Board index ‹ Terror Attacks and School Shootings

[RLunde]

There are so many issues and emotions swirling around this tragedy. How do we process and understand such a horrible act committed against innocent children? How do we reconcile such evil? Why did this happen?

And then the 'why' is ultimately a 'who's to blame' question. Some friends and media sources are blaming video games like Mass Effect.

Others are talking about gun control being the issue. One friend said "How many more days like this can we tolerate? Today -- AND every day thereafter -- is the day to talk about gun control."

Obviously many talk about God and religion and feel abandoned by God in moments like this. How could this happen if God really loved us? If He could stop it from happening why didn't He?

And another friend said: "What we should be addressing is our need for psychiatric institutions. Not surprisingly, they were seen as a waste of tax dollars and now the only place for people with serious mental problems is society or prison (after they commit crimes). Rather than pointing fingers at guns or religious issues, we need to address what's best for the mentally ill and for society in the face of tragedies of this nature."

[jimwalton]

Despite that we know how bad the world can be, it is always difficult to process such random acts of unmitigated evil against total innocents. It is unspeakable horrible to ever lose a child, but to lose one like this, in a random school slaughter—you never recover from that. Ever.

The blame question is so difficult to pin down because there are so many complexities of life that go into what a person becomes and why they act the way they do. Our culture is becoming increasingly more unrestrained in exposing children to adult themes, and not even filtering what we expose adults to. When the imagination is allowed to run unbounded, and evil (violence, random violence, virtual violence) invades our games and entertainment, music and art, people are influenced—especially people who are already showing symptoms of mental disturbance. For someone without appropriate restraints, the input just makes things worse.

A more important question on your mind is "How can God allow this to happen if he really loved us?" Actually, because he loves us he doesn't force us to be robots and allows us the freedom to choose as we wish. Only if he didn't love us would he regulate every thought and every action, and then we wouldn't be human. And if he forced us to love him, well, that wouldn't be love either. Love has to choose its course or its not love. Are there dangers and risks involved in that? Of course. Someone might choose evil. Well, if the other choice is to duct-tape your child to the bed and never let them make a decision, what kind of life is that either? Satan is free to choose. People are free to choose. Love guides, it warns, it disciplines, it instructs, it woos, it weeps, but it doesn't force love in return.

This is just a very brief response to very complex emotions and an extremely difficult situation. Talk to me some more and we can go deeper.

[Bronwen Frost]

God will not interfere with a person's free will. It's sad, but why are we surprised.
2 Timothy 3
New International Version (NIV)

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3. without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4. treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5. having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

It's our job to be there for each other. To be kind, accepting, loving, understanding. That is the answer to this question. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have all been hurt by someone. Understanding the human nature, that sinful nature which Jesus died for, is the answer. We are to wise as serpants and innocent as doves. Let's be wise in understanding, people will be getting worse. If we can be kind to them today, go out of our way to listen. Reach out to those young ones. Remember, there is an enemy to their souls. It's our God-given right to be there for them. Praying is great! Actions heal.

[jimwalton]

Good words, Bronwen. Thanks for sharing them. In ways these things have always been with us. The unsettling thought is, they're just going to get worse. But, as you say, that's where Jesus comes in.