Nevertheless—and seemingly inevitably—whenever a mass murderer goes on a killing spree in the U.S., those who are terrified of the notion of absolute truth (who are determined to rule their own world)—and especially terrified of the Author of truth—ignore the real problems with homicidal deviants and almost always ignorantly insist that the solution is “gun-control.”
This ignorance is particularly—and dangerously—telling when, as FBI stats reveal, over 98% of mass shootings occur in so-called “gun-free zones.” Thus, restricting access to guns has done nothing in America except make certain areas—such as schools—even more dangerous. Yet liberals are unwavering in their desire to restrict Americans’ access to weapons.
This is the case even if the weapon is a truck, but especially if the weapon is a gun. True to their “never let a crisis go to waste” mantra, after Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 individuals at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL on Ash Wednesday, democrats wasted little time attempting to make political hay from Cruz’s evil act. The usual script was followed: multiple calls for gun-control legislation and frequent pointing of the finger at republicans.
Again, Satan laughs. Tragically, with those corrupted by liberalism, we see this time and again. Whether the problem is poverty, hunger, bad schools, gun violence, crime in general, or even the spread of disease, the liberal answer is always the same: more government. Because most of them have made a god of government, liberals are almost always looking for a political solution to whatever ails us.
Thus, virtually everything in our culture is politicized, and the public at large is subjected to never-ending campaigns. For liberals, nearly any solution to our cultural tribulations that will drive people to vote for democrats is most preferable. Sadly, far too many people are willing to cast their votes for those who promise to “protect” them—from the climate, from corporations, criminals, Christians, disease, pregnancy, and especially from the consequences of their own bad decisions. “Pajama Boy” and “Julia” are the poster children here.
In other words—whether through legislation, executive orders, or rulings from the bench—to cure society’s ills, liberals insist that we heed the words of “enlightened” man instead of the Word of the eternal God. This is why, after a mass shooting with multiple deaths, the idea of prayer is so offensive to liberals. Even the benign “moment of silence” or “thoughts and prayers” (you can keep your thoughts, but I’ll take your prayers!) are now so often derided, mocked, and ignored.
However, in spite of liberal trepidations, prayer brings us to the heart of the matter when dealing with the likes of Nikolas Cruz, Sayfullo Saipov, Devin Kelley, Omar Mateen, Dylan Roof, and so on. As C.S. Lewis taught us, prayer reveals our “bankruptcy,” or, put another way, our powerlessness. Prayer helps us understand who we really are and who God really is. (Note how the Lord’s Prayer begins: “Our Father in heaven, holy is your name…”) And when necessary, prayer leads us up to the vital moment at which we “turn to God and say, ‘You must do this. I can’t.’”
Only the power of God can change the heart of a human. Good government should always remind us of and be rooted in the truth, but we will never be able to legislate away evil. Men like Nikolas Cruz, Sayfullo Saipov, and Devin Kelley did what they did because they ignored God and decided truth for themselves.
Such a self-centered attitude is at the heart of liberalism. This is another reason why liberals want to focus on guns instead of what motivates men to do evil. The perverse worldview of angry atheists, murderous Islamists, and evil secularists shares much in common with the godless worldview of modern liberalism. Again, the most common shared element is a rabid disdain for all things Christian.
When dealing with the immorality that is destroying our nation, good government must recognize what it takes truly to change bad behavior—something that “gets to the heart” of individuals—and, at best, partner with such efforts, or at least, do nothing to hinder them.
In other words, we shouldn’t have a government that seeks to stop mass murderers merely with “gun control.” We shouldn’t have a government that encourages sexual immorality and the destruction of the family—whether through taxpayer funded abortions, promiscuous sexual education, or the promotion of homosexuality—and then wants to pay for the consequences of such immorality with billions in tax-payer funded welfare.
We shouldn’t have a government that seeks to cure poverty or violence with a godless secular education system. We shouldn’t have a government, as Grover Cleveland put it, that “encourages the expectation of paternal care” while weakening “the sturdiness of our national character.”
In other words, we don’t need a government that thinks that it can, through mere secular means, cure all that ails our culture. We need a government (of course that means elected officials) that understands that truly to change someone, truly to change behavior, requires getting to the heart of individuals. And of course, this requires spiritual efforts, and we all know where that leads.
The problems of this nation, of every nation, of every individual who has ever lived are always and ultimately spiritual, and thus require spiritual solutions. Of course, such thinking stands in stark contrast to those who have put their hope in the things and the people of this world. Virtually every dictator to rise to power has done so by promising some version of a leftist utopia. They hailed and promoted “the power of the human spirit”—or some similar bunk—and then millions were murdered. The last two centuries are replete with such tragic examples.
Nevertheless, the worldview of the American left continues to demand that America can become righteous through mere political means. As long as such thinking prevails, students will continue to die, and Americans of every stripe will continue to suffer.
Copyright 2018, Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.
www.trevorgrantthomas.com
Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America
tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com
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