“We Are All Infected……”-Rick Grimes

The 2016 Election was a wake-up call for America.

 

America was believed to be the Saviour of the world-a place where every race, faith and creed could live in harmony-a place where justice could be found for its oppressed and the oppressed throughout the world.

I explore the truth versus the myth of America in my book Blessed Are They That Hunger. The reality of the regime of ” No Filter Trump” and the followers that elected him reveal who America really is.

As a member of the Libertarian Party, I have fought for preservation of the Constitution, limited government and more freedom for Americans for the past few years. I have been in a state of shock, as I found out, these were not the values of my fellow Americans.

I have seen my fellow Liberty loving warriors try to grapple with this reality as well. Jeffrey A. Tucker, and Robin Koerner both brilliant writer’s and political persuaders have written articles analyzing the current political and philosophical state of America with its shift away from Liberty.

It was reading one of Tucker’s articles The Do’s and Don’t of Talking Liberty and Koerner’s Article The Fight for Freedom Begins in Culture and watching The Walking Dead, that I faced my own conclusion.

As a Christian, I believe the tenets of the Bible, but somehow, I had been duped into thinking, if I educated people about Liberty, they would want to fight for it as much as I did. But there are Truths in the Bible that explain why this isn’t such an easy solution.

1. We Are All Infected

Rick Grimes is informed by the Head of the CDC in The Walking Dead that everyone is infected by the virus that turns corpses into Walkers. It is not the result of being bitten by the Walkers but regardless of how someone dies, they will turn into a Walker.

The truth behind the state of America and the world is-we are all infected with sin.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

We have a hard time believing this. We want to believe-“I am Ok and you are OK”.

We are shocked when people hurt others, or steal or even kill because we do not want to accept our own sin and therefore we do not want to accept the truth that it permeates all of us and there is no good in any of us.

Romans 3:12 ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one’. ‘Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit’; ‘the poison of asps is under their lips’, ‘whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness’. ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known’. ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes’.

2. Mankind Cannot Save Mankind

When Christ walked the earth and the beginning of the Spiritual Revolution that is Christianity began, there were some strides made in a more free and less oppressive world for Mankind. This fight for liberty is traced back to the Judaic roots of Christianity. The Jewish faith and its laws were the beginning of a society based on fairness and justice and freedom. The idea that our liberty is God given or innate to us as human beings is rooted in these teachings.

The progress towards freedom since then has always been slow-three steps forward and two steps back. This is because of point #1. When people lead other people, there is an opportunity for abuse of power and the oppression of those followed.

The idea that power corrupts is shown throughout history and the bloody wars and cruel genocides that mark the centuries of our existence.

The Walking Dead illustrates this truth as well. The more rules and hierarchy of leadership is instituted in the tale, and the more power a leader is given, the more cruelty and oppression follows. It is not the mindless Zombies that are the biggest threat to the remaining humans of the Apocalypse, but mankind itself.

3. There Is No Heaven On Earth

It has been said that,” Earth is the closest a believer in Christ will get to hell and the closest the unbeliever will get to heaven”.

There is so much beauty and good in the world that we forget the truth that it is a fallen world, corrupted by the infection of sin, caused by the first sin of Adam and Eve. The earth was designed to be Paradise but because God did not want puppet followers, He gave mankind the free will to choose obedience or not.

When the sin of rebellion was committed, it infected every person of every generation throughout history. No amount of laws and regulations can ultimately change this truth and give us a trouble- free world.

Jesus’ words when He prayed for His followers were:

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. John 17:15,16

It is best to remember that this is not heaven on earth, and for believers ,it is not our home- we are just passing through-as the old hymn reminds us.

4. We Need A Saviour

Redemption from sin came for mankind in the person of Jesus Christ. He was God made man, born of a virgin, the Meshach or Messiah, foretold in the prophesies of Judaism. His sacrificial death does not eliminate the sin of mankind but covers it to allow salvation from eternal death for His believers.

The infiltration of Christianity and its tenets and the giving to the earth of the Holy Spirit to those who believe, have made a dent in the evil and corruption of this world. Believer’s in Christ have fought for the end of slavery, fed the poor, preached hope to the incarcerated and it was believers in the Judeo- Christian laws that penned the most liberating documents in history including the Constitution of the United States. These efforts have helped to make the world better but there continues to be:

8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Matthew 13:8

As much as we strive the make the world a better place, (and we should) We cannot cure the disease of sin any more than Rick Grimes can cure the disease of the Walkers.

The end will come despite our best efforts and the Hope for believers is:

26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man[h] coming on the clouds with great power and glory.[i] 27 And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world[j]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Matthew 13:26,27

The only question is-who will take the cure?

Did America Replace King Ezekial With Negan?

It is interesting how art imitates life. As I reflect on the new Season of The Walking Dead, it is apparent to me that as the story line has changed and we are discovering different communities with varied governing entities, there are definite parallels to the leadership changes that are happening in the U. S.

I have written more than a few times about how Anarchy is the new Utopia for Gen X and Boomers which explains the large viewing audience in these demographics. As these two generations have watched government continue to grab power and limit personal freedom, the anarchy of the dystopic world of the Dead has its appeal.

The danger of the walkers pales in comparison to the evil that men do when they organize and create a governing leadership. This has been shown time and time again throughout the tale of the The Dead. The Governor, Terminus and even the Hospital community where Beth died all were examples of how power corrupts and people are more dangerous than flesh eating zombies.

The only leader who seems to be almost immune from the corruption of power is Rick Grimes, the long suffering former Sheriff.  I would call him the Libertarian-the Gary Johnson- of The Walking Dead.  Although he ultimately becomes the main leader of Alexandria, his leadership is not about power over others.  He allows freedom of choice among his followers and asks for the input of others on his decision-making.  His rule is more of a min-archy.  Minimum of rules, maximum of freedom, limited government.

The fatal mistake Rick made was breaking into the Saviour’s compound as an attempt to take them down to protect the Hilltop community from the brutal hold they had over them.  He took on a battle that was not his and overestimated the power of his group.  This prideful decision may show the beginning of corruption from the power of his leadership.  Ultimately this decision lead to the death of two of his main followers Abraham and Glen and the beginning of the iron fisted rule of Negan over Alexandria.

America, on the other hand, seems to have chosen to be ruled by a leader not unlike Negan to replace their leader who is not unlike King Ezekial.

King Ezekial is the smooth talking benevolent dictator who rules The Kingdom with a velvet hammer (and a tiger by his side).  He tells Carol “People want a leader.”  I echo this thought in my book Blessed Are They That Hunger .  Although God wanted the Israelite people to be a Theocracy with God as the leader, they begged Him for a king.  King is a fitting title for the outgoing president of the United States who used his Executive orders to enact his will more like a monarch than a president. And like King Ezekial he is smooth talking and reminds his followers that everything he does is for their own good.  I am reminded of a quote by CS Lewis:

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

Apparently, America was fed up with Obama and the Liberal agenda of the Democratic Party because his antecessor was not elected to office.

The President-elect has all the markings of Negan.  He may be the robber baron that CS Lewis refers to.  He makes no pretense to his iron rule with niceties and platitudes while enacting his will upon the people.  There is no duplicity about him.  His speech is brash and crude with no thought to lulling the masses into submission, but imposing his rule with an iron fist -no velvet to cushion the blow (or in the case of Negan, a barbed wire wrapped bat.)

Fortunately for America, there is another power to keep in check the power of the president, and that is the power of the other branches of government.  The Congress and Supreme Court stymied the will of the exiting President, and I trust will do the same with the President-elect.

So far no regime has successfully taken away our weapons the way the leaders in The Walking Dead did.  The president- elect promises to restore gun rights as he “Makes America Great Again”.

Time will tell if the promises of the election are fulfilled but as for me, my hope is in the Lord God.

Psalm 20:6-821st Century King James Version (KJ21)

6 Now I know that the Lord saveth His anointed; He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought down and fallen; but we are risen and stand upright.

The Walking Dead-Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

Season 5 has been an interesting journey into the world of The Walking Dead on TV.  For the first time our rag-tag group of survivors have found a bit of utopia in the dystopic world they live in.  They have found Alexandria- a beautiful community of elegant homes in manicured landscaping with electricity and hot water and food, safely tucked behind an ominous wall.

But as the strange “man of God” Gabriel says in last week’s episode “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”.  There is an evil lurking in this shiny world.  The most dangerous form of evil is to deny its existence.   The people of Alexandria are under the mistaken impression that the only evil is the walkers outside the protective walls of their community.

They don’t believe that there could be any evil among the survivors so they do not allow anyone to be armed within the walls of the community.  They have rules and those that will not abide by the rules are exiled into the world of walkers outside the walls.

“The rules” do not allow for self-sacrifice or heroics to save and protect one another but there is a survival of the fittest creed that they appear to hold to.  Relationships among the Alexandrites seem to be shallow and forced and for the most part they isolate into their shiny granite-countered, stainless steel homes.

But they forget “the evil that men do.” I wrote in a previous blog how the anarchic world of The Walking Dead appeals to the mostly millennial and Gen-X audience who want a world without a controlling government.

As the series shows over and over the real evil is the evil perpetrated by the human beings not the living dead.  Anarchy cannot protect mankind from itself.  The selfish nature of the people of Alexandria is shown in the refusal to protect Francine from the Walkers on the constructions site and Nicholas’ every man for himself attitude on supply runs.  We are also privy to some physical abuse that is going on in Jessy and Dr. Pete’s home.  The greatest evil is, that Deanna the leader of Alexandria refuses to take action against Dr. Pete because his surgical skills are needed by the community.

Could it be that another more horrible evil is being perpetrated outside the walls by humans as well?  The naked woman tied to a tree to be fed on by walkers had to be the doings of the living not the walking dead.

It must be remembered that the Good Book says “No one is righteous—     not even one. ¹¹ No one is truly wise;     no one is seeking God. ¹² All have turned away;     all have become useless. No one does good,     not a single one.” ¹³ “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.     Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” ¹⁴     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” ¹⁵ “They rush to commit murder. ¹⁶     Destruction and misery always follow them. ¹⁷ They don’t know where to find peace.” ¹⁸     “They have no fear of God at all.” Romans 3:10-18

This is true of mankind in the real world as much as the fictional world of “The Dead” even if Gabriel tears the pages out of the Bible.

Dirge For Beth (The Walking Dead) and Michael Brown

As violence increases in movies and TV, it continues to increase in our lives as well.

I have been watching The Walking Dead for the past two seasons. During that time there have not been too many characters that I have grown fond of.  As the Apocalypse progresses the characters are evolving to be less compassionate, less vulnerable, and less human.  They are not very lovable.

Even Rick and Darryl, both initially good men, have changed because of the violent callousness they are forced to embody in order to survive.

Hope for humanity is left to the next generation, the children, who have been shielded and protected from most of the violence and for the most part have not had to participate in the killing of walkers or corrupt humans.  Beth is one of these.

After she is rescued from the safe house where she was staying with Darryl, she is taken to a hospital in Atlanta.  She continues to have some hope but finds herself imprisoned by the law enforcement officers, led by Dawn Lerner, who run the hospital.  In the process of earning her keep by working in the hospital, she is put in two situations that force her to kill law officers.  By the final episode of the season Beth realizes that she was set up to make these killings by Dawn so that she could get rid of potentially subversive officers without culpability.

Beth has struggled to stay positive throughout the series, even making a suicide attempt in episode 2.

She seems to have lost hope completely by the mid-season finale episode.  She sits in the broken elevator shaft staring longingly down, remembering her escape attempt with Noah.

“Are you gonna jump?” Dawn asks her.

Maybe Beth is contemplating a more permanent escape.  She does voice her hopelessness to Dawn:

“You… You keep telling yourself you have to do whatever it takes just until this is all over. But it isn’t over, this is it. This is who you are and what this place is until the end.”

Beth shows that in spite of it all, she has not lost her compassion or her humanity.  She fights for Carol when Dawn orders her life support machines be turned off and steals medicine in order to keep her alive.

Her final act of humanity is to kill Dawn to save Noah from imprisonment in the hospital.  Did she know this would be at the cost of her life?  It is hard to say, but I don’t think she would regret her decision either way.

She died with her humanity intact because she was willing to risk her life to end Dawn’s cruel reign of terror and save Noah. As the Good Book says :

John 15:13

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Maybe Beth’s sacrifice will be the conduit to break the hardened hearts of the other characters, so that it will serve a higher purpose as the story unfolds.

As art imitates life, I can reflect on the violence and mayhem that one young man’s death has perpetrated in Ferguson, Missouri and throughout the U.S.  Are we as a nation losing our humanity, our love, and our compassion?  Are we unable to forgive and:

Romans 12:19

never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.?

I am reminded of the words of another young black man:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

May we as a nation return from darkness to light, from hate to love.  May we live and die with our humanity intact.

Rest in Peace Michael and Beth.