The Tree of Good and Evil

Or, Violence by the Law and against the Law

Charles K. Bellinger

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781666759037, 9781666759044
• eBook ISBN: 9781666759051
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

There is a common way of thinking that distinguishes between the regular law-abiding citizens and the "criminals." The many high-profile killings committed by police officers in recent years, with the George Floyd case being the most famous, have served to render this simplistic way of thinking highly problematic. It is more realistic, in terms of cultural understanding, to see violence as a dialectic; it can come from the direction of "law and order" or from the direction of the violation of law. Employing the thought of Rene Girard, Soren Kierkegaard, and others, this book provides a framework for understanding this dialectic. Drawing on examples from slavery, lynching, the killing of unarmed Black persons by police, and the death penalty, the theme of violence coming from the direction of "law and order" is vividly illustrated, with Girard's thought being employed to formulate a deeply rooted theoretical understanding. There is also extensive attention paid to many examples of mass shootings and terrorist attacks--violence that is intentionally immoral and illegal. A psychological taxonomy is employed that comprehends such violence under the headings of the psychopathic, the psychotic, the traumatized, and the ideological actor.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Law of Slavery
• Chapter 2: The Era of Lynching
• Chapter 3: Unjustified Killings by Police in Our Era
• Chapter 4: The Death Penalty
• Chapter 5: Rioting in the Wake of the Killing of George Floyd (and So Many Others)
• Chapter 6: Mass Killings by Civilians
• Chapter 7: The Tree of Good and Evil
• Postscript: The Need for Transformative Education
• Bibliography