Bewildered

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1)

This week our nation suffered another horrendous tragedy – the mass murder of students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Ironically, the massacre took place on Valentine’s Day, which also happened to be Ash Wednesday. The first question many ask is, “Where was God in all of this?”

The spilled blood on the school hall floors had not yet coagulated before the left-right divide made itself apparent. The “left” immediately took the occasion to irrationally call for more and stricter gun control laws while the “right” rationally points out that gun control laws (of which too many already exist) cannot prevent these kinds of senseless acts of violence. If we remove all guns from society–which is absurd at the onset—those in power – the ruling class elites – will always have guns, and outlaws will always find ways to get them. Those of a mind to kill will kill by any means available: knives, broken bottles, clubs, cars, homemade bombs, etc. More gun control laws will not impede senseless acts of violence.

Guns are not the problem. Wickedness in the heart of man is the problem. Reports say that the shooter, 19-year old Nikolas Cruz, “heard demons” in his head directing him to carry out the heinous act. That, I can believe. The public defender assigned to Cruz, Melisa McNeill, preparing, I am sure, to enter an insanity defense, described Cruz as “a broken person.” That too, I can believe.

The fact remains that we are all broken people. The Bible teaches, “There is none righteous, no, not one … For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). Every person alive falls into that category. It’s a wonder that more atrocities like this do not take place; although, arguably, these kinds of incidents are on the rise.

The media fill the airwaves with opinions from the left and the right on how to resolve the problem. Some want to ban all weapons. Others want to arm the teachers. Still, others identify all the symptoms but fail in offering practical solutions.

At the risk of sounding insensitive or naïve, the solution is simple. A well-known and seldom employed axiom states, “Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.”[1] How about this one: “Thou shalt not [murder]” (Exodus 20:13). Oh! That’s right! That is one of the Ten Commandments. That is in the Bible. That is not allowed in school. When I went to school, not only was it allowed in school, but it was taught. Not surprisingly, we did not experience school shootings when I went to school.

Do we seriously want to stop the madness? Then ban the ACLU from schools and reinstitute God and biblical morality. It is just that simple. However, we are living “in the last days [where] perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1) “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Jesus said that the last days would be as the days of Noah. Not only were “they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away” (Matthew 24:38-39); but “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11, emphasis mine). Is that not what we see?

The solution is simple, but the world is bewildered in finding a solution. This bewilderment is also a sign of the times. Study the following passage:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:21-32, emphasis mine)

Does that not describe the current state of our world? People are bewildered; their hearts are darkened. They profess themselves to be wise but are fools. They are morally impure, dishonoring their bodies between themselves—women with women and men with men. They do all of this because they have rejected God, and God has given them over to these “vile affections.” Then, because they continue to reject God, He has given them over to “a reprobate mind,” i.e., a mind that has lost the ability to properly reason. Is it any wonder that they are bewildered by this awful problem and cannot see the simple solution?

At the risk of sounding insensitive, as a society that has ejected God from the public square, we, as a nation, have brought this evil upon ourselves. The solution is simple, but until our nation repents and turns back to God, the violence will continue to increase, and none of our God-less solutions will make them go away. We will remain bewildered!

Notes:

[1]  This axiom or principle is known as Occam’s Razor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor