The recent school shooting in Florida brings another heartbreaking moment to our nation, but especially to those whose lives will never be the same because of the loss of loved ones or close friends. We see such an event as senseless (and it is) and want to “fix” the problem (which is a proper response).
And so, politicians and leaders of all kinds once again make authoritative pronouncements on how the problem can be solved. These pronouncements sound an awful like the ones made in the past. But somehow making schools “gun free zones” or piling on more laws and regulations do not seem to be working. And the hot debate over the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution will heat up all the more. How can this problem be solved?
Probably most do not want our country to become a police state where citizens are stripped of many rights in order to control life (with the idea of keeping us safe). So are more laws and new laws the answer? It is possible that legislation might be enacted that could help a little. But whatever legislators might come up with really is just a bandaid on the situation. The foundational matter is generally not talked about in the halls of congress or state legislatures, because of the propensity to keep God and His truth out of the discussion.
The brilliant rabbi/apostle Paul logically, clearly and forcibly sets forth our present situation, and by application, the solution to it. In his letter to the Christians at Rome, he gave the basic principle of life; that when people reject/neglect the moral standards that the Creator God has set forth for His creation, then multiple bad things happen. With this rejection comes the phenomenon of a “depraved mind” (Rom. 1:28). This is speaking of a person who fundamentally is without conscience and is mentally twisted. One of the dozen or so results from such a “depraved mind” is murder (Rom. 1:29). Living life individually, or as a culture, according to God’s truth and standards keeps most all of this kind of behavior away.
So, until our culture sees its growing independence from God, and the aggressive (and often arrogant) departure from His standards as reckless, and turns back to His standards (often referred to as the Judeo-Christian ethic), this problem will never go away. Next week, or next month, some other person with a “depraved mind” will emerge from the growing pool of those with “depraved minds” and commit a gruesome atrocity.
The heart of the problem must be addressed if our nation is going to put a lid on these terrible events. God really does know best. This is something that many of our “elites” apparently refuse to admit.