The Insanity of Crowds
“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
We’ve been seeing this play out before our very eyes on college campuses across America.
This is not to minimize the suffering going on in Gaza. But never mind the unspeakably horrific situation affecting millions and getting ever worse in our near-neighbor, Haiti. And never mind that recently, incomparably more Muslims were killed by other Muslims in Syria (500,000+), in Yemen (150,000+), in Darfur (400,000), terrorist attacks on other Muslims (200,000+), and females murdered in honor killings (5000 per year). And never mind that Hamas’s stated goal is that “Islam will obliterate” Israel and all its people and that they use their own Gazan people as human shields to increase casualties and blame the Israel Defense Force, which is more careful about civilian deaths than is the US military. And never mind endless other facts.
In these cases—as well as endless others, again and again through history—we see the insanity that creeps in and whips up crowds. And their demands always claim righteous justification: Hitler’s cleansing Germany of the Jews and others. Mao Tse Tung’s cultural revolution in China. Pol Pot’s killing fields in Cambodia. Islamist murderous use of blasphemy laws. The shouts of “Crucify him! Crucify him!” by the crowd before Pilate as they chose their freedom fighter Barabbas rather than Jesus. Even professing Christians got caught up in the insanity of the Salem witch trials and of the Jim Crow South.
And the insanity of crowds will continue. If Bible prophecy is true, and it always has been, there will have to be a lot insane crowds behind the madness of attacks on Israel prophesied in the books of Daniel, Zechariah, the gospels, and Revelation.
Gird yourself.
The Jews have been endlessly singled out for hatred more than any other group on earth. And globally, the group that is second-most singled out for hatred is Christians.
What’s the common denominator? God’s chosen nation of Israel (regardless of how they behave), and Christians (who are grafted in, Romans 11) are together the primary enemies of the original adversary himself—Satan.
It is arguable that throughout history, regardless of the players, Satanic influence has been behind much, if not all, the insanity of crowds that advocate or bring destruction to any demographic of humanity in general, and particularly to the people through whom God has chosen to work.
Agree or disagree, that’s fine. But I encourage you to see past the surface.
See the spiritual world behind the physical.
And see God’s big picture beyond even the spiritual world.
This perspective will enable yourself to gain a sense of peaceful confidence in faith.
Photo credit: The Times of Israel
