Atticus Finch is the number one movie hero of all time. (Indiana Jones is second. George Bailey is only ninth. Superman is a distant 26th.)
Not bad for a fictional lawyer.
You likely recall that in the movie, To Kill A Mockingbird, Gregory Peck portrays Mr. Finch: attorney, widower, and single father of two. Central to the story is that Finch does the unthinkable in Depression Era Alabama: he defends a black man accused of beating and sexually assaulting a white woman.
The impact To Kill A Mockingbird has had on the law as a vocation is huge. Many an attorney has pointed to Atticus Finch as the reason they chose to pursue a career in law.
But, perhaps you've heard, in Go Set A Watchmen, Harper Lee's sort-of sequel, Atticus is no longer so heroic. In fact, daughter Jean Louise (Scout) is shocked to learn her father is less the racial hero than she remembered from childhood.
In this sense, we can compare Atticus to David. Most of us quickly recall David-the-Psalmist, or David-the-shepherd, or David-the-giant-killer. Some might, upon reflection, mention David-the-King or maybe David-the-military-leader. But, for most of us, David-the-rapist is not our go-to memory of him. David-the-failed-father doesn't pop up often, either. And, well, really, who wants to remember David-the-murderer?
But we should.
Atticus is less than ideal to his grown daughter, but it is not likely he has devolved since he defended Tom Robinson in the 1930's. His racial prejudices had to have existed, then. The truth of it is this: in service to the law, Atticus stepped around the enculturated racial prejudice of his time to provide a vigorous defense of a black man.
It is here I find I may be in agreement with scientist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins when he writes: "Nothing is wrong with peace and love. It is all the more regrettable that so many of Christ's followers seem to disagree." It is sobering to find that an atheist sees us so clearly, sees us for how our human-ness has "over topped" what we have been taught concerning such fundamental spiritual matters as “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
To borrow from Doctor Who, "We all change, when you think about it, we're all different people; all through our lives. And that's okay … so long as you remember all the people that you used to be."
When we think of David, and of the Atticus Finch's we know, and of each other, we must do so with a large serving of mercy. As is brought home so clearly in this week's James 2 passage, we must love our neighbors as ourselves, regardless of our prejudices … or theirs.
It helps if we keep in mind all of the people we have been in this life.
Mercy triumphs over judgment. —James 2:13
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Clip from To Kill A Mockingbird:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7CX_5D6y6E
PHOTO CREDIT and interesting read about the “changed” Atticus Finch:
https://www.tomvmorris.com/blog/2015/7/20/is-atticus-finch-still-a-hero?format=amp
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It's not yet fall, but the promise of it is here. I hope you can join us one of these cooler Friday mornings for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet for about an hour at 8:00 on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place (formerly “Egg and I"). We spend our time enjoying each other's company, eating some great food, and discussing the Word.
Enjoy the week!
Steve
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