1. In 1 Timothy 5:24 Paul
says that The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of
judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. Jimmy
Savile is a case in point. Some did have their doubts about him and
some few knew there was a problem but until only a few months ago the
official line was that his sins were not obvious. He was a man to be
commended and celebrated.
2. Do not believe
everything that people say. Even when on rare occasions Savile was
confronted with his crimes he denied them all. We should not be
surprised at that.
3. Many people have the
idea that if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds then all is
well. In the case of Jimmy Savile there appear to have been many
deeds that could be considered in some sense good. However, it is his
evil deeds that are capturing the attention at the moment. Nobody is
suggesting even for a moment that provided his good deeds outweigh
his evil ones nothing more needs to be said.
4. One hopes that the
Savile revelations will help put paid to the lie that the sixties was
a wonderful period of freedom and progress. Rather it was just as
much a period of licentious when a number of people took advantage of
the situation to pursue their own evil agenda.
5. Society today prides
itself on its non-judgemental, post-modernist attitudes. It is clear
from the Savile case, however, that society still draws very clear
lines beyond which no-one dare go. This is not an anything goes
society, despite what it may claim. Sin may be demarcated in a
different more expansive way to that which once prevailed but make no
mistake some sins are totally unacceptable.
6. When punishment comes
today it is quite selective but it is very like the way Soviet
dissidents were once dealt with. Savile's contribution to Radio 4's
Desert Island Discs has already been moved from the website and soon
his presence on radio and TV will be as rare as that of the similarly
discredited popular artists Gary Glitter or Jonathan King.
7. It is amazing what
depraved acts people will do if they believe that they are not going
to be found out. Savile remained pretty much undetected because his
crimes were committed largely in secret. What is done in secret does
not always remain secret. A day is coming when indeed every secret
will be revealed and it will be shouted on the housetops what men
tried to keep secret.
8. Without close
supervision many men are quite happy to abuse their power and use it
to their own advantage regardless of the suffering it brings to
others. Corporate bodies (like the BBC or hospital management teams)
have a tendency to obfuscate the truth rather than bringing things
out into the open.
9. Society claims that we
are all equal but in fact there is a hierarchy, particularly when it
comes to who is trusted and who believed to be telling the truth.
Those further up the tree, including the knighted and friends of
royalty and those who reach a good old age, are presumed to be more
reliable than criminals, the physically and mentally sick and the
deprived. In this case the opposite appears to have been the case.
Generally speaking, it is the most vulnerable members of society who
are most often taken advantage of.
10. Savile claimed to be
Roman Catholic and was certainly received and honoured by the Pope.
Without mere point scoring it is worth considering how much guilt
attaches to Romanism here. While Romanism would condemn Savile's acts
as much as any philosophy, it would appear to have been unable to do
anything to shame this man for his sins and encourage him to confess
and repent.
