Sunday 15 September 2013

Can we have the Nanny State back please?

In decades past, much of state policy had a moral dimension to it - including concepts such as the 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor - which influenced the degree and nature of any help or benefits offered.

We now expect the State not to make judgements about the ways in which people live. So the tax and benefits systems treat people the same, regardless of behavioural choices or lifestyle. Thus we affirm that it is not the job of the State to make moral judgements and so avoid having a 'Nanny State'. After all, it is not the job of the State to decide who is 'right' or 'deserving'!

At first sight this appears to be fair: people are treated equally regardless of their circumstances, and it avoids the State having to make difficult judgements at an individual level; straightforward regulations can be drawn up which apply to all.

But this stance has a number of unintended consequences: in avoiding making moral judgements, we promote amorality. And in an amoral society we do not face any consequences from our decisions; it makes no difference if we behave morally or immorally, responsibly or irresponsibly! Moreover, this system is not felt to be 'fair' either, for some groups are widely felt to be 'milking the system' at the expense of 'the rest of us'.

So there is a perverse consequence of this amoral stance: the irresponsible are in effect rewarded, by not reaping any negative consequence from their actions; and the responsible are in effect discriminated against, for there is no positive outcome from taking personal responsibility, as well as from having to pick up a share of the consequences arising from others' irresponsible behaviour.

And hence the 'neutral' stance is not neutral after all: in being amoral, we are promoting amorality. A state system which is blind to people taking personal responsibility, encourages and grows immature and irresponsible people. People unfamiliar with difficult moral decisions and judgements are ill-equipped to do so when needed, including about the interplay of personal and societal responsibilities.

And those who sneer at idea of the 'Nanny State' and strut around saying 'they don't want to be treated like children' appear to be behaving exactly like stroppy children who are trying to assert that they are grown up.

Others say that grappling with morality is the responsibility of the church, not the state. In part this must be true, for the ultimate questions of right and wrong are religious. But making judgements about balancing personal and societal responsibilities are not just a religious matter. People who have no religious faith make judgements of this kind all the time, and the state cannot wash its hands of doing so too; that is the state shirking a difficult responsibility!

Personally, I would rather we grappled with the problems associated with a Nanny State, than promoted an amoral culture. The former pushes us as a society to make judgements which balance the needs of the individual with the best interest of society. This will certainly involve difficult discussions and decisions about what is 'moral' or 'right', and what 'acting responsibly' means in relation to the rest of society.

But promoting an amoral culture is definitely wrong!

Monday 2 September 2013

There's much more to forgiveness than meets the eye

We all know that it is good to forgive people for their minor misdemeanours against us, and we expect them to do the same in return; this smoothes family and social relationships. After all, we are all fallible human beings and sometimes say or do things we regret. Forgiveness is a good means of dealing with this side of life.

But in the Biblical view, there is much more to forgiveness than that. In fact, if you have at some point been badly wounded by some very difficult circumstance, trauma or abuse, then you may find this topic challenging and difficult to hear. Please read on, if you choose to do so, with care.

While we probably find it possible to forgive others' minor actions, it becomes much more difficult when we have been badly wronged and emotionally wounded. Unfortunately, the Bible makes no such distinction according to how severe the transgression, and tells us to forgive others nonetheless: "…if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11v25)

In fact, Jesus in the Lord's Prayer teaches his followers to pray: "Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who sins against us" (Luke 11v4). If we will not forgive those who have wronged us, then God cannot forgive us either! It's not that God is reluctant to forgive us - far from it, for he longs to! - but rather he cannot deal with those areas of our lives, such as unforgiveness, that we hold onto tightly and will not put into his hands.

So, is the Bible seriously saying that we should forgive people if they have badly hurt us, even abused us or tortured us? And even if they are not repentant? Our natural response is to say, "Surely this is not fair; surely it is letting them off the hook and letting them go free! Surely God is just and will punish evil-doers?"

Well, that is the point: God is just, and will punish all who sin and do not turn to him in repentance - but justice is in God's hands and not ours. We are to forgive, to hold no claim, not even a grudge. As far as we are concerned, we are to let the perpetrator go free!

But why? Because this isn't just about letting the perpetrator off the hook, it's also about letting ourselves off the hook - the hook of bitterness, woundedness, of victimhood. It's about letting ourselves go free; it's about giving no scope for the devil to work evil in our lives through what has happened - leaving no room for anger, for revenge, or for resulting sickness of body or spirit.

So what about the perpetrator? They are, and always were, in God's hands, and God's alone; he is both loving and just and will decide that person's fate. Note that this is not simply saying 'you don't have to take revenge because God will do it for you'! Rather, it is leaving the outcome up to God, the ultimate and just Judge who has the power of eternal life and eternal death in his hands, but who will also forgive the vilest offender who truly repents.

But how do we actually do this? How do we let go of the hurt, anger and bitterness that are left after we have been badly hurt? How can we forgive?

We may feel that we cannot forgive, but the Bible doesn't accept this, asserting that we have a choice over whether to forgive. It reminds us that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness, and Jesus has forgiven us much more than we will ever need to forgive another person.

But this is not to imply that any of this is easy; it is likely to involve a real, and probably prolonged, struggle. In the midst of such a struggle, the best way forward is to pray, "Lord, please help me forgive and put this into your hands".

When we are able to put this all into God's hands, then God can also work his healing in us - restoring us mentally, emotionally, psychologically and physically - freeing us and making us whole again; a work that only God can do!