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Doing Evil That Good May Come


An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. (Proverbs 12:17)
Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just! (Romans 3:8)
          Some time ago, I heard about a book that was on high school reading lists. It was a memoir or biography written by a young woman from Central or South America about the horrors she and her family had faced. When it was revealed that the story was fabricated, it remained on reading lists because even if it didn’t happen to her, it’s the sort of thing that does happen and our high school students need to be awakened to the plight of these people. One would think that the response to today’s passage would be “Well, duh…” but I’m not so sure. I know people who say it’s OK to lie to the enemy. How can you win a war if you tell the enemy everything you’re doing? I think there’s a difference between not telling the enemy everything and letting him reach false conclusions and saying, “I come in peace” and sticking them in the back with a dagger. 
          Again, I think we need to be careful when we start saying that the end justifies the means. I think we need to put a hand over our mouths if we’re tempted to say that what we’re doing is OK because “they’re worse.” If it wasn’t OK to tell lies about Mr. Obama, it’s not OK to tell them about Mr. Trump. If it’s not OK to tell lies about Mr. Trump, it’s not OK to tell them about Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Sanders, or whoever they get to run in the next election. If it’s not OK to shame people because they’re too fat, too skinny, dressed inappropriately (no matter how they’re dressed), or whatever, then it’s not OK to shame anyone, including the people you don’t like. And if you “can’t legislate morality” then you can’t pass laws to keep people from doing the things you don’t like. Whether you like it or not, laws against murder and pedophilia are the legislation of morality. So is legislation that declares anything to be a hate crime. So are laws restricting guns. 
          I see posts in which people tell me, “It’s not OK to hate” and then they list a whole bunch of people they claim it’s not OK to hate. I agree with them. It’s not OK to hate those people, but neither is it OK to hate the people they don’t list - like the people who happen to hate people on the list. If it’s not OK to hate … then it’s not OK for you to hate the people who hate. I have had people tell me in no uncertain terms that a future that I predicted “will never happen.” And when it did, they just smiled. People call me sick because I describe a future in which they accept the things they claim they’ll never accept. But I’ve seen it happen, and I see it happening now. 
          I’ve said before that when the Church moves closer to the World, everyone suffers. When the World moves closer to the Church, everyone benefits. Today, I’m calling on the Church to be an honest witness that tells the truth and to stop doing evil that good may come.

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