Looking at the movement at the root of all the evils can help us identify the only real solution.
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t read this issue’s lead article, “The Fall of Satan,” please go there first, then come back to this column! It’s not really fair to give away the plot here.
Now that you’re back (and thanks for returning) …
In October 2017 the Me Too movement suddenly sprang up and swept the world, opening the emotional doors for women (and some men) to reveal their stories as survivors of sexual assault or harassment. Millions of tweets (#MeToo) and thousands of painful revelations brought to light not only the shocking extent of sexual abuse, but many of the perpetrators. Scores of well-known figures in politics, religion, entertainment, medicine, sports and academia faced public shaming and, for many, legal and professional consequences.
It’s amazing how fast such a simple concept as the Me Too movement caught on and galvanized so many people. Part of it was that individuals could find, in a collective voice, the strength and courage to speak out against this evil.
What’s at the root of our problems?
Sexual abuse, sad to say, is only one of many evils hurting humanity. Why? What’s wrong with us that we struggle with the same old problems? We stand in awe at the speed of advancements in areas like science, technology, weaponry and medicine, but stand perplexed at how we seem so inept at advancing in the most important areas of our existence—love, peace, harmony, respect, faithfulness, truthfulness, justice, integrity, altruism, etc. Why? What lies at the root of our problems?
Well, you read the core answer in “The Fall of Satan” article. God preserved that story to show us that lying at the root of all the problems plaguing humanity is another evil abuser, a tormenter.
He “who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9) at one time started his own type of movement—only his was for wicked purposes. Let’s call it the Me First movement.
The article explains well the underlying Me First selfishness that motivated Satan. I’ll only add Jesus’ description of him: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).
Besides murder and lies, Jesus could have included all the other destructive words and actions that exist, because they all come from Satan’s Me First way of thinking.
We’re all victims … and perpetrators
Who was Jesus talking to? He was confronting those who hated Him with the source of their attitude—“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.”
John later stated it so plainly: “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). Lust and pride drive Me First attitudes. And in this Me First movement, not only are we all victims—we are all perpetrators!
We have all fallen prey to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These pulls have affected, and infected, each of us! Satan’s Me First movement says indulge yourself, fulfill your desires, pursue your pleasures, cast off restraints. He keeps repeating to us his promise to Eve—all you have to do to be happy is satisfy your own desires—and we keep believing it (Proverbs 16:25)!
But when that thinking takes hold, wicked things begin to happen. When Me First takes over, it’s always at the expense and hurt of someone. We have all been hurt, and we have all hurt others. That is ultimately the only possible outcome of Satan’s way of thinking.
The only possible solution? How about a God First movement? That probably won’t go viral in today’s world, but you can make it catch on in your life!
