From The Pastor’s Heart By DR. ROBERT KENNEDY, OP-ED
In listening to the responses that some of our leaders are bringing to COVID-19, it is clear to me that some are “deluded” and passing their delusion to many people. I am not trying to be a psychiatrist, but I am taking the simplest definition: “Delusion is a detachment from reality.”
More sophisticatedly, delusion is “an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument. It is typically a symptom of mental disorder- the delusion of being watched.” Stated in other ways, delusion is “fantasizing,” “lying to oneself,” “daydreaming,” or using “false imagination.”
Concerning COVID-19, the deluded individuals refuse to wear masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended. They argue that social distancing might not be necessary for some situations but still hope that they will not contract the virus or spread it. There is an urgency to open schools without taking all of the necessary precautions and hope that teachers, children, and parents will be all safe. Some mountebanks are even offering bogus medications as a cure.
As stated, I do not want to get into the psychiatric descriptions of delusion. Still, it seems clear to me that when we lie to ourselves; when we seek to justify our bad behavior in anything; when we blame others for our lack of personal discipline; when we listen to bad advice and put it in practice to please people; when we hand ourselves over to the devil and think that we will not be destroyed, that is a delusion.
Let me use an illustration that is not connected to COVID -19, but I now think of it as my youthful days of delusion. It felt especially good to me. I was driving my father and a group of his friends down the freeway to Atlantic City. My father and friends thought I was an excellent driver, for I used to drive from Toronto and Ottawa, many weekends. That was some 280 miles-451 km, depending on the route one takes. But going to Atlantic City for a conference, was a special treat.
The older men (as I thought of them then) were tired, and I was given the wheel. I did not drive the entire distance at 110 mph, but when I thought the men were sleeping, and the road was clear, I tested my skills. And the Buick Electra, with its 350-horsepower engine, seemed up to it. I would have upped the speed more if fear had not entered my heart. As I look back at all I did with my dad and his friends in the car, I thank God for his forgiveness. He forgave my foolishness and sent some holy angels to protect the praying men who were half asleep in the car.
At points, I am sure the holy angels took the steering out of my hands. I thought that my new freedom had given me the right to break speed limits and do as I pleased. I have seen many a youth not so “lucky” as I was. I have seen their cars in ditches. I have seen their cars on the opposite side of the road, all wrapped around trees. I have seen them in hospital emergency rooms. And I have a few friends whose children did not come home alive; I attended their funerals.
I am talking about delusion, the kind of thing that detaches people from reality. The kind of thing that makes people lie to themselves. It does not need to be the diagnosed psychotic “delusion grandeur” that psychiatrists like to speak of, but the kind that makes us “live” and “believe” lies at all times. While one must admit that delusion has been within the frame of humanity since the dawn of history, it is evident that in this panic-driven time in which we are living, people’s hearts and minds are being prepared for a depth of delusion that is to be more destructive than has been. The Bible tells us that “And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
I do not know that the Biblical text is blaming God for our delusions. Our delusions are built into the lies we tell ourselves. The Christian fiction writer William Paul Young, who wrote novels like The Shack, Cross Roads, and Eve, says, “Lies are a little fortress; inside them, you can feel safe and powerful. Through your little fortress of lies, you try to run your life and manipulate others. But the fortress needs walls, so you build some. These are the justifications for your lies. You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain. Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies.”
We might also argue that our delusions are from “the father of lies” (John 8:44). He is the one that twists our minds and hearts. It is he that makes anyone think good is evil and evil is good. It is he that fans the flames of the dark sides of our lives. It is he that allows a man or woman to cheat on a spouse and lies about it. It is he that makes a person accept factoids in place of facts. He allows a person to see the truth and deny it. He allows an individual to remain in an abusive relationship and try to justify it. It is that same one that leads people into a sense of false comforts when they are engaging in reckless behavior. Yes, it is the devil that makes us lie to ourselves and allows us to live in the darkest of night and pretend that they are in the light.
We must blame ourselves and also blame the devil most for being deluded. We must not blame God for our actions. Don’t blame other people. Do not blame any pathetic politician who is seeking to delude us. Do not even blame news media or social media. The only way to overcome delusion is to take responsibility and stop the actions leading to delusion. In effect, we must never forget that destruction is at the end of the road on the path of delusion.
