Mental Dereliction of Duty

By Daniel Cain (David's brother)

 

…since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. [Romans 1:20; NIV]

How far should the right to ignore information extend? What does the Bible say about ignoring evidence that God exists? If signs of it exist, and they’ve been plain enough for a reasonable person to understand, then you’re responsible. You’re guilty of willfully, consciously ignoring it if you don’t stand up and say what the obvious indicates. And God will not excuse it. He had his own son come to earth and get executed on a cross to try to wake us up, to make it blindingly obvious that we’re supposed to pay attention to this, and not just blow it off. And you do so at great risk.

The truth is God does allow you the right to ignore information. But if you do, then he’s going to exercise his right and sovereignty to hold you responsible for holding that right higher than the duty of acting on information. Think about it this way: Did God give Adam and Eve a pass on choosing to ignore what he said, and choosing instead to listen to the serpent?

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” [Genesis 3:13; New International Version]

Another way to state God’s question is: “How could you do such a thing?” [The Living Bible]

 What was “the thing” that Eve did, and that Adam did? Was it just about chomping on the fruit? Four verses later, God says what “the thing” is that he’s upset by: 

   "Because you listened to your wife...” [Genesis 3:17; NIV]

 I’d like to suggest that God was angry—and has probably been angry and frustrated ever since—that humans chose (and are still choosing) to ignore information he provided, and chose to prefer information from another source. The matter of choosing may seem innocuous, but God doesn’t see it that way. (See 18^th Century work of art here, The Rebuke of Adam and Eve, by Charles-Joseph Natoire, which shows God confronting the first two humans and their dereliction.)

 It seems to me that we Americans are committing the same kind of mental dereliction of duty in assessing the nominees for president. Should a person be allowed to insist on voting mindlessly without weighing information about a candidate? Does God think it’s OK to lie? Is it OK to break the law and expect to receive no punishment for it because of the position you hold? There’s been ample evidence that ethical standards are not what they should be in at least one of the candidates. I don’t think I need to say that person’s name out loud. It should be clear to any reasonable person. The question is: Will we choose to be reasonable? Or are we going to insist on our right to choose without looking at the indicators of evidence that should tell us who clearly does not meet the ethical threshold we should expect of a national leader? In the Bible, Nathan did not allow King David to get away with such behavior. Neither should we.

 

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