Letters - 23 May 2025
From killer instinct to 'is it that simple?'
Killer instinct
My recent article (25 April) didn’t emphasise quite how awesome the 1660 Peace Testimony is. Far from being unworldly, it’s vastly more real than any other currently available prison theory, as my Parkhurst Prison work showed.
Violence is not genetic, instinctive, nor incurable – but requires a revolution in thinking. As James Nayler told us – if we can once forgo vengeance, then instead of the world disintegrating into war, as today – peace prevails. But it does require confidence that there is a divine spark within everyone, even serial killers. If you can once deliver on this, then every determined killer, including warmongers, will blossom – but, tragically for us all, not until.
Bob Johnson
Truth and testament
As a young person, I was misled about the Old Testament. I was taught that it was the history of a God of war leading his chosen nation to victory in battle. In contrast the New Testament was a record of how a good Christian should live as Jesus lived, and not be misled by the miracles or the rising from the dead, as these were just symbols of Jesus’ teaching, like all parables.
I now realise that that was why I ceased to believe in God and going to church. I met agnostics who lived more like Jesus than churchgoers. But after fifty-plus years among Friends, I now understand that the theme of the Old Testament is human failure to trust and worship God. Human loss of faith led to decadence, bad behaviour, lack of work and defeat by other powers. Again and again God forgives humans when they return to faith and their lives are transformed and this brings happiness.
The story is of God’s mercy, and this is the same story in the New Testament. Faith brings miracles and eternal life. Without this faith humans fail. We are made in the image of God, in the sense that we are able to be merciful, loving, forgiving and faithful to our agreement with God.
An all-powerful single God gives humans the choice between obedience and self-will, and supports and forgives them even when they make the wrong choice, over and over again. This God relents from allowing humans to destroy themselves in the flood, protects the first murderer, and allows four people to escape the destruction of Sodom, even though they all fail his mercy. He gives us power so we can choose mercy as he does. The promise to Abraham is the promise to Adam and Eve, to Noah and later to Israel under Moses and to other priests, prophets and kings; but after a few generations the people fail, and the recurrent cycle is brought to an end by Jesus.
John Myhill
