After yet another horrific mass shooting in America, this one breaking the "record" for most people killed in one incident, a "record" that continues to horrifyingly climb, talk will invariably turn toward questions of prevention revolving around issues of law enforcement, mental health programs, gun ownership, and safety precautions. All of these conversations are necessary, and useful, but they won't solve the problem because the problem lies deeper. Combating the inhumanity of man against his fellow man, is not like combating a communicable disease. Education, treatments, and vaccines have a chance at wiping out a disease, and even though some diseases which were thought to be no longer a threat have made a bit of a comeback (often due to laxity in keeping the vaccinations going), there remains realistic hope that solutions are possible to even the deadliest and most widespread diseases. The human propensity toward violence is a far different problem, and far worse.
Why do people commit heinous acts against each other? The answer is simple: mankind is flawed; deeply. This is not a new concept to those who are part of the Judeo-Christian worldview, for scripture contains the first recorded act of violence among humanity, the story of the murder of Abel by his brother Cain spurred on by simple jealousy, as well as ample teaching that repeats again and again that our individual and collective hearts are darkened. The psalmists and the prophet Isaiah wrote (as paraphrased by Paul in Romans), "
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one...the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18) Making the same point, the prophet Jeremiah wrote, "
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) In Christian theology this viewpoint regarding innate human nature is known as Total Depravity. Its conclusions are simple: (1) All of mankind is flawed, in rebellion against God, (2) Nobody is capable of fixing this problem for themselves or anyone else, (3) therefore mankind is entirely dependent upon God's grace and transforming power.
We ought to do what we can as a free society to protect the innocent from those who would do them harm, but we also ought to recognize that the underlying cause is a spiritual one, not one of economics, education, or ideology. Why do people kill? Because their hearts are full of sin. The only solution to this depraved state is the grace of God given freely to mankind through Jesus Christ our Lord, anything else is a band-aid on a bullet hole.
Pray for those who protect the innocent in society, but don't expect them to win this war anymore than the war on drugs, or the ongoing scourge of sexual slavery, the heart of man is too far gone to be restored by anything less than the power of God.
