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Evil seems to be staging a strong comeback in philosophy. The idea of evil was discarded earlier and was viewed as a product of a mythical Christian world view. With the growth of atheism, Satan as incarnated evil was declared dead.However, we cannot imagine a world without evil. Evil has not stopped fascinating thinkers and has become an aesthetic object that functions as the other in the context of the banality of everyday life. Evil is aestheticized in fiction, films, media, religions and in politics in our society and we seem to have lost sight of the horror of evil.When evil is aestheticized, we become desensitized to its violence and we seem to tolerate it without worrying that the knife will cut too deep. The increasing incidents of mob lynching in Indian society necessitate us to use the word evil to express our horror.Published records say in the past five years since 2014, mobs attacked and killed close to 50 people in incidents linked to attempts to protect the cow, an animal revered as mother-god (Gau Mata) in Hinduism.It is not easy to call these monstrous acts as evil as they are supposed to be committed in the name of God. Some even chant the holy name of God while they mercilessly kill their victims. All the same, these events do not exhibit any symbolic resonance of the divine and have to be named as evil for what they are.Still there are among us Indians who cannot see evil in these heinous crimes. Often the recognition of evil in this co
“Behind this, there is Satan.” Pope Francis added this sentence “off-the-cuff” during his concluding address at the Meeting for the Protection of Minors. At the end of the Mass in the Sala Regia, still robed in the liturgical vestments, the Pope spoke in a courageous and realistic way about this disgusting phenomenon. “In these painful cases,” he said, “I see the hand of evil that does not spare even the innocence of the little ones. And this leads me to think of the example of Herod who, driven by fear of losing his power, ordered the slaughter of all the children of Bethlehem.” Already in the past, during a discussion with journalists on the airplane, Pope Francis had compared abuse to a “black Mass.” And so, “Behind this, there is Satan,” the hand of evil. Recognizing this does not mean forgetting all the explanations, or diminishing the personal responsibility of individuals, and collectively of the institution. It means situating it in a more profound context.In his address, the Pope spoke about abuse in the world, not only in the Church. But this was in order to manifest the concern of a father and a pastor who does not intend in the least to diminish the gravity of abuse perpetrated in the ecclesial sphere, because the abominable inhumanity of the phenomenon becomes “all the more grave and scandalous in the Church.” Parents who had entrusted their daughters and sons to priests in order to educate them by introducing them to a life of fai
Sr Mudita Sodder RSCJ has shown through her letter to Editor— Light of Truth June 1-15, 2019—, how we individual Catholics can keep a relationship with God and direct ourselves to live a life pleasing to God. Though I can’t say authoritatively, I feel strongly that none of us, from Pope, Bishops, priests, religious and down to the ordinary faithful is serious about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In view of this it is likely that our religious life becomes a ritual, devoid of any desire for any spiritual growth and holiness. Under this circumstance, it is natural not only for ordinary individuals, but also for authorities entrusted with money, power and property succumb to temptations. In this connection it may not be out of place to mention that there are the alleged financial irregularities ascribed to some hierarchical authorities and the alleged sexual immoralities concerning an ecclesiastical authority and a religious sister. It seems that the state of torpidity and indifference in real spirituality among the Catholics makes them incapable of finding any wrong or deficiency in their spiritual life. Also it gives inspiration and encouragement to pursue the irregularities in the lives of others. How famous we are in the art of accusing others even on the basis of rumours! The protests and “street shows “by some including priests anointed by God, against the alleged irregularities are examples of eagerness to fight for justice ignoring the Christian way
A cartoon is a cartoon is a cartoon, so goes the chorus from some quarters with vested interests. Those who adhere to and propagate such a bend of mind want to say that the cartoonist can go any length in laying bare his mind however foul, vicious, vitriolic and even of underbelly it may be. It means that he can, with his imagination running riot, indulge in character assassination, distort facts, mock people, hurt religious sentiments or go against any moral code. That goes to say cartoonists think they are without borders or without any sense of moral responsibility to society. That, in the name of creative freedom, they can sketch any depraved caricature for public consumption, canlampoon people, indulge in unethical, racist, sexist vibes, anti-religious, communally provoking cartooning and even invade people’s privacy. Such may be scribbles, scrawls or animations, but are decidedly public statements once they are in public domain.Who said a cartoon is an innocent scrawl and scribble? It is invariably a statement, a public literary statement when published. It may look innocent or funny or jocular but it is studded with a message meant to educate or brainwash the public or distort people’s thinking or perception. Is that so innocent an act like a child’s play? Surely not.India takes pride in a host of famous cartoonists like Abu Abraham, Sudhir Dhar, Kutty, RajinderPuri, Malayattoor Ramkrishnan, K.K. Raghavan, O.V. Vijayan, Mario Miranda and many others. Such
On 12 June, an eight-member team of the Pune police raided the Ranchi residence of Jesuit Father Stan Swamy. It was the second such raid on the 83-year-old’s house since August 2018. Fr Swamy, a great upholder of the rights of Adivasis, is an ‘accused’ in the Bhima Koregaon/Elgaar Parishad case in which police have so far booked 23 people, including prominent rights activists and intellectuals. The ‘Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha’ condemned the raids on Stan Swamy and arrests of other human rights activists saying, “the central government and media houses close to the BJP claim that the human rights activists were part of a Maoist conspiracy related to the Bhima-Koregaon incident. This concocted story seems to be part of a larger propaganda, based on terms like “urban Naxals,” aimed at stifling any criticism of the government. The raids and arrests are part of the government’s growing attempts to stifle dissent and intimidate those who are fighting for justice. Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha demands an immediate end to the raids, dropping of all false charges against human rights activists across the country and release of those who are arrested. These harassments are politically motivated and wholly unjustified.”Bertolt Brecht, the German poet and fierce critic of the Nazi regime, provides a cue In the dark times Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing About the dark times.- Fr Cedric P