To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant’s conduct, not the injuries actually resulting.
uslegal.com
Could Christians be guilty of Depraved Indifference? Why would I say something like this you might be asking yourself? Let me give an analogy I heard the other day.
Imagine a guy waxing his beautiful new car. He has just applied the last bit of wax on the front hood when he hears a cry, “Help, Help.” He glances up and sees a young boy who has fallen into an above ground pool. The young boy yells again, “Help I’m drowning, I cannot swim.” The guy waxing the car thinks, “I should go over and help this young boy because I know how to swim and the pool is only 4 feet deep, but what about my wax job? It will ruin all my hard work. Na I will stay and finish the job and if the kid still needs help in about 10 minutes, I’ll go and try and save him.”
I just painted you a picture of “Depraved Indifference.” The definition for depraved is morally bad or corrupt in conduct. Picture a person as morally low as they could go. This is what “Depraved” looks like. The Indifference can be defined as someone who really could care less about something.
The man who was more concerned about his car than the small boy drowning equals “Depraved.” The man who did nothing because he did not care about the boy drowning equals “Indifference.” This man should be held liable and would be in a court of law.
How does this fit into the Christian life? Well let’s first think about what we know as Christians. We know that there is one true God. We know He is holy. We know He has to punish sin. We know if people die in their sins they will be separated from Him forever in hell. We know how to fix the problem of sin. And finally we know about the future hope that lives within us.
Keeping all this information to ourselves can be considered “Depraved Indifference.” Not sharing with lost people all we know can be considered “Depraved Indifference.”
Not witnessing to people is like the man who was more concerned about waxing his car. If we (Christians) will not tell the lost souls of the danger they are in, who will?
Could Christians be guilty of Depraved Indifference? Why would I say something like this you might be asking yourself? Let me give an analogy I heard the other day.
Imagine a guy waxing his beautiful new car. He has just applied the last bit of wax on the front hood when he hears a cry, “Help, Help.” He glances up and sees a young boy who has fallen into an above ground pool. The young boy yells again, “Help I’m drowning, I cannot swim.” The guy waxing the car thinks, “I should go over and help this young boy because I know how to swim and the pool is only 4 feet deep, but what about my wax job? It will ruin all my hard work. Na I will stay and finish the job and if the kid still needs help in about 10 minutes, I’ll go and try and save him.”
I just painted you a picture of “Depraved Indifference.” The definition for depraved is morally bad or corrupt in conduct. Picture a person as morally low as they could go. This is what “Depraved” looks like. The Indifference can be defined as someone who really could care less about something.
The man who was more concerned about his car than the small boy drowning equals “Depraved.” The man who did nothing because he did not care about the boy drowning equals “Indifference.” This man should be held liable and would be in a court of law.
How does this fit into the Christian life? Well let’s first think about what we know as Christians. We know that there is one true God. We know He is holy. We know He has to punish sin. We know if people die in their sins they will be separated from Him forever in hell. We know how to fix the problem of sin. And finally we know about the future hope that lives within us.
Keeping all this information to ourselves can be considered “Depraved Indifference.” Not sharing with lost people all we know can be considered “Depraved Indifference.”
Not witnessing to people is like the man who was more concerned about waxing his car. If we (Christians) will not tell the lost souls of the danger they are in, who will?
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