Exodus 20:13 plainly states: “Thou shalt not kill.” This is not a request, this is not a plea, this is a command, and actually one of the laws of God, fundamental to everyone!
This message is not getting through. The chart below details the number of mass shootings in the USA between 1982 and 2017. This doesn’t include the recent shooting at the Florida high school in Parkland, FL.
These shooting occurred in schools, nightclubs, colleges, movie theatres, shopping malls, basically anywhere and everywhere. This has invaded our culture to the point that it has become normal and commonplace, so much so that the news media no longer covers a shooting unless there are many victims involved. ONE victim is too many and this issue needs to be addressed.
For full disclosure, I am not a gun owner and not a gun advocate and have never owned, nor will I own, a gun of any kind. I am a pacifist and do not believe in violence at all. That being said, I can fully understand and respect that some people want to own or need to own a gun, and that is their right and choice. However, there are limits. A gun that is use to hunt or even for personal protection does not need to fire many multiple rounds in a matter of seconds. NO ONE needs a weapon of this sort unless it is a military application, which is a whole other story for another time. Automatic and semi-automatic assault rifles do not belong in a home environment! So if we accept that there are uses for guns, we must also accept that there must be rules regarding their use, availability, and storage!
When a 5 year old walks into school with a gun in his backpack we have a problem. Yes this was a real story and you can read it here: Five year old brings gun to school on bus. How does a 5 year old get access to a gun and bring it to school? Luckily this one ended without anyone getting hurt, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Read this one: Alabama high school student charged in classroom shooting that left classmate dead. This was an accidental shooting, but dead is still dead! This is serious and needs to be solved, not by me, I don’t think that I have that kind of expertise or power, but it needs to be solved. I’m just highlighting the problem.
As a member of the 50+ society, I’ve seen a number of changes occur in my lifetime. I was scared to go to school sometimes in my life, but not scared for my life, just scared that I would be “beat up” on the school yard for something that had occurred. The thought of anyone bringing a weapon, other than fists, to school was not ever an issue. Kids would fight today and be friends tomorrow, or just avoid each other, but it never went further than that. I also had fear of the Principal and teachers, the former who was rumoured to possess a strap and wasn’t afraid to use it. Fortunately it was never used on me, but I am sure it came close at times. IF it had been used, and I’d run home to tell my parents, I am 100% certain that I would have suffered another strapping incident! In my day, discipline was a thing at both home and school. Sadly this is not a fact now!
Let me put it out there first of all that I do not condone the beating of kids! I am talking about strict discipline that may involve corporal punishment in appropriate circumstances. A swat on the butt of a child who is old enough to comprehend right from wrong is a correct way to deal with inappropriate behaviour.
He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Proverbs 13:24 (NKJV)
The author of Proverbs, King Solomon (through divine inspiration), is arguably one of the smartest people to ever live, and he got it! We’ve let our kids loose and they’re taking advantage of it. We need to rein them back in. Children should not live in fear of their parents or school leaders, but they need to respect them and right now that respect is lost.
Another often quoted problem is the wide spread use of violent video games. Life does not have a reset switch like these games possess. When you lose in a video game, you can always start again, but life is not like that. Young minds cannot grasp the significance of death due to the amount they see in video games and movies. I am not advocating for the banning of these media, only that they are used only by those who can fully grasp the concept that it is a game, and that real life is real!
We also need to address the bullying issue that is prevalent in society. This is not just an issue amongst young people, we see bullying occuring in the workplace, at school, at home, and even by our leaders. Its accepted and normalized. Those who are bullied then fight back, often with deadly results. We must stop the bullying and help both the bully and the bullied to work their issues out in a better fashion.
And sadly another cause to this problem is that God is no longer a part of our lives. God has been chased from school and home, oftentimes due to an overly politically correct society. If we can reintroduce God to people, then maybe, just maybe, we can begin to solve some of our problems without resorting to violence.
Can we fix this, yes! Is it easy, no! But it is possible, but sitting around doing nothing while more innocent people, mainly children, die is unacceptable. Talk to your school leaders, politicians, or other people who can make change and lets start. Too many deaths have occurred and I, for one, don’t want to see more. God told us very clearly in Exodus 20:13 “Thou shalt not kill“, its time to listen to Him!
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