No doubt, anyone with any degree of human affection is deeply affected by the endless barrage of atrocities perpetrated by man against his fellow man. We all agree that we must strive to thwart this thirst for violence. However, many of us are looking in the wrong place for solutions. Indeed the issue is much deeper than the preferred method of carnage (i.e. guns, knives, bombs, etc.). America is suffering from heart disease, and as with any disease, if we hope to find a cure; we must identify its source. I would like to pose two contributing factors that must be addressed. If we do not correct these two things, we will never convince people to respect the lives of their fellow man.
The Biblical picture of humanity is one of God given intrinsic value. Mankind was created to sit at the top of creation (Gen. 1:28) because we are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). The rest of the Bible tells God’s plan to make man more like Him and ultimately proclaim His excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9). Part of that plan includes absolute, unswerving respect for human life. Why then are we so ready to kill one another today? Take away the desire to kill and weapons become harmless.
First, I submit that our current plight is the direct result of distorting the worldviews of several generations to the point much of society is convinced we are nothing but mammals. Second, the sanctity of life means very little as is evidenced by the legal killing of millions of helpless babies. If our government sanctions the slaughter of her most helpless and innocent citizens, her claims to reverence human life are indeed hollow. Our children grow up in this climate and see right through this blatant double standard.
As a result, we have become numb to the plight of our fellow man. Animals tear each other to shreds daily, and no one thinks twice because it is natural. Why then do we act so surprised when the people that our culture has worked so hard to convince they are mere animals begin to act like the animals we have made them out to be? Conversely, if we convince our children that all men are created in the image and likeness of God, will they not naturally tend to respect the sanctity of human life?
The Biblical picture of humanity is one of God given intrinsic value. Mankind was created to sit at the top of creation (Gen. 1:28) because we are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). The rest of the Bible tells God’s plan to make man more like Him and ultimately proclaim His excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9). Part of that plan includes absolute, unswerving respect for human life. Why then are we so ready to kill one another today? Take away the desire to kill and weapons become harmless.
First, I submit that our current plight is the direct result of distorting the worldviews of several generations to the point much of society is convinced we are nothing but mammals. Second, the sanctity of life means very little as is evidenced by the legal killing of millions of helpless babies. If our government sanctions the slaughter of her most helpless and innocent citizens, her claims to reverence human life are indeed hollow. Our children grow up in this climate and see right through this blatant double standard.
As a result, we have become numb to the plight of our fellow man. Animals tear each other to shreds daily, and no one thinks twice because it is natural. Why then do we act so surprised when the people that our culture has worked so hard to convince they are mere animals begin to act like the animals we have made them out to be? Conversely, if we convince our children that all men are created in the image and likeness of God, will they not naturally tend to respect the sanctity of human life?