Light Notes on Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Are babies born good or bad? This question has caused quite a stir, and is prompted by a study of Romans. I've concluded that we are not born "holy". But we are born with a desire to be holy, and our human expression of this ambition can be fairly described as "good." A child's environment with an absence of teaching on God's character is at risk of losing interest in pursuing the ambition to be good. And an environment rich in the teaching about God's holiness can nurture that innate interest in goodness, and develop into a realization for the need for a sanctifying Savior.

Nobility seems to be one of those good virtues that humans seek to attain. Who hasn't had some desire to be our own version of Superman?

Memorial Day causes me to be very thankful for those who were willing to be the U.S. Constitution's Super Hero. While the average person would limit the ambition to be noble to that of a parent, a boss, or a rule enforcer; soldiers go to the greatest extent our society makes available to us and puts their lives in danger without the comfort of friends and family.

Our veterans serve faceless citizens, and their loyalty shifts in the midst of battle from the Constitution to their fellow soldiers. Researchers, interviewers, and experts explain that while in the trenches soldiers don't fight for the abstract values contained in the Constitution, but to preserve the lives of their fellow soldiers. For decades Americans have served in this way and it is humiliating to think of how much I take for granted as they sacrifice so much. It makes my high-minded attempts to protect the Constitution through a war of words seem silly and meaningless.


I suspect it is appropriate to put my high-minded attempts to promote the teachings of Christ under the same scrutiny. Do I put forth "noble" fights to preserve correct teaching, and neglect to thank the one whose blood perfected and protected my ability recognize them? Perhaps the most appropriate response to great sacrificial acts of nobility is set aside piety and to simply be grateful, and recognize how wonderfully blessed I am.