The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Life Lessons From "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Life Lessons From "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Part 1: Spiritual Warfare

By: Saintmichaeldefendthem (via_dolorosa) Posted: LDS.NET, The-Highway.com, Bible-discussion.com

A good lesson on true spiritual warfare, how God used a sweet innocent little girl to stay the hand of evil.

I'm going to use this scene from the movie rather than the book. Here is the backdrop. Tom Robinson, a negro, had just been arrested and charged with raping a white woman in a poor Southern town in the 1930's. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single father, was appointed to defend him. Many in town were of the mind that Tom's guilt was not in question and that a trial would be perfunctory and there were some still who had no desire that Tom even make it to trial. So when Tom was transferred to the county jail, Atticus knew there would be trouble that night. In an effort to head it off, he waited until his children were in bed and then drove to the jail. He set up a chair, a lamp powered by an extension cord, and a good book to help him keep vigil through the night. Unbeknownst to Atticus, his children Jem and Scout had followed him on foot and were concealed in the bushes watching their father read by the light of the lamp.

If one could look with different eyes, they might have also seen an angelic sentry standing next to Atticus. Heaven was their to protect Atticus as Atticus was there to protect Tom.

Predictably, several vehicle drove up filled with armed men who were up to no good. They filed out of the vehicles and approached as a mob, every one of them toting a rifle. Atticus was unarmed as he became surrounded by the hastily marshalled posse. These were not strangers; every one of them were local townsmen who Atticus knew, good men possessed by a bad idea. Looking with different eyes, one might detect something else that possessed the crowd, a gaggle of demons frothing the men with murderous intent.

"Step aside, Mr. Finch, you know what we're here for," Mr. Cunningham said.

"I suggest you all just go home," Atticus responded.

But the posse came with bloodlust on their minds and would not be shaken of it so easily. Jem, afraid for his father, ran out from his hiding place, his sister in tow, and positioned himself between his father and the posse. Only 10 years old, but they would have to get through him to get to his father. The posse immediately demanded Atticus send his children home. Atticus told Jem to take his sister home. Jem, furtively glancing at the menacing posse, responded "No Sir." Though far from being a defiant child, there was no way Jem was going to leave his father to face this threat alone. During this standoff, however, Scout recognized one of the faces in the crowd.

"Hello Mr. Cunningham." Mr. Cunningham didn't respond. "Don't you remember me? I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter. Will you say 'hey' for me when you see him?"

The posse, including Mr. Cunningham, remained silent. Scout, sensing the awkwardness, became crestfallen and said, "I sure didn't mean any harm."

"No harm, little lady," Mr. Cunningham replied, "And I'll tell Walter you said 'hey'". Then he turned to the crowd, and said, "Let's get on out of here." And nobody argued with Mr. Cunningham, a man who had gained exceptional prestige in the community. The tide had shifted, the demons withering at the sound of a child's voice, and the men now bereft of their resolve to lynch Tom Robinson. The posse packed up and motored off into the night, never to return.

"Mr. Finch, are they gone?" Asked a terrified Tom Robinson through the jail cell bars.

"Yes, Tom, they won't bother you anymore," Atticus said.

During this exchange, no demons were bound or rebuked in the name of Jesus. In fact, the name of Jesus wasn't even used. There wasn't even a prayer. There is a time and a place for those weapons of spiritual warfare, but in this case, an even mightier weapon was brought to bare. A sweet, innocent little girl shamed several strong and well armed men into relenting from their impious errand and cowared the demonic realm, her tender words piercing into the night and undoing the forces of wickedness. This is spiritual warfare at its finest and an example of how God uses innocence and meekness to cause good to prevail against evil. It's a lesson for us all.

In the Sacred Heart of Christ.

I think Harper Lee would be aghast if she had read such a load of nonsense with regards to her work.

That was rather uncharitable. If I published a book and I knew that generations of people were trying to draw life lessons from it, I would be quite honored. Do you have any specific grievances or do you just sit in the front row and throw popcorn?

Well if I somehow caused you to rethink your stance I'm glad even if you did think it was uncharitable. And I'm a baptist we sit in the back row and throw popcorn get it straight.

It's late and this little sheep has to get up early to catch a bus (you should see the mitt) but your request is fair and I shall have specific grievances for you.

Btw I have just gotten a copy of to kill a mockingbird so I'm going to do a quick read before answering you.

It's a good book to read...over and over. Like I do. If you're looking for the Frank Peretti embellishments, don't bother. Those were personal enhancements I added.

Okay I meant to get back to this earlier but time and tide etc..
Okay first objection is your reference to a heavenly angel standing next to Atticus, your assumption here is that Lee held to some sort of idea of protecting angels, but there is no evidence of that in the story at all. We know nothing of Atticus Finch's beliefs or lack there of, although there is some evidence of it in chapter five, where Scout discusses Arthur Radley and Miss Maudie confides that she would be in hell because she wasn't a foot washing baptist. The upshot being Scout doubting the "pulpit gospel she was told.

Also it was known that Lee was a Methodist, and a companion of Capote and others so it is doubtful that she would be that "spiritual" in her view of how Scout backs down the crowd. More likely that she had shamed them by revealing their behavior for something that wasn't fitting for Southerners. Not to mention the one "guardian angel" there, Mr. Underwood, covering the group from the Tribune window with his shotgun.

So while there are plenty religious allusions in the book, and how could there not be seeing it was about a small Southern town, the question has to asked what was Harper Lee's purpose in writing this book? Was it to write of spiritual warfare or to point out the closed-minded bigotry that existed during the time?

If you read my post, you might notice I carefully chose my words to indicate that the Frank Peretti embellishments were my own addition and not part of the story. The point of my take on this story is to debunk the popular evangelical notion that spiritual warfare happens in the enclave of bindings demons by prescribed incantations. Spiritual Warfare happens in ordinary happenings where the participants are often unaware that they wield swords into battle. "The heavens suffer violence," Jesus warns us, "and the violent take it by force." The reason I'm a fan of Peretti's works is because he accurately describes the spectacular invisible clash that happens concurrently with our 3rd dimension battle between good and evil.

In regard to Atticus Finch, I believe along with Scripture that belief is best expressed by one's works. Not everyone who believes do so in a "glory hallelujah" way. Atticus demonstrates his belief by his devotion to goodness and truth and his passionate advocacy for the same. It's a mistake to characterize one's state of heart by evangelical fervor because such can be expressed in a mawkish manner, a mask hiding an unregenerate heart. I rather go by the proverb Jesus gave that "a tree is known by its fruit." Atticus weathered the barbs of unpopularity and took a stand against the predominant sentiment. Courage is the mark of the godly and conversely we are assured that the cowardly are consigned to hell (Rev 21:8). It's easy today to take a stand against racism, but try doing it in a day when there was a real cost to standing for the truth.

The same dynamic applies to Scout, the small girl who held the mightiest sword in this standoff. It was her simple, sweet, goodness of heart that put her in a unique position to build a bridge to the posse and turn the tide in their own private struggle between good and evil. Again, I think the mistake is taking comments about the mental assent to sermons preached as a sure indicator of the condition of her heart. One sure personality trait that surfaced in Scout's battle with her teacher regarding reading methods that conflicted with how she was taught by her father is that she needs to understand things in her own way before embracing them. It's not a rejection of the gospel, but rather a childish misunderstanding of it that we are seeing. Her other actions indicate that she has already embraced it far beneath the surface of intellectual attainment.

But the speculation on whether or not Atticus, Jeremy, or Jean-Louis were believers is a rabbit trail that distracts from the intent of my OP. Jem stands by his father, fearing the terror of the mob, but determined not to let his father face it alone. Scout sees an opportunity to make a friend based on her relationship with Mr. Cunningham's boy and uses it. When Jesus made reference to children as "such is the kingdom of heaven" perhaps this is what He was talking about. It's an amazing dynamic of the spirit realm that all the might of the enemy could not hold sway against the innocence of a little child. The point of my OP is that this is spiritual warfare at its best.

Okay again apologies for lack of quick response, work is what it is.

Now if you meant to "debunk the popular evangelical notion that spiritual warfare happens in the enclave of bindings demons by prescribed incantations." then you shouldn't have added "the Frank Peretti embellishments."

And I'm sorry if your going to add "spiritual warfare" to the story your going to have to deal with the spiritual beliefs or lack there of the characters as expressed by Harper Lee.

I could just as well grab H. Rider Haggard's She and impose into the text the same concepts that you are espousing completely ignoring the whole reincarnation/transmigration of the soul that Rider puts forth not to mention the social Darwinian undertones.

Actually I'd use MacDonald's Curdie stories before I used something like She but that is beside the point you have to interact with Lee's actual world that she's created with Mockingbird or your being disingenuous to the story.