German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt attended the war crimes trial against Adolf Eichmann in the early 1960s and reported on it in the New Yorker newspaper. Later she wrote a book entitled, “Eichmann in Jerusalem.”
In this book, she coined the phrase “the banality of evil.” She seems to excuse Eichmann’s acts not as the evil they were but rather regular, common acts of military officers simply obeying orders. During the trial, Eichmann stated that he did not kill anyone.
However, it was Eichmann and Hitler who contrived together to produce, “The Final Solution,” which resulted in the death of millions of Jews. His actions were indirect but, in God’s eyes, very direct.
The banality of evil is an interesting expression, though it at some expense disqualifies the accountability of the offender and credits his evil deeds to incoherent stupidity and lack of cognitive skills. Arendt was not a Christian, so it was difficult if not impossible for her to spiritually discern the flagrant acts of Eichmann.
Evil perpetrated upon the citizenry by political or military officials is never a casual thing, it is blatant, planned and diabolical. No generation is above being subject to such heinous crimes as were the Jews during the Holocaust. All that is needed is a handful of ungodly men with ungodly agendas to bring catastrophic results upon an unsuspecting people. Evil is always intentional and can never be attributed to stupidity.
We live in such a society, and we should be both watchful and prayerful. It is a given observation that tyrants always use isolation as a weapon of oppression. During 2020-21 we were divided and isolated by plexiglass at most, if not all, grocery and retail stores. Audacious orders were handed down that we could not gather with our families in our own homes during the holidays.
It was a test run to see just to what extent we would obey. We need to consider and beware of these things as we move forward into 2023. We are not living in a perfect world, we are living in an increasingly hostile world, and we need to adjust our values accordingly.
My one and only suggestion is return to your first love. Are you doing the things you used to do upon your initial conversion to Christ? If not, it is imperative that you do. It is no time for lukewarm and lackadaisical Christian living!
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:11) KJV
Sue West is available to speak at churches and home Bible Study groups. Contact her at suewest1@yahoo.com.
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