Bad People Don't Do Bad Things

The title of this post alone might cause some people to question my sanity. I admit that if I were to see this I would immediately think that it was some secular-humanistic way to excuse immoral behavior. But the title comes basically from my recent study of an exposition on “Morality and Psychoanalysis” by C.S. Lewis in which he discusses the differences between making moral choices as opposed to actions based on the raw materials of an individual.

While Lewis was far more adapt at handling the psychological aspect of this discussion, and any desire to fully understand this one premise would necessitate a prior reading of his arguments on The Law of Human Nature, I will attempt to give a theological summation (which in itself seems to be an oxymoron) of what Lewis so eloquently explains based on logical reasoning.

The mere act of choosing, whether right or wrong, is something that we each have the ability to do because of free will. The Law of Human Nature stipulates that there are given moral laws that humans accept regardless of our background, race, creed, or sex. For example, in all known societies, taking something that does not belong to you is considered wrong. Some may argue that there are societies in which individual need precludes ownership, such as in a true communist society. That would indicate an understanding of mutual ownership among its citizens, which then negates the original example of taking something that does not belong to you. If there exists just such a mutual ownership society then everything belongs to everyone and taking something from someone else is purely acceptable.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963)

The basic constructs of the society, the religious beliefs of the family or community, and the life experiences gained all add to the raw material that an individual uses to make choices. Most members of any given social group have the same basic raw materials. If, however, an individual was raised in an environment where the Law of Human Nature is purposely distorted, then they have a different set of raw material with which to make their choices. A child raised in a commune by those who teach that rape is acceptable will only have that raw material to use for making choices, until the child enters the outside world and is confronted with an opposing view.

Society determines what they accept as good and bad behavior. While Christians are instructed not to judge others, we do have a core basis for what is good and bad based on God’s laws. Therefore, Christians can understand how to determine whether a person is a good person or a bad person. But Lewis explains that a truly bad person cannot make that same determination because the concept of good and bad has been skewed in their psyche.

“Now this raw material may be of two kinds. Either it may be what we would call normal: it may consist of the sort of feelings that are common to all men. Or it may consist of quite unnatural feelings due to things that have gone wrong in his subconscious…The desire of a man for a woman would be the first kind: the perverted desire of a man for a man would be of the second.” Mere Christianity, book three, chapter four, p. 89.

With a basis for what is considered acceptable social behaviors or acceptable moral behaviors, an individual can be tasked with making choices based on the mental data available at the time of the choice. A good person making a choice to do something good will know that their choice was good because of the raw material of their life. A good person making a choice to do something bad will know that their choice was bad for the same reason. Lewis surmises that this is not necessarily the case for a bad person.

“…the right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping…You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know either.” Mere Christianity, book three, chapter four, p. 93.

This is an important concept to understand, especially when attempting to convince a bad person that what they are doing is wrong. When you shine the light into darkness, the darkness does not determine that it is bad and therefore chooses to change to light. No, the light casts out the darkness. The darkness shrinks from the light because it finds the light offensive or even painful to endure. Many Christians fail to understand this vital point and therefore fail to be effective witnesses. Christians of today have taken on a personification of the darkness: they shrink in the face of evil because they find it offensive or even painful to endure.

Christ called us to be a reflection of His light. His light does not shrink from the darkness of the world. But those living in darkness often will not accept His message because they prefer the darkness. It is comfortable to them and they see nothing wrong with it. When I was a teen I witnessed to a man who told me that he knew he was lost, but that he didn’t care. He fully expected to go to Hell and thought it would be a great party with all of his friends. He told me the ones who will be disappointed are all of the fake Christians you see on television who will suddenly realize that they must spend eternity with a bunch of hell raisers.

Bad people don’t do bad things: in their minds, they are doing what is natural and there is nothing wrong with it. How do you reach someone like that? You have to somehow get in there and change their raw material. That is not going to happen until Christians enter the communes of evil and introduce a new perspective for the world. Lewis does not excuse sinful behavior by tossing in psychology, but rather tries to explain why people can make immoral decisions with no regret. He believes that some people need to have their raw material changed before they can see the morality of their decisions. Jesus can do just that.