Famous Feud

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." — Romans 12:21

Through four weeks, my Faith in Film class has been about the depictions of forgiveness — or the lack thereof — in major films. How fitting, then, it seems that the History Channel this week decided to air the original miniseries, "Hatfields & McCoys."

The miniseries — which takes six hours over three nights — is a docudrama about the famous feud. The families had a bloody feud on the Kentucky, West Virginia border in the years following the Civil War. It was a rough time that saw much blood shed, sorrow, and enmity.

The miniseries stars Kevin Costner as Anse Hatfield and Bill Paxon as Randall McCoy, the patriarchs of the rival clans. It's a well-made miniseries that has shattered cable records. That's because, more than 100 years later, the feud is still a fascination to most people. I like at the end how the film mentions, though it was never the attention of either family, they've become intertwined in the American Lexicon as symbols of hate and violence.

What a legacy.

Watching the miniseries, I couldn't help but notice that at several points in time each side had a chance to step up and let go. Each time, anger, bloodlust, and pride got in the way. Isn't that the story of the human condition.

While it's certainly an extreme example, the Hatfield and McCoy feud serves as a reminder of the decent of man when we are unable to let go of the hate and hurt we hold in our hearts. Love, as we're told in the Bible, keeps no record of wrongs. Neither should we if we want to model the love of Christ to the world.