It hardly needs saying that so much of the evil and suffering experienced in our world results from human decisions, from the potent reality of our will. Somehow, for all the wondrous glimpses of 'goodness' I see in society, there remains the unmistakable stain of selfishness, violence and greed.
In striking imagery, Genesis 1-3 makes the point that human beings from the very beginning misused their divinely sanctioned independence as rational beings and sought to become autonomous, that is, a law unto themselves, without reference to the Creator.
So began the long and tortuous story of the human will: men and women, made in God's image, defying their Maker for an imagined personal gain. And the result? A society scarred with the tyranny, betrayal, poverty and violence we see around us.
