Boise pastor: Turning away from God, the U.S. sees tragedies like school shootings
The tragedy of the slaughter of 19 fourth-graders and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, was a horrible reminder of the wicked world in which we live.
One of the reasons we become so frightened at this news is because we know there is little or no way we can prevent this from happening without drastic, internal changes. There is no amount of money we can spend, laws we can enact or agencies we can mobilize to protect our children from people without conscience, and who have no fear of death or hell.
Where do killers like this young man come from? Sometimes they are born out of wedlock; raised in broken, fatherless homes; abused and bullied. They have been nursed on the internet, and are filled with anger at the “injustice” of the world around them.
These kids can play violent video games, imbibe disgusting movies, and listen to music that spews hostility and brutality. Sometimes they worship heroes who encourage satanic practices.
Even some of those who produce such garbage will claim that their product is just entertainment and has no ill effect on those who participate. Do you remember the old expression, “Garbage in, garbage out?” Don’t expect loving, respectful kids to come from the pig trough of their entertainment culture.
For several years I was a substitute teacher in the public schools, and I served most of the time in the special-education department. We focused on kids with behavioral problems who could not function in the main student population. I watched teenagers cut themselves, threaten suicide, listen to the foulest music and even brag about their run-ins with law enforcement. They ingested anything that would help shut out the world around them. Most of them were abused at home and learned to take drugs from their parents.
It is not a coincidence that sometimes killers without a conscience retaliate against the “nursery” where they were trained, either in their homes or schools. Schools provide the “soft targets” where helpless children and teachers gather. Most children come from parents who do not protect them with prayer before they go to school, and they enter an educational system that not only prohibits prayer and Bible reading, but actively attempts to corrupt them with godless ideas. Children at school are without spiritual protection.
Instead of automatically going to a discussion about gun laws, how about a serious investigation into the value of public education, or school choice vouchers, where even the poor can access private religious education? Is that too threatening to the careers of many people? How about limiting access to the internet and cellphones? How about bans on music and video game content?
One of the responsibilities of parents is to protect the innocence of their children for as long as possible. How serious are we about the problem of school shooting tragedies?
When a society strives to be godly, the children benefit with good parents, loving homes and an educational system that helps them develop into the unique individuals God created them to be. When a society decays, the children are its victims through abortion, abuse, incest and a godless educational system that robs them of their value.
No wonder the kids are angry, without a moral conscience, and strike out at a world that has failed them. They were taught they are animals, so don’t be surprised when they act like it.
Loren A. Yadon is pastor of New Life Fellowship of Boise. Opinions here are his own and not the Idaho Statesman’s. The Idaho Statesman’s weekly faith column features a rotation of writers from many different faiths and perspectives.
