I am concerned that one of the biggest problems in our culture today is the sin of envy. For example. If person A does not have the material possessions person B has, rather than rejoicing for person B or conceding that “what’s B’s is B’s,” person A engages in envy. That is to say, a person fantasizes that person A loses his material possessions—or even suffers because of them.
Another case and point is the envy that has been exposed since Hamas slaughtered innocent Jews on October 7. Throughout the world, including the United States, we see the harvest that is springing forth from the sown seeds of Marxism. Much of this work has been generated in our university institutions. In its basic form, a worldview divides the people of our planet into two groups: colonizers and those colonized. The colonizers are the oppressors; the colonized are the oppressed.
On top of that, citizens enjoy material blessings and prosperity; they are, by definition, colonizers. Those who do not enjoy material blessings are oppressed by the colonizing oppressors.
Hang on to that thought. We will return to it in a moment.
I want to shift for a second and say this: after the holocaust, I honestly believed in my heart that the sin of antisemitism was dead and gone. Oh, how wrong I was. Wrong and naïve.
Returning to the college campuses of the world, I am seeing students, and in some cases professors and college administrators, who are demonstrating antisemitism.
The way that so many of these people who are practicing this form of hatred, despicable hatred, are typically demonstrated by College students. We see it in various ways:
- The chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” which is well understood as a call for genocide of the Jews (and used as emotional kindling by terrorist groups such as Hamas to inflame anger)
- Intimidating mobs gathering outside of known Jewish establishments such as restaurants
- Reluctant academic leaders who refuse to condemn students spouting genocidal threats on campus (sometimes shouting these condemnations at Jewish students)
Regarding the latter, the three presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT testified to a congressional subcommittee this week. The proceedings showed yet again how our godless world has created a valueless vacuum that has cornered otherwise intelligent people. The result, according to The New York Times, “…they (the college presidents) were appalled by antisemitism and taking action against it on campus. When asked whether they supported the right of Israel to exist, they answered yes, without equivocation.
“But on the question of disciplining students for statements about genocide, they tried to give lawyerly responses to a tricky question involving free speech, which supporters of academic freedom said were legally correct” [italics mine].
Here is a portion of one typical exchange:
Representative Elise Stefanik of New York: “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct, yes or no?”
Liz Magill (President of the University of Pennsylvania): “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment.”
Ms. Stefanik: “I am asking, specifically: Calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment?”
Ms. Magill: “If it is directed and severe, pervasive, it is harassment.”
Ms. Stefanik: “So the answer is yes.”
Ms. Magill: “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”
Ms. Stefanik: “That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context?”
Thankfully, the majority response from many democrats and republicans (and other significant opinion leaders) was revulsion. However, one hundred years ago, a wave of antisemitism spread throughout Europe, cresting with the destruction of 6 million Jews. The groundwork was laid by the intellectual elite of Western Europe. I now believe it can happen again.
Returning to the sin of envy, since Israel, when compared to other Middle Eastern nations, is thriving, the conclusion by many in the intelligentsia is that Israel and the Jews are oppressors. Therefore, those who oppose them, including Hamas, have the moral ground to do so. Even if it involves terrorism.
If you are baffled or offended by what you have been observing since October 7 regarding the despicable attitudes and behavior toward the Jews by the Western world’s “best and brightest,” recognize one of the traditional seven deadly sins – envy. Envy unchecked can lead to anger—and the feeling that “if I cannot have it, I don’t want my neighbor to have it either.” That can lead to murder, which is the way the sin of envy played out in Genesis 4 when Cain murdered Abel. With envy, you have the roots of not just antisemitism but a potential Holocaust yet again.
To paraphrase Jesus’ words, let anyone who harbors anger in his heart toward another human being take heed, for if he murders that person in his heart, he is indeed a murderer.
Let our culture take heed.
For further reading: The New York Times, “College Presidents Under Fire After Dodging Questions About Antisemitism”.