The recent shooting in my hometown of Buffalo, New York, to the recent school shooting in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, have rocked the hearts and sensibilities of our nation. These terrible tragedies seem and unbelievable, yet they happen and continue. As we attempt to understand why they happened and seek to prevent further occurrences, are we looking in the right places for answers? Solutions have been put forth, ranging from banning guns to mental health checks to reevaluating the violent video games that our children play.
While the motives of those considering these solutions are most likely pure, they miss the underlying cause, and thus the solution, to the problem. Violence enters the human story from nearly the beginning: “While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him” (Gen. 4:8).The Genesis narrative notes that violence soon becomes endemic.
In a mere two chapters, we read, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence” (Gen. 6:11). And “God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (Gen. 6:13).
What we must understand is God hates violence. We see that, especially in the prophets.Ezekiel: “He [God] said to me, ‘Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger?’ ” (8:17).Hosea: “Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence” (12:1).Obadiah: “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever” (v. 10).If the Bible is to be trusted, violence is cause for divine destruction of the people who practice and countenance it.
Americans might take note. It nearly goes without saying, the United States is a violent culture. Yes, places like El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, and Jamaica have much higher per capita murder rates. But compare the United States with other high-income countries, and we see this: According to the world population review, The U.S. endures the most mass shootings in the world—depending upon one’s definition of a mass shooting.This enormous amount of gun violence must force us to pay attention to our violent DNA. They also prompt our endless debates about guns. One side argues that fewer guns in fewer hands will lead to fewer gun deaths.
There is some evidence to suggest this. After mass shootings in other countries, Parliament passed stricter gun laws; this showed a considerable decline in individual and mass shootings overall. Then again, there was a period when assault weapons were banned in the US, and it had little effect on gun crime overall. If the ban contributed to a decrease in mass
shootings, the rates were minor. There is a root to these violent tendencies. The more humanity seeks to live by its own rules, rejecting God’s lordship, the more we see the results. Lost humanity craves autonomy; they seek to
exercise their perceived right to rule their own lives.
As long as this thinking permeates society, we can expect behavior like that exhibited in Buffalo and Uvalde. There is no other outcome when we reject God’s way of doing things. This is what rebellion against God results in. It is a high cost to pay.
By Dr. Johnny M. Harris, Jr
