The Others

From the first time Crazy French Lady Rousseau eerily called them "The Others" we knew they were bad news. And as soon as saw Ethan kick Jack's butt, it was confirmed: The Others were not to be trifled with. Then they took Walt and it got worse. Lost had created the latest entry in the time honored tradition of a story about 'us vs them.'

Their very name, 'The Others,' spoke to just why they were bad news. They were not like the castaways we were used to. They dressed different, behaved differently- there was something almost ghost-like in their sudden appearences. The fact that they were not like 'us' made them the enemy.

You and I have our own Others. They may be Muslim or Hindi, black or white, educated or not, rich or poor, popular or geek. Others simply are that- other than us. And in the narrative of our life, it's often easier to simply label the Others as the bad guys. Their ways are, after all, contrary to our ways. They don't look or dress like us. They don't think like us. And since we can't be the villain in our own story, they must be.

Lost did something else great. The more we got to see of the Others, the less we were able to simply dismiss them as typical bad guys. Their motivations- murky as they were- seem to come from genuine concern about being 'the good guys.' Sure, there were bad apples- revenge driven widowers, Machiavellian plotters, cold-blooded killers- but given a simple twist of fate, our castaways could have been them. Heck, our castaways were torturers, killers and con men. And they were the 'good guys?'

Do our real life Others have to be the bad guy? Does the fact that they are not Christians make them evil? It would be easy to say that if you are not with me, you are against me and therefore evil. But it would not be right. Nor would it be Christian. Christianity is not about being right. It is about being like Christ, living for Him as we imitate Him. And what did Christ say about the Others in His life- the ones actively killing Him on the Cross? "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Is it wrong to reject God? Absolutely. And as hard as it is to admit- that alone makes one deserving of Hell, no matter how much philanthropy and good work one does. But how can people not following Christ be expected to abide by the rules of a King they do not know or whose authority they do not recognize? Who will show them? It won't be us if we view them as an enemy, rather than as a fellow human struggling along a road to redemption and life.

I believe most people on earth are searching for validation- that their life ahs meaning. Some find it in Christianity or Islam, others in science or art, still others in various forms of relationship. In this, none of us are Others. All of us are in pursuit of meaning. If we believe that Christ is the validation- the redemption- of our lives, should we not desire to appeal to the 'Others' in love and respect instead of judgment and from a position of moral rightness?

It is not my job or yours to convert someone to a way of thinking, especially when it comes to faith in Christ. When we argue a person into submission for Christ, we are saying we don't really trust in the working grace of God to speak into that person's life. This does not negate apologetics, or give us liscense to say "Well, if God wants them, he can talk to them." Our role is to be present in the person's life, be available for the Spirit to use us as He sees fit. There will be times where we have to defend why we believe what we do- we must be ready and compassionate.

The thing about Lost is that it allowed us chance to see a story as told from the persepective of the Others- and it turns out that they, like the real life Others we know of- were not so other after all.