new church life: september/october 2017
loves or the loves of the communities that we are associating with, temporarily
or forever. If we are in an association with a hellish group we may be frightened
by a crocodile, or be disgusted by a swarm of rats, or have our minds darkened
and the light of truth put out by a flock of owls and bats.
All these have truly been created in hell by the lusts of the companions
we are with. And this can happen in the world of spirits, where we still have
the choice of the companions we take up with. The good uses that the natural
animals were created for, even if it’s only cleaning up some type of garbage, are
turned into bad uses by hellish spirits who want to frighten or dominate.
Here is an interesting bit from an article by Bishop George de Charms for
the February 1983 issue of New Church Life: Divine Providence and the Divine
Permission of Evil. “So also are the hells governed by the Lord through the
instrumentality of evil spirits who from hatred and revenge bring punishment
upon others to check their evil intent and keep it within bounds . . . The evil
dwell in their own delights of punishing others, of dominating over them, of
enslaving them, and thus of exalting themselves in their own eyes. Within
strict limits they are permitted to enjoy such delights.”
Predation is widespread in nature. It may be most obvious in films taken
on the Serengeti Plain in Africa. But you can also see it in your own backyard.
(A lot of it takes place down in the grass and you can’t see it very well, but it’s
there.)
Small spiders patrol and eat small insects. Others spin webs that we see
in the weeds close to the house walls. At certain times when the wasps are
ready to lay eggs, they in turn hunt for the spiders to paralyze and drag off
to feed their larva. And the robins! They are truly fierce predators, constantly
hunting for bugs and worms to feed themselves or their greedy little nestlings.
To us, a robin is a cheerful harbinger of spring, but to a worm, the robin is a
tyrannosaurus. This is in order. The Lord created them this way.
It may be that I am the only one bothered by this subject, but possibly
not. I would welcome thoughts and comments from other New Church people
who have given thought to it.
Joseph S. David was born in Bryn Athyn in 1936 and attended the New Church schools
there through one year of college, then transferred to pursue an engineering degree.
In 1958 he married Pat de Maine and they moved to Franklin, Pennsylvania, where he
worked for a company that made coal mining machinery. They raised five children and
sent them all to the Academy. Joe notes that, “Pat left me for the spiritual world in 2010,
but I still feel quite married to her.” In 2012 he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, “to get
to know the youngest group of grandchildren, and that has worked well.” Contact: joe.
[email protected]
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