I was recently listening to evolutionary behavioral scientist Gad Saad discussing what he calls suicidal empathy, and I found myself agreeing with much of his diagnosis. Saad argues that Western civilization has developed a potentially fatal condition in which empathy, normally a virtue, becomes an instrument of self-destruction. A society can become so consumed with demonstrating compassion for others that it loses the moral confidence to protect itself, its institutions, its culture, and ultimately its children.
And as a faithful Christian, let me state unequivocally that God designed us with an instinct for self-preservation, and there is nothing inherently sinful about exercising it, even at the societal level. Look inward for a moment. Don’t you have a natural inclination to preserve your own life? Yet God also calls us to sacrificial love. These are not contradictory impulses, and we should resist the temptation to treat them as a binary choice. Rather, we must learn to love God with our minds (Matthew 22:37), reasoning carefully about how these God-given inclinations fit together within the responsibilities He has entrusted to us, including responsibilities in a society.
Read Full Article: https://thewashingtonstandard.com/the-wrong-knowledge-is-destroying-us/
