okay for you to keep at least some of the money."
But he doesn't. He gives it all away. Doesn't he? I'm mostly going off the Disney version, so maybe he does keep some and I just don't know it. But the BULK of it, he gives to the poor. That is a good act, therefore, it must have been inspired by God. Is God basically saying, "I really wish you hadn't stolen that. It's against the commandments, you know. But now that you have it, here's something good you can do with it..."? Can good be done with wrongfully gained money? The church doesn't accept tithing from lotto winnings (or so I've heard), because we believe it's wrong to play the lotto. Should Friar Tuck accept donations of Prince John's stolen gold?
This is a complicated moral issue and I've run out of time to discuss it. Basically, I tend to believe there's some grey area, including things that are kinda right and kinda wrong. But God has stated very clearly that any wrong is wrong. Does that mean that Robin Hood needs to repent and stop stealing from Prince John, despite the good he does with the stolen money? What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to start a discussion of some kind. It may help to clear things up.
1 comment:
hmm. This is a deep and difficult subject. I am woefully underqualified. Yet supposedly we each can know.
Can't argue with scripture, but...
We know that Satan uses some good and some truth to entice people to his way. Not many people would embrace pure evil, but when you disguise it a bit and cover it with some of the truth and some good, people believe it is good and swallow the whole thing.
Every religion that I have studied contains some truth and much good. The true followers are better people because of it. Great good is done. However, because they do have good and they do have (some) truth and they do feel the Lord's approval when they act according to their beliefs and do righteous works, they are often closed to greater and more complete truths.
Nephi murdered an unconscious man. Granted a man who had robbed and attempted murder, but who was totally helpless at the time. For the greater good, at the Lord's command.
Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. Human sacrifice! He would have done it, too, because he loved and trusted the Lord so much. The Lord stopped him and told him it was just a test, but...wow!
I don't know. Robin Hood robbed mostly people who had oppressed the poor. But does that make it right? Good guestion!
The only answer I can come up with is that each of us must individually develop such a relationship with the Spirit that we can know for ourselves what God wants us to do in any particular circumstance. I, myself, have a long way to go.
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