#Murder In America: It Is A Spiritual Problem

Hi Everyone,

Well, our national news has gone to great lengths to make sure we are aware of the horrendous mass murders that have taken place in Dayton and In El Paso. And they are right. Murderous mayhem took place in these two cities; yet, it is sad that this is the tip of the iceberg, as all our cities and streets run with the blood of black on black crime. Indeed, more people are killed on our cities streets, in a few short months, than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.  The carnage is unbelievable. 

The talking head pontificators try to tell us that it's all about "gun violence."  Some others say it's about mental health, and their theorizing goes on and one; nevertheless, the main reason we are having these modern day epidemics of murder on our streets, as well as millions of murders of innocent preborn human beings, is predicated on one problem that is being completely ignored by our elitist newscasters.

WE HAVE A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM

Since 1954, when the "Johnson Amendment" silenced our pulpits under the threat of the IRS, and since prayer and Bible reading was removed from our schools in the early 1960s,  and since secular humanistic religion flooded into the vacuum left behind, a culture of death has taken over our society. Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, "The philosophy of the school room, in one generation, will become the philosophy of the government in the next." Even our seminaries are impacted, and our whole culture has experienced this shift in philosophy, and the resultant downward spiral  has steadily cracked to pieces the Judeo Christian foundation of our nation. Yes, we have a spiritual problem indeed.

I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s,  and where I grew up, all of us had some kind of rifle or weapon as we entered our teens, and we learned "gun safety" from a very early age. We still had prayer and bible reading in our schools, and oddly enough, many of my friends would actually drive to school with a shotgun or rifle in their vehicle. You see, these friends of mine may have gone hunting early in the morning before coming to school. One thing is for certain, no one was being shot and killed in our schools when we were taught "thou shalt not kill." 

The Liberating Limits.

You see, we lived by what I call the liberating limits that ordered our lives.  We believed on one true God, and we believed that revering Him, and His liberating limits (called the ten commandments) whether we were "church goers" or not was important. Misusing God's name, was honored by even the most spiritually challenged person. Having a day of rest, once a week, was central to our culture. Honoring parents was expected, as was honoring principals, teachers, firefighters and even the police. Respect for authority, because of these values, was sacrosanct. Hatred and murder, of any kind, was not acceptable. Sexual immorality was actually thought of as a sin, and not a civil right. Stealing (not antifa like carnage) was not allowed. A person who was noted for lying, was deemed untrustworthy. And wanting what belonged to others, (like the leftist secularist humanistic religion models) was not something to be accepted.   We had our social issues, to be sure; however, we did our best to practice the rule that says, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  All of these values are severely frowned on by the secular humanist, who really gained a foothold, when the education department came into being, and it took power away for the local states... not to mention the 80 billion dollars a year. These liberating limits helped form a cultural consciousness that was wholesome and life giving. When people became Christ Followers, these liberating limits became, not just rules to live by, they were written on our hearts and lives as a result of God's Eternal Covenant. 

The Chains That Bind

Now, with the rejection of these powerful spiritual values, we are told, "It doesn't matter in whom you believe, just believe." Some have decided they are their own gods, and this lends itself to selfishness not sacrifice for others. Dishonoring parents is common. Hatred floods our culture, and all the abortive murder and so called "gun violence" murder is on the rise. Sexual immorality is called a reproductive right, and sin is called a civil right. Lying, especially among or politicians, is okay and even expected. Stealing, or covetous craving for what people have, because they have more than we my have, seems to be the rule for at least one political party.  The chains that bind us, indeed, enslave us. Why? I say this because, as Jesus said, " If you commit yourself to sin, it enslaves you..." and it does.

The Truth That Sets You Free.

Jesus said, "If you abide in these teachings of mine, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!"  Galatians 5:1 tells us, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourself be burdened by a yoke of slavery." The spiritual values that the Son of God teaches, and the ones that underpinned the foundations of our nation, can and will set us free. The only way to address the murderous ways, and the lawless of our day, is to repair our spiritual problem. Nothing else will do. Pray we yield, as a people, once again to the liberating limits and the truth of God's Word.  Let us be free indeed.  Let's fix our spiritual problem, and let God do the rest.

No, we are not victims of gun violence, we are being victimized by a godless secular humanist culture that has lost its soul. We really do have a life threatening, nation threatening, SPIRITUAL PROBLEM!

Y'all be blessed.

SoJourner.