No civilization can continue in violence and expect to continue to thrive. As I have been reflecting on the violent events of this year in the US, some verses from Genesis have come to mind regarding the cause of God's ultimate displeasure with humanity during the days of Noah. These verses have strong relevance for our times as well. Observe what the Scriptures say:
"Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth" (Genesis 6:11-13.)
Life was problematic on every moral level in the world at that time, but the proliferation of violence was a tipping factor for God's judgment. We know that there will not be a flood on the scale of Noah's again, but civilizations have risen and fallen time and time again ever since those days because of violence and corruption. Jesus warned that the end would be near when humanity once again approached wickedness on the level of the days of Noah. I am not prone to be a "doom and gloomer" but we are living in extremely violent times and Jesus instructed His followers to be observant of the times. We must resist this evil and not simply allow it to wash over us like a tidal wave over which we have no control. We can do something. Therefore, Let us now hold our own homes and communities accountable in our direct leadership and confront the violence directly around us. As the Texas church massacre case reminds us, domestic violence is a springboard for violence everywhere else.
Let us also hold our political representatives accountable in confronting violence, calling them to be more than powerful place-holders with personal perks, but demanding that they work and serve to re-establish peace in the land for the rest of us, who do not have the benefit of round the clock professional personal protection. It is becoming clearer that even the basic rules and regulations we have put in place are not being seriously enforced. Part of the responsibility of Public Service is ensuring excellence in administrative oversight. Let us call these leaders to utilize the tools being neglecting and simultaneously closing the loopholes that have riddled our national fabric to make the tools of violence accessible to people never meant to have access to such instruments. If political leaders will not prioritize this life or death issue in establishing good practices and implementing existing policies, let us change the guard until there are people in place who will!
We must care enough to confront the violence we are experiencing in all the ways we can, at every level we can. To neglect the issue is to continue to imperil our existence. As we remain indecisive and ineffective, Violence continues to chip away at our foundation one bloody incident, and countless lives at a time. We cannot afford to wait for the next round of assaults before taking action. Look around you, jump in, and take action where you can. Civilization is at stake.
1 comment:
i don't think it's simply a political issue. Look at culture: music, movies, t.v. and video games all glorify some type of violence. When 12-14 year old children are allowed to play call of duty, grand theft auto, etc. and listen to music that extols violence and human degradation, how can we NOT create a culture of death? Let's hold politicians accountable yes, but let's hold Hollywood, the music industry and most importantly ourselves accountable to what we allow in our homes.
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