This past weekend saw the release of one of the biggest films of the year – Star Trek Into Darkness. Historically, Star Trek has had a rather narrow audience, but the newer films have worked hard to create stories that can be enjoyed by everyone.
First off, I highly recommend this movie. It’s a fun ride, with an incredible villain and one of the most gripping climaxes I’ve seen. I won’t discuss it here, but the film has some great things to say about leadership. JJ Abrams (the director) does an incredible job of actually creating meaningful characters and surrounding them with incredible action. We need more films like this – where characters drive the story instead of special effects.
And while most people don’t expect deep philosophical themes to appear in action flicks, I believe the newest Star Trek has done this very well. It asks a very important question: Is it morally right to do evil in order to overcome evil?
3 Different Answers
The responsibility to answer these questions is given to the different leaders in the film, and each one answers the question differently. One chooses the path of vengeance. Another chooses to do whatever it takes to earn victory, even if it means giving up the very thing he fights for. The third chooses to do what is right, and it costs him everything.
Instead of ruining the film for people who haven’t seen it, we’ll discuss the Biblical message that surrounds this question. The Israelites lived at the center of their modern world. For centuries they faced enemies, many who were more wicked than we can imagine.
The Biblical Answer
Sometimes, the Israelites would trust in the Lord when trouble came. Other times, however, they attempted to make deals with their neighbors like the Egyptians or the Assyrians. Here is how God responded to this notion in Isaiah 31:1-2 –
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!”
At our core, many of us hold to an untrue belief. If we did not have this belief, we would never need to ask if it is morally right to overcome evil with evil.
What is that wrong belief?
We think that evil is more powerful than good. We even believe that the powers of evil are greater than God.
If we did not hold this belief, we would never be tempted to fight evil with evil. We would never seek to join forces with “Egypt,” but instead we would always seek after the Lord.
At first glance, evil can seem more powerful than good. Evil is savage, self-centered, and takes everything it can. The ultimate example of good, however, is a beaten man humbled on a cross.
Is evil more powerful than good?
And yet, Christ’s act of sacrifice was the most powerful event in history. Billions of lives were saved and changed for the better. Christ proved the true power of good by conquering the grave, not only for himself, but also for all who believe in him.
While evil may look more powerful on the outside, it cannot hold a candle to the power of righteousness. Walking righteously often requires personal sacrifice of varying degrees, but as Jesus himself said in Matthew 16:26, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
Back to Reality
Few, if any of us, will make decisions that could cost hundreds, if not thousands of lives. The people in Star Trek and the Bible did not always ask to make those decisions, however, so you never know when you will be faced with one.
More likely, however, you will meet people in the business world who lack integrity and cheat their way to the top. You must ask yourself, “do I deal with such a colleague by doing what is right? Or is it OK to cheat myself to keep him or her from winning?”
Or perhaps you will vote for someone – will you put someone in power who is defined by integrity? Or vote for someone who cuts corners? Perhaps you play sports and you want to be a starter, but you compete with someone who uses steroids. Does it make it ok to level the playing field by taking them as well?
When we face those who do wrong, we must remember who holds the ultimate power in the universe. While evil will win some battles, the war has already been won by God. It is not always easy to do what is right, in fact it can be downright costly, but it is always worth it. Because in the end, we’ll be on the winning team.
Have you or will you see Star Trek Into Darkness? What do you think?
I’m in Rwanda writing this, and here it is painfully evident the consequences of fighting evil with evil. But from the loss of over 1 million people in 1994, the people here have learned a valuable lesson: forgiveness is the better path, they have gained health, happiness and prosperity as a result of deciding to forgive as a nation rather than return hate and evil, and it is beautiful to see!
Awesome example Matt, thanks for commenting. Forgiveness is the better path for sure, but why do you think it is so hard? Our gut reaction is usually hate or revenge, but forgiveness is a much more successful road to peace.
This sounds like a great example of “Do the ends justify the means.”
Yep! Exactly right