I can still vividly remember the time in my early youth when the circus first came to our town. Colorful adver­tisements were posted everywhere and all the kids from our neighborhood were getting excited about the prospect of going to "the big show." It was the talk of the town: are you going to the circus? At that moment there was nothing I wanted to do more than go to the circus!

I went home to ask my father the very same question, "Dad, may I go to the circus too?" And I will never forget the calm but firm answer which I received, "We do not go to see people risk their lives without necessity."

From this answer I have always retained an important lesson: life is a gift of the Lord and we may not risk it rashly, especially not for the sake of monetary gain or to satisfy a craving for recognition and status.

Later, as I was privileged to study the Word of God and the Reformed confessions, I learned that my father's simple answer was based on a Scriptural principle worded in the sixth commandment: you shall not kill. This precept does not just mean that I shall not kill others but it also im­plies that I may not place myself unnecessarily in any life-threatening situation. The Heidelberg Catechism speaks in Lord's Day 40 about the fact that "I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself." This implies also that I do not pay to see the reckless deeds of others by which they jeop­ardize their lives.

Snowbirds⤒🔗

All this came to my mind last September when during the annual "Air Show" at the final days of Canada's National Exhibition held in Toronto, two of Canada's precision-flying team air force jets, the Snowbirds, collided and crashed into the frigid depths of Lake Ontario. One of the pilots was killed in the mishap.

The "accident" occurred during a very dangerous but usually successful maneuver called "the down bomb burst!" The jets come screaming in at low altitude and then soar up closely together (only 8 ½ feet apart) to spread out in a spectacular fanning motion, simulating an explosion of color and fire. This time there was real fire; both jets plum­meted into the waters below.

Because the traditional Toronto airshow takes place over Lake Ontario and not in the proximity of many specta­tors, no other lives were endangered or harmed. Some fly­ing experts at first speculated that the pilot who was killed did not eject from his aircraft to ensure that it would not fly into the boating area, where many spectators were amassed, but later it was suggested that he had lost consciousness dur­ing the plunge and therefore could not escape. But the tragedy could have been greater, as it was in West Germany last year, when an Italian jet crashed into the spectator area, causing multiple deaths.

After the fall of the Snowbirds, there was much discus­sion on the necessity and validity of such precision team ex­ercises. One courageous politician even dared to suggest that the Snowbird team as such be disbanded and that precision flying no longer be a part of the air show. He suggested that air force pilots were trained to protect the nation but not for popular demonstrations. Risk of life should be allowed only when absolutely necessary.

Air force officials and Snowbird squadron leaders con­tended after the fact that such accidents are extremely rare. Indeed, it need not be denied that the team's safety record is very impressive. At the same time it must be considered that the potential for disaster is present every time the Snowbirds take to the air for a show. A minimum of error leads to a maximum of destruction. A momentary lapse of atten­tion may result in permanent, massive damage to aircraft, crews, and spectators.

Death-Defying Stunts←⤒🔗

The Snowbird precision-flying team is only part of a culture that is obsessed with death-defying stunts which exhilarate the masses. Is this ultimately not what attracts people to the circus? Some of the most spectacular highlights of every circus show are precisely those which involve put­ting one's life in a potentially deadly situation: the lion tamer, the high-wire acrobat, the trapeze artist, and the human cannonball are revered and admired for their will­ingness to risk life for the entertainment of a thrill-seeking public. The longest applause always comes after the nar­rowest escape from death!

There are people who have become famous for their ability to taunt and escape death. I think, for example, of the great escape artist Houdini, the battered stunt-man Evil Knievel, and the circus family known as the flying Wallen­das, most of whom fell to their death. Many taunted death once too often.

We need not restrict our survey of death-defying stunts to the circus or the air show. There are so-called "sports" which are essentially based on the same principle of flaunting life in the face of death. I think of the entire world of racing for profit, whether it be with dirt bikes or on a paved circuit. At Formula One races or Stock Car races, the specta­tors sit in awe as vehicles roar by at lethal speeds. When an "accident" occurs, the commentators dare to speak of a "spectacular crash," and the video clips are shown as hot news items.

Many racers died on the track. Others are scarred for life. Some, like Austria's Niki Lauda, who has been in critical condition, continue to participate in key races to at­tract the public and rake in the money. Sometimes the cars smash into the stands where the spectators have gathered. All this is part of the excitement.

I think in this connection also of such sports as boxing, where the objective is systematically to wear down and demolish your opponent. Everyone is waiting for the "knock­down" to come. Millions of dollars are earned in a few rounds by such fierce pugilists as "Iron" Mike Tyson. Some boxers, like Sugar Ray Leonard, keep fighting, even though they have been warned to stop for medical reasons. Various boxers died from the blows suffered during a match. Pro­tective rules (for example, a mandatory rest period and re­quired medical examinations between bouts) are in place, but the danger is still present.

Tempting God←⤒🔗

It is not easy to avoid coming into some contact with all the above-mentioned activities. Still, I am convinced that Christians should not pay money to support and to witness this flaunting of death. My dad's assessment still is right: we do not go to see people risk their lives.

When the Heidelberg Catechism warns us against reck­lessly endangering ourselves, it refers us to what our Lord Jesus Christ said in response to the devil's suggestion that the Lord avail Himself of God's divine protection by plung­ing Himself from the pinnacle of the temple. Our Lord said, "It is written: you shall not tempt the Lord, your God." All death-defying stunts are indeed a tempting of the Al­mighty God and an evidencing of disdain for His sovereign gift of life.

Life is filled with risks every day: in the home, on the road, at work, at play, in sports. Death is all around us. We cannot avoid common risk and we need not shun respon­sible sports activities. But we must stay away — as par­ticipants or spectators — from all activities in which human life is expressly and needlessly endangered.

Of course, this includes all abusive excess. Another reference text which the Heidelberg Catechism mentions in this respect is Romans 13:13, "Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in quarreling and jealousy."

Many "accidental" deaths are linked to substance abuse, to alcohol and drugs. Most homicides spill over from the bars into the alleys. Deadly feuds erupt wherever people engage in wild partying.

Christians may enjoy life and its many pleasures. Sometimes excesses occur for which we later rightly feel guilty. We are no better than others. Still, we must strive to be different. Therefore we should avoid places where excess is promoted and death is courted. We must strive to prevent excess or abuse at home. For whoever leads an extravagant and abusive lifestyle is also courting death as much as any stunt man or race driver.

The Lord has promised to protect us against the dangers around us. Let us not temp Him by courting death in any way. Why should the fleeting snowbirds fall before their time? (Ecclesiastes 7:17).