Opus 2012-35, Discernment Watch: Modern Heroes

I am in the process of working my way through a series of crime mysteries by J.D. Robb.  On the whole I am enjoying what I have read so far.  I have learned to skip over the detailed sex scenes and some other sections where they get into deep feelings and emotions but on the whole it has likeable characters and lively plots.

The main character is a female cop who refuses to give up.  She is an appealing person because she is portrayed as hard working, having integrity, taking the high moral ground, etc.  She was a victim of sexual abuse from her father and has a lot of baggage from that but she has refused to quit and shows great courage.  She would seem to be a noble role model.  She is a modern heroine.

The problem develops when you compare her to the absolute morality of the Bible.  Without keeping any notes you would notice:  She lies frequently, cheats, steals, has murdered, has no problem with fornication, drinks to excess, does not do drugs but that is because she wants to be in control, etc.  In the first stories she does everything by the book.  She will not compromise on any procedure and is a lion for what we would call constitutional rights.  As the characters mature and unfold she begins to compromise until it become a regular habit to ignore the need for search warrants and due process.  All of it is done for the best of reasons, of course.  And you just know you can trust her to only go after the truly guilty.

How do you portray a person like this as a moral icon?  You do it by compartmentalizing your morality, by accepting something as right or wrong based on the values of the community or society instead of God’s absolute standards.  If this were an isolated example it would be bad enough but this heroine represents the protagonist in almost every work of fiction being read today. 

The danger is that it is making us callus to real right and wrong.  We get used to a sleazy standard and it eventually begins to slip into how we live.  Stay awake.  Keep comparing your standards to the eternal standards of God.  When possible avoid the pollution.

homo unius libri