TTSNBSIM 5: "Unity is Always Better Than Division"

TTSNBSIM (Things That Should Never Be Said In Mass)

#5: "Unity is Always Better Than Division"

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This series is on the subject of things that I've heard said at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which should, in reality, never be said there.  Often, it's because these things are incorrect, but occasionally, it's simply because the remark, as stated, is not explained well enough, and will inevitably be misinterpreted.  In the latter case, the post will also contain an explanation of why this is, as well as proposed -alternatives,- which make the intended statement a bit more clear.

This statement has many variants, of varying degrees of truth.  For example "We should never be the cause of division if we can help it," which is false, to "Division is bad," which is true, but requires further explaining.

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There are multiple ways for something to be "bad."  It can be bad because of its nature, like murder, or it can be bad as a result of some non-essential property that it has (this is called an "accident" in philosophy.)  For example, a broken leg is a "bad" leg because it's broken; not because it's a leg.  These are two different types of "badness."

1. Badness of nature.
2. Badness of accidents.

Note that a thing can be "bad" in one of these ways, but not "bad" in any other ways.

Now, taken by itself, division is not a good thing.  Division, in and of itself, is bad.

That having been said, does that mean that -all things- are worse when divided than they are when united?

No.

A mafia family, for example, is -much- worse when it's united under its leader and knows its mission.  If it's divided, the different members may start betraying each other, and generally paralyzing the effectiveness of the mafia to hurt other people.

In other words, something which is evil when united, is often better when it's divided.  In fact, evil is the primary reason for the existence of division in the universe.  As it says in the book of Genesis...

"And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness."
-Genesis 1:4-

The very fact that -God himself- causes division here proves that division is not always evil, because God isn't capable of causing evil.

God's whole plan for salvation history involves separating Good from evil, and sending each to their proper place.

"And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left."
-Matthew 25:32-33-

So, dividing good from evil is different from causing division among -good- people, and should be treated as such.  Jesus himself says...

"Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation. For there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided: three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against his father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law."
-Luke 12:51-53-

Therefore, it is clearly not always bad for people to be divided, when some of those people believe the truth, and others insist on preaching falsehood.  Good -must- be divided from evil.  So says Our Blessed Lord.