But it is much easier to not steal food when you are well fed, to not covet your neighbor’s cow when you have two cars, and to maintain the appearance of respectability when you are the beneficiary of a wealthy society that enjoys relative stability. We should beware of being too self-congratulatory. Our implicit moral applause can mask and cover over the sin that lives inside us. It can deceive us from recognizing the power of hell that has its savage hold on our “civilized” hearts.
