In this piece we will begin exploring chapter four of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights found within this chapter.
This chapter addresses what the writer calls, “The Secret Curse of Celebrity” and the horrible evil that can befall a person filled with pride and a narcissistic attitude. One might think that these types of individuals are only found in Hollywood, not true. With reality television and the internet narcissistic behavior is on the rise. The internet, seriously, who really care what someone ate for lunch and why.
Sadly, we even find this ‘I am a celebrity’ attitude with the Body of Christ. We are expected to applaud people during church services for their contribution or service. What happened to doing it for the heavenly reward? To have a church is not enough, people want a mega church. The bigger the church the more important most leaders think themselves to be. We even have the Dove Awards, to recognize and honor those who have contributed to gospel and Christian music. What happened to doing it solely out of worship to the Lord Jesus? For a season I watch a Bible game show on television. I finally had to stop watching it because I could not stand the prideful attitude of the music leader, who never failed to make sure people knew he was a Dove Award recipient. Celebrities, or people who fancy themselves one, are everywhere and their heads are huge.
Then there is the attitude of entitlement. Regarding the issue of entitlement, the authors Twenge and Campbell of the book, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement point out that American culture is obsessed with self-admiration. The result according to the authors is a “flight from reality to the land of grandiose fantasy.” They go on to write, “All this fantasy might feel good, but unfortunately, reality always wins.”
Celebrity comes with a great price tag, as we see each day in our news as the dysfunction epidemic rages among those in the public eye. People covet celebrity without considering the cost of celebrity. All of this dysfunction rages among the very people who should be okay with life since they appear to have the talent, looks, wealth, fame and influence many other people want.
As the author points out celebrities just like all people are profoundly shaped by the events of their childhood, along with other major life experiences. Therein lay the roots for dysfunction.
Narcissistic behavior is almost a requirement for celebrity. You have to desire the attention and approval of people pretty badly to be successful at being a celebrity, as Kupelian states from a secondary source, and I totally agree. Kupelian’s source goes on to state that excessive self-obsession that becomes extremely lucrative “invariably becomes downright pathological” in its nature.
What is narcissistic personality disorder? According to the Mayo Clinic, it is “a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. They believe that they’re superior to others and have little regard for other people’s feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism.” What is one of the results of such an attitude? They begin to posses “a sense of narcissistic entitlement that allows them to feel justified in manipulation other to their own end.”
Sadly many, many, people suffer from some degree of narcissism. Don’t you know one? Most of us do. One of the worst things is if you have a narcissistic person in your life. If you do then you know they can never admit that they have made a mistake.
The author notes that child psychologist Carol Craig warns that today’s parents and teachers are so “obsessed with praising” children that they are literally creating a generation of disturbingly egotistical children. I would add that the, everyone gets a trophy attitude, does not help. If you are ten years old and you can get rewarded for modest effort why would you put forth any substantial effort? Playing games without keeping score, to me, is also ridiculous. What is the point? People play to enjoy the game, but people also play to win because working hard to succeed is something our Creator has built within us. If no person ever wins and no person ever loses where are the lifting up experiences and the humbling experiences we all should, and will, feel in life?
Another point the author makes regarding narcissism is that in his research he found that even top U.S. medical centers begin their section on “Causes” with the statement: “It’s not known what causes narcissistic personality disorder.” I would respond to that by saying, the psychological community cannot find a cause, as they cannot for many of their supposed mental disorders, because they refuse to acknowledge the power of sin to dominate and control a person’s mind, heart, soul, and actions. The evil source responsible for narcissistic behavior, PRIDE! Narcissisms and P – R- I – D- E = purposefully redirecting individual’s deliberation everywhere I am.
In the next posting we will explore the second half of chapter four of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.
How Evil Works
Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.
Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
The Marketing of Evil
Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
God's Truth in Love 