when the news broke Martial arts superstar Chuck Norris dies Now, at age 86, people did what they always do whenever a celebrity dies and immediately began posting their reactions online. There were also reactions from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He paid tribute to his fellow action stars.. Other film critics, etc. Drew McWhinneyshared a fun personal memory about the actor’s generosity. I love Norris’ 80s action movies. octagon and Lone Wolf McQuaidI also posted my own compliment.
Other answers were less charitable. Note his long-standing conservative views. Support for Proposition 8’s same-sex marriage ban and Barack Obama tacitly supports ‘birther’ conspiracy theorysome have chosen instead to celebrate Norris’ death and dismiss him as a MAGA racist, sexist, and homophobe. Some went further and criticized those who paid homage to Norris. when officePosted by Rainn Wilson Chuck Norris Memories on Instagramsome of his followers reacted with disappointment and dismay (e.g., “He was a Trump activist and opposed everything you claim to stand for,” “I’m really sad to see you make this post”).
Just as the Bible contains words of condemnation that cry out to God to move against those who seek to destroy us, so too does God’s word contain warnings against our own selfish desires, lest we become the ones who bring about our destruction.
But I suspect that many of the people who celebrated Chuck Norris’ death weren’t all that happy that President Trump celebrated his death. death of robert muller. Mueller, who died the day after Norris, was a former FBI director who oversaw the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The investigation ultimately found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Trump campaign, but it was clearly embarrassing for Trump, who consistently called it a “witch hunt” and made no secret of his distaste for Mueller. So when Robert Mueller’s death was announced, it wasn’t all that surprising. President Trump celebrated on social media.. President Trump posted, “I’m glad he’s dead.” “He can’t hurt innocent people anymore!” Subsequent posts only added to the disdain for Mueller and continued to paint Mueller’s investigation as a travesty of justice.
Mr Trump is A long history of vilifying deceased political opponentsinclude John McCainformer Secretary of State Colin Powelldirector rob reinerand now Robert Mueller. But as ugly as these comments are, they take on an added layer of hypocrisy considering the president and the right have swiftly and forcefully condemned anyone who praised or criticized right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. he was killed last september.
in Statement issued immediately after Kirk’s murderPresident Trump called this “the tragic result of demonizing people with whom we disagree, day in and year out, in the most hateful and despicable ways,” and claimed that the rhetoric of the “radical left” is “the direct cause of the terrorism we see in our country today.” Others in the Trump administration went further, with Vice President J.D. Vance saying people were celebrating Kirk’s death. they should lose their jobsannounced by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Plan to ‘target’ people guilty of ‘hate speech’and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued the following order: fire department member These are people who “celebrate or ridicule the assassination of a fellow American.”
In summary, people on the left celebrated the death of a conservative actor while criticizing the president for celebrating the death of a political opponent. And that very same president previously condemned those who demonize his political opponents. Indeed, it’s a real mess, one made worse by our innate desire to justify ourselves, our modern tendency to reduce people to our politics, and the dopamine rush of social media. A simple question then arises:
Should we celebrate the death of another?
Clarence Darrow, a lawyer best known for defending evolution educators in the Scopes Monkey trial, is often mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain.famously wrote“I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.” Each of us can probably think of at least a few obituaries that we have read with great satisfaction. In fact, we may be looking forward to the day when we can read them, but they are probably confessions with a mild sense of guilt.
Nevertheless, we all hope that someone finally—Finally!— Get the ultimate comeback. They’re gone and they can’t hurt us anymore. We feel these urges because we know at a fundamental level that this world is not as it should be. The weak are ruled by the strong, the poor are plundered by the rich, and the innocent are destroyed by the wicked. We want justice and we yearn for imbalances to be redressed, but what can we do? Who will be held accountable for this? Who can be held responsible? What needs to change?
Yes, the world is broken, but it’s also very complex, and the fact that we all have different answers to those questions makes things even more complicated. That doesn’t mean morality is relative, but rather that our answers are filtered through a personal perspective shaped by a myriad of influences that would be impossible to enumerate. But for Christians, our desire for justice must ultimately be shaped by Scripture. And indeed, the Bible contains many cries for justice.
Especially the “accusatory” psalms are filled with very frank and shocking words. psalm 69 “Pour out your wrath on them, and let your fiery anger cover them; let their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.” David found himself weary and overwhelmed by his enemies. after that, psalm 83Asaph calls for God’s enemies to be “eternally humiliated and dismayed” and “perish in shame,” words that are strikingly similar to posts we see on social media today.
However, the psalm makes clear that such judgment ultimately belongs to the Lord. The very same David who asked God to pour out his anger and wrath wrote: psalm 37This advises the reader to “refrain from anger and give up anger! Don’t worry, anger only leads to evil.” Instead of worrying, we are told to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” “Better is the little that a righteous man has than the riches of many that are wicked,” David wrote. “The arm of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord will uphold the righteous.”
Does this mean that Christians should remain silent and not loudly denounce evil and injustice when they see it? Obviously not. Because that’s exactly what David, Asaph, and the other psalmists wrote. But are we crying out for justice as God reveals himself to the world and rightes wrongs? Are we eager to see God’s plan of salvation one step closer to fulfillment? Or are we crying out for justice for our own selfish interests (and social media influence)? Is our desire for justice and fairness actually a desire for revenge in disguise? Do we really just want our enemies, political or otherwise, to be shamed and shown to be fools, thereby proving how righteous and righteous we are?
Just as the Bible contains words of condemnation that cry out to God to move against those who seek to destroy us, so too does God’s word contain warnings against our own selfish desires, lest we become the ones who bring about our destruction. therefore Proverbs 24:17-18 He warns against rejoicing in the enemy’s defeat, “lest the Lord see it and be displeased.” Even Jesus cautions against making presumptive declarations about who deserves to be judged. At the opening of Luke chapter 13he uses recent disasters to question common and convenient notions of who is good and who is bad, and instead urges listeners, and us, to reflect on our own mortality and the need for repentance.
The last song on Luxury’s 2015 album, trophyIt is a piano-led ballad titled “.Gates of Paradise (Praise where praise is due)The song finds frontman Lee Boseman reminiscing about fragility, the fragility of existence, and his duties as an Orthodox priest, but at one point he wonders, in a Morrissey-like tone, “Where I felt hate, I felt love?” These words have become a kind of mental refrain that has been played frequently in recent years as we consider our responsibility for the current situation, including the selfish excitement we get when thinking about the aforementioned obituaries.
In our sinful state this side of eternity, denying that thrill completely may prove impossible. The desire to see an opponent turn the tables is too strong, especially when combined with the dopamine hit that comes from social media interactions. Perhaps the best we can hope for is to simply keep such thoughts to ourselves, or share them with close friends who won’t judge us, and pray that God will save us from such desires. That we begin to feel love where we once felt hate, mercy where we once sought justice, peace where we once felt urgency, and trust where we once felt the need to take justice into our own hands—even if that justice only exists in the form of a hateful social media post.
Source: Christ and Pop Culture – christandpopculture.com
