Doctor Who Explores the Laws of Justice and Mercy

Sometimes, the most painful things I have experienced in life are sad memories I've held on to long after the painful event has past. This issue was brought to mind for me this week as I watched some Doctor Who with Stacia.

Doctor Who Explores the Universal Law of Justice

Stacia and I just finished watching an episode of Doctor Who called A Town Called Mercy (s07e03) where an alien, scientist named Kahler-Jex hides out in the old west. His character was based on J. Robert Oppenheimer, a.k.a. “the father of the atomic bomb.” On Jex's home world, he developed an army of cyborg super-soldiers (through awful torture) who nearly-instantaneously ended a nine year war by “decimating the population.”

After the war, Jex and his cyborg-project cohort were hunted down and being eliminated by “The Gunslinger,” a renegade super-soldier. Jex escaped to earth and hid out in a small town in the American West where he led a serene life of service and redemption. But soon the rogue cyborg—personifying Justice—tracked him down. The thought of death terrified Jex, because according to his beliefs, upon death his people would be forced to carry the weight of every soul he or she wronged up a mountain. The remorse and fear portrayed by Jex's character stood out to me as Jex described his beliefs to Doctor Who.

Mercy Through Jesus Christ is the Great Mediator

Back in our universe, I believe Christ not only met the demands of Justice for all of God’s children; but Christ’s atoning sacrifice also covers heartbreak and agony, which I call the aftershock of sin (ours or others’). In Jex's hypothetical example, Christ had already paid Justice's price for Jex’s “war crimes.” But more importantly, Christ suffered for Jex's ongoing guilt, which haunted him so.

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ​​​afflictions​ and ​​​temptations​ of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ​​​take upon​ him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. (Alma 7:11)

Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (DC 19:15-19)

My Personal Take Away

I don’t want to be just forgiven for my mistakes at Judgement Day; I want Christ's healing power to take effect in my life now. Fortunately for all of us, Christ promised all men salvation (not only from Death and Sin) but from our current pains if we will endure (in Him) to the end. (Note: Like the Jews of His day who hoped to be liberated from Roman rule, we must not hope that Christ will deliver us from our current afflictions. But we can see and experience our trials with peace.)

​But he that shall ​​​endure​ unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Matt 24:13)

In April 2018, Elder Zivic suggested a formula that will help us endure the trials of our lives:

1. Daily, pray and read the scriptures. 
2. Weekly, partake of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. 
3. Pay our tithing and our monthly fast offering. 
4. Every two years—every year for the youth—renew our temple recommends. 
5. Throughout our whole lives, serve in the work of the Lord. 

He suffered for our sins, pains, depression, anguish, infirmities, and fears, and so He knows how to help us, how to inspire us, how to comfort us, and how to strengthen us so that we may endure and obtain the crown that is reserved for those who are not defeated. 

For me, Elder Zivic's second point stands out most. Weekly participation in the Sacrament has proven to be a miraculously healing experience for me similar to that of looking upon the fiery serpent for the Israelites in Moses' day:

And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (Num 21:6-8)

I felt healed through the purifying power of the Holy Ghost as I participated in the sacred Sacrament ordinance today. By taking the emblems of Christ inside of myself, I promise Heavenly Father that I will always remember Christ, and He promises me that I will have His Spirit to be with me (3 Ne 18:7).

Our Heavenly Parents and our Savior, Jesus Christ, love us. The Plan of Salvation is designed not just to offer us salvation from our sins, but like what Jex craved everyday in that town called Mercy, the Plan provides healing for us now from the pains of this world. To receive this healing, our Redeemer simply asks that we don’t give up.

Spoilers

Nerd Bonus: Episode Analysis Time

I loved that this episode was set in the Old West! I excitedly anticipated a traditional "white hat versus black hat" Western and an adventure, but I ended up getting neither one, which was a welcome surprise. 

My biggest beef with the episode was that they had yet another opportunity for the show's protagonist to learn the big lesson—that killing is wrong regardless of motivation, but missed it. In order for the Doctor to truly come to terms with committing genocide, he needs to defend someone as bad as Solomon (from Dinosaurs in Space, the episode just before this one). While I yearn for this kind of relief for the Doctor, I realize that if that his issue were resolved, we wouldn't need anymore episodes.

All I really got out of this episode was that Doctor Who still hasn't forgiven himself and he's working out his rage on other war criminals throughout time and space. Also, it introduced the origin of his affinity for Stetson hats.

It's a shame this episode wasn't reserved as an epic series closer.

Kyle Anderson, a columnist at the Nerdist, agrees with me. He argued that A Town Called Mercy would have been great had it followed the Good Guy/Bad Guy, Western motif more strictly.

This could have, and I think should have been a Good/Bad/Ugly setup, with the Doctor representing the “Good,” Jex representing the “Bad,” and the Gunslinger representing the “Ugly.” As it stands, we had a Pretty Good/Fairly Bad/Somewhat Ugly setup and it just didn’t work. Westerns, at least in the early days, were morality plays that worked because the hero had to be faced with ultimate villainy. This tried to be a morality play where everyone was basically the same. The Doctor refused to hurt anybody, Jex repented his past crimes, and the Gunslinger didn’t want innocents to be in the way. There are no stakes at this point. When nobody is doing anything at each other, it becomes a pretty boring Mexican standoff.