“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.”
I learned something extremely important when I taught a class in Problem Solving/Decision Making; words matter! When listing goals and alternatives, properly identifying them would make a big difference in developing the rest of a solution or choice. Being precise in stating the goal of a choice is especially important!
This brings me to the ongoing debate over gun violence. Guess what? I think that’s a misidentification of the issue at hand. Gun Violence? I’ve never heard of a gun committing violence. Ever. The term subliminally skews our perception of the issue, as if guns are the real problem. Let’s call it People Violence.
GUN USE is another matter, and would best be listed as a sub point to People Violence. Once you straighten out your verbiage, you realize people are the problem, not guns. Apply the same logic to cars.
There are plenty of stories of people using cars as weapons; should we outlaw cars? Not a soul has suggested that, despite the fact that the same logic applied to guns can easily be used on cars – with a higher body count.
The terrorists in San Bernardino had a lot more than guns; pipe bombs, booby traps, grandparents to watch the baby, etc. Do we outlaw everything or do we try to fix the real problem where it resides: people? As a nation, we’ve invited God out of the country: you can’t show the 10 commandments hardly anywhere (Thou shalt not kill, for example), no praying in public – schools, football stadiums. Morality has taken a nose dive, and that is the real problem. Once we realize that the bible has something to it and that Christianity does not preach hatred but redemption…well, then you just might see the real solution.
“The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
Violence and wickedness go hand in hand. The Bible teaches morality, peace, and reliance on God. And before you start yelling about how much violence is in the Bible, remember that God does not condone violence. He will, however, come down hard on the wicked to STOP THEIR violence.
“The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do justice.”
God wants protection for the innocent and oppressed. He exhorts and expects us to work with Him for their good.
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
“Thus says the Lord: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”
Execute judgment and righteousness. Do not shed innocent blood. God calls us to His side, to work His works. Unwarranted violence is not on that list.
“But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.”
We need to repent of our wrongs, not pursue them with ever increasing zeal as is the norm for today’s society; fighting over Christmas presents, killing over the last piece of chicken, and all other sorts of wickedness. Greed is not on God’s menu. It is the root of violence
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
If we could only learn what our ancestors of as a little as 200 years ago came here to practice; freedom to pursue a life pleasing and faithful to God. How well that would solve the problem of people violence!
“A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.”
To understand rates of gun use better, see this Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/03/weve-had-a-massive-decline-in-gun-violence-in-the-united-states-heres-why/?tid=sm_tw
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