Marc ChagallOne of the most dramatic and gripping stories of the Old Testament is of King David's lust for Bathsheba and the chain of events which ensues. The chapters in 2 Samuel tell of his scheming to get into the sack with this married woman, her resulting pregnancy, and the orchestrated death of her husband in battle. It is one of God's prophets, Nathan, who dares to challenge David's abuse of power and expose the immorality of everything he has done. In the end David is contrite, as we read every year in Psalm 51, the psalm for Ash Wednesday.
Well, three thousand years later, nothing much has changed. This week we heard from a supposedly contrite Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose wife Maria Shriver has left him because he fathered a child with another woman thirteen years ago. One reporter offered that the Terminator became the Governator and has now been exposed as the Fornicator. Actually, Arnie has dodged accusations of being a groping, leering abuser of power for years.
Then there is the case of Dominique Strauss--Kahn, the now former French leader of the International Monetary Fund. He is currently in a New York prison, charged with the attempted rape of a hotel worker. Strauss--Kahn also has a rather sordid history of inappropriate sexual encounters.
Why do people, mostly men, do this when they are in power? It would seem that they have so much to lose, but it is as though they assume their positions put them above the law and disconnect whatever moral compasses they might have.
Yesterday there was an interesting CBC radio interview with the chaplain of the King Bay ministry in the financial district of Toronto. He has counselled those who have made messes of their lives because of inappropriate relationships and he feels that it is often the headiness of power, entitlement, with a dash of testosterone that leads men into these situations.
What is your reaction to all this? Are these stories just media prurience, or necessary cautionary tales about the abuse of power? What would happen if a Canadian politician was caught in a sex scandal?
4 comments:
"One reporter offered that the Terminator became the Governator and has now been exposed as the Fornicator."
This is the funniest thing I have read in a month.
Well played!
Had never heard that parable of David's lust, but it would appear to suggest that men behaving badly has been a serious problem for a long time!
Well, Ian, it appears we are the only ones who find this subject worth talking about! Thanks.
I've managed to keep myself out of trouble so far, but I know people that can't seem stay the course with one partner.
I don't understand why they do it. Perhaps I'm practicle. I can quickly see that there is way more down side than up side.
And don,t forget that you have a wonderful wife!
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