Don't Be a Moron, an Oxymoron

I was watching an episode of 48 Hours the other day, and something that one of the reality people said stuck in my mind.  She said, "Just because you quote the Bible does not mean you are a man of God."

I keep hearing that sentence over and over again.  It is such a powerful observation.  It describes an instance of a walking contradiction.  I bet you know at least one person who is just that -- an oxymoron, a hypocrite, an irony.  You might also notice that their stress levels are higher than others.  That's because they continue to try to reconcile what they believe how life should be led and how they are actually living it.

Or maybe you don't know.  The twisted lives of such people are usually hidden under a facade.  What you see on the surface can be deceiving.  Maybe I've been watching too many true crime television shows, but it is true and fascinating.  Those who are driven to murder, mental instability aside, usually do so as a result of living a life in contradiction.

Going back to the episode of 48 Hours that I watched, the murder victim's friend said, "Just because you quote the Bible does not mean you are a man of God."  She was talking about the suspect who was accused of murdering his girlfriend.  The suspect was a youth minister and quoted the bible.  His girlfriend was murdered. He was accused of course because he was there when she was alive the night before, had sex with her, woke up and found her in the bathroom dead, had called 911, had tried to revive her, etc.  He was later acquitted because the evidence pointed more toward an unfortunate, drug-induced episode.  This episode involved a minister, sex, drugs, and murder.  Hmmmmm.  The victim's friend was so right.

There was another episode that involved a pastor and his wife.  She was murdered.  He was accused. In this case, the motive was another woman.  He was having an affair.  He wanted to be with another woman.  But he could not divorce his wife.  So instead, he murdered her.  For a very long time, he denied having an affair, and so did his mistress.  When she tired of him, he told her, "I killed my wife for you, and now you're leaving?" or something to that effect.  Creepy.  The episode involved a pastor, sex, lies, and murder.  The facade of pastoral position and family man was just that, a facade.  He was driven to murder because a divorce would have looked bad on him.

There are many other episodes that involve greed.  Money as a motive for murder happens quite a bit.  On the outside, the accused seem comfortable or well off.  To keep that facade going, they kill to collect life insurance money or inheritance.  Money, money, money, money, money.

Statistically, most people (99.9%) don't murder.  But some probably come close.  Instead of killing, a walking contradiction might resort to lying, stealing, or verbally and physically abusing.  Are they putting on pressures on themselves or is society doing it?  It really is about choices.  That minister and that pastor chose drugs and extramarital affairs.  They chose their paths.  They are morons.  Oxymorons.