Narratives of Good and Evil
Avoiding the Victim-Theology of Demons
There tends to be a great deal of work in pastoral ministry that involves shaping one’s narrative of God. When I use the term narrative I mean to indicate the subjective reception of the truths of our faith. What happens when the Dogmatic claims of the Christian faith are heard, and how do they either get twisted or assimilated by the person? In the most basic of relationships we know that our own experiences, wounds, and even our personality can warp the way we interpret reality. For instance, a person who learns to anticipate rejection may see rejection where it doesn’t exist. This may create the polarized approach to relationships where a person might either appear stand-off-ish as a way to protect themselves from such rejection, or they might turn into a people pleaser in order to buy acceptance. Those who perceive these behaviors may likewise interpret that stand-off as a cold-distant demeanor (i.e. rejection) or the people pleaser as a manipulative or fake person. Meanwhile, amidst all of these judgments and interpretations what we really have is a room full of fear.
Given that the Dogma about our faith preserves the truest narrative of our God, we nonetheless find ourselves working against all sorts of narratives. And these narratives are not simply warped by the traumas and fears of individual persons, but also a wounded collective or sociological paradigm. This is where philosophical examination can help us examine the very systems by which we interpret things such as law, or ethics, or politics. Theological work is served by Philosophy which grants it a systematic (objective) criteria that can help us honestly reflect on our own interpretations of the theological truths around our God.
The objective does not “replace” the subjective narratives. Rather, the objective instructs us, and sometimes chastens the interior wounded voice that would receive God’s "Good News” as if it were “Bad News.” Satan is an example of one who would not take instruction from the objective, subjectively. The demons throughout scripture demonstrate a demoralizing, tyrannical, and deceptive God. Within the Dialogue between the first Eve and the serpent we see very clearly these three lies passively sown in the heart of mankind. We hear demons say things like, “have you come to destroy us?” And then we see the Pharisees themselves label the Holy Spirit as a demon. What is this phenomenon that inverts man’s subjective interpretation of experiences as the opposite of what is objectively the case?
The Answer…
