Censure is often useful, praise is often deceitful
Winston Churchill
People cannot be completely trusted in their allegiances and we should think twice about our motives.
Basking in Reflected Glory
An old Chinese story is told in defense of Basking In Reflected Glory.
A tiger caught a fox in a forest was about to settle down to enjoy his meal. Out of sheer desperation the fox came up with an idea. He mustered his strength and boldly announced to the tiger, I am sent by the Gods to rule this forest. You mustn't eat me. If you do you will violate the command of the Gods. If you don't believe me, just follow me to see that all of the other animals know and are are afraid of me.
The tiger agreed, and followed the fox as it walked around the forest. Each time they came into view all the animals in sight scampered away in fear. They were actually only afraid of the tiger but the tiger thought they were afraid of the fox, so he let it go.
I find it to be also like the bird benefiting from the fact that the baby got into the cookie jar. The bird cannot ever get into the cookie jar on its own but once the baby discovers a way the bird benefits from the inevitable crumbs. If the bird is so lucky that the baby is able to do this repeatedly he may even appear to be attached to the baby.
This phenomenon pervades our every day lives and has also been endorsed by professionals as a widely practiced impression management technique to foster self esteem and ultimately to increase the bottom line. High stakes professionals in entertainment and sports routinely sign contracts with lots of zeroes based on this approach to life.
It even has an official marketing designation, Reflected Glory Marketing (RGM). When what a brand directly offers is plain dull and has no appeal to a potential customer then something the customer cares passionately about is used to evoke the necessary interest. The potential customer is drawn into a conversation on that subject rather than on the drab product e.g. if a performer has little talent then you sell their sex appeal or if the client could care less about your product you sell a mutual acquaintance. The same phenomenon is evident in the tendency to be famous for having a close famous relative. It can be a shrewd approach to business but when it comes to Christianity, Christ had a problem with this approach to people. Giving Christian honour to people for what we associate them with carnally is definitely not the Christian way.
Luke 14:12-14 KJV Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
This type of behavior is related to another part of our psychology very closely associated with BIRGing which is called the Halo Effect
. There is a definition on wikipedia
Halo effect (sometimes called the halo error) is the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, brand or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas. Halo effect is “the name given to the phenomenon whereby evaluators tend to be influenced by their previous judgments of performance or personality.” The halo effect which is a cognitive bias can possibly prevent someone from accepting a person, a product or a brand based on the idea of an unfounded belief on what is good or bad.
A simplified example of the halo effect is when an individual noticing that the person in the photograph is attractive, well groomed, and properly attired, assumes, using a mental heuristic, that the person in the photograph is a good person based upon the rules of that individual's social concept. This constant error in judgment is reflective of the individual's preferences, prejudices, ideology, aspirations, and social perception.wikipedia Halo effectWikipedia, the free encyclopedia WEBversion 03:47, 3 September 2020
James 2:1-7 KJV My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
I am no psychologist but in my opinion Basking in Reflected Glory is seeking to profit from our associations with others therefore it is an act of selfishness and must not be confused with the biblical principle of rejoicing with others who rejoice. The reaction that they produce may appear to be identical as far as observers are concerned but there is a different motivation in the heart.
Romans 12:15-18 KJV Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Luke 15:3-7 KJV And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
To Bask In Reflected Glory (BIRG) has a corollary that is its converse called Cutting Off Reflected Failure (CORF). In summary after winning it is we won
; after losing it is they lost
. After a big win everyone, identifies with the winner: tee shirts, caps, flags and banners come out. Then the endorsements with their logos find their way to all sorts of products each wanting to cash in on the air of celebration. Sales of the associated products sky-rocket but this only last until another team wins. Most of these people who benefit have made absolutely no contribution to the teams success. The BIRG and CORF dance just keeps switching partners.
It explains why we are drawn to those with great amounts of professional success. Why we drop names and brag about our association with winners
. We gladly take credit for our associations with successful projects at work, but tend to downplay our involvement in those that failed. We may manipulate our social distance with others depending on our perception of what that association can do for us materially. BIRGing and CORFing are dangerous because they lead to errors in judgement. As such we need to be aware so that we can counteract any danger.
People want to take this approach to God and Satan. They want to identify with Satan while he holds the winning hand and switch to be with God when He brings His reward. Fundamentally it cannot work.
Matthew 6:24 [KJV] No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
There are a couple of additional dangers with that approach. First, God is a jealous God. He warns His people about being harlots. A harlot is someone that is in it for the money or other material possessions.
Secondly we do not control life.
Luke 12:16-20 [KJV] And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: [17] And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? [18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20] But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
God says that people often behave like animals. Tragically, in their rush to squeeze everything out of life they can inadvertently be destroying they most precious part of it
Isaiah 56:9-12 KJV All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.