Blame

The tragedy in Tuscon defies words on so many levels. Yet, words of disbelief, disillusionment, fear, and outrage have filled the air. We wonder if it was a man with a gun who was mad or a madman with a gun. We've heard from former friends and family about the gunman being a little different but how he seemed to get weirder, more angry, and more reclusive recently. Drugs are brought up as a cause, mental illness is assumed, political rhetoric is pointed toward with another view toward gun control or more "programs" to spot these kinds of people and stop them before it's too late. We want to know who's responsible and blame an uncivilized society on politics, illness, maladjustment, and lack of attention. We call for a return to civility and kindness. I'm all for more civility. In fact, I'd personally like to see schools or better yet, maybe community centers and churches have classes in manners. (Ideally, it would be nice if parents would teach this but today's parents are too busy so they let the Real Housewives, Desparate Housewives, Modern Families, Super Nanny and Snookie from Jersey Shore teach our kids. )We've forgotten how to act toward other human beings. But classes on manners and deportment (there's a word you haven't seen in a while--it used to be on report cards) won't stop demons in the desert or other places from turning deadly all the time. But I think I see a progression, acutally a degression in our society back from civility to more root causes. Civility arises out of respect. We no longer treat one another with grace and civility because we don't respect other humans. We don't respect other human beings because other humans' value is discounted. Human value is discounted because truth, objective truth is also discounted or thrown onto the pile of of moral relativism. When truth is discounted, what truth teaches us about God has no effect. What truth says is that we are made in God's image and answerable to Him. Truth from God says that human beings are created in God's image and have intrinsic, eternal value. Out of respect for God we are to treat others with respect because our God, our Lord, our Boss, our Saviour loves them and we are commanded to love and respect others as He does. The fact that we are created and fallen is a truth that properly understood also produces a humility that allows dialogue and respect to grow. But if there is no God, if there is no truth, then there won't be any respect and the lack of civility, the lack of dialogue (why talk if no one else's opinion counts but mine and people like me) will create rampant selfishness and polarization will thrive. In this kind of culture my pain is supreme and me having my way is the driving force for life. Whatever then makes me happy becomes the goal in life. In this kind of society people can feel unimportant, unappreciated and unloved. The only voice they hear after a while is the voice of rejection, pain, self, sin and satan. God help us. Then a 9-11 happens, a Virgina Tech happens, a Columbine happens, a Tuscon happens and a beautiful nine year old girl with deep, brown eyes and big dreams is lost after a few days of lament to the labeling, political posturing, and finger pointing of a nation that has by and large forgotten how to answer to the Living God and how to love and respect human beings made in His image. II Chronicles 7:14 Cos