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Roots in Ripon
Chuck Roots
05 March 2018
The Ripon Bulletin
In light of the tragedy that occurred in
Parkland, Florida where 17 high school students were gunned down by a former
classmate, I thought I might step into this hot-potato issue. I’ve written
before about guns, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the 2nd
Amendment which insures every American the right to self-protection.
In this article I wish to approach this
emotionally laden subject from a bit of a different slant. Perhaps you have
read about these incidents.
*A man attacked 22 primary school children and an
adult as they were arriving at school. All 22 children and the adult
were injured.
*In another attack, an unemployed middle-aged
doctor killed eight children in order to vent his frustration and anger over a
thwarted romantic relationship.
*Yet another man broke into a middle school,
injuring two students before fleeing the scene.
*Still another man attacked 1st and 2nd
grade students, injuring eight. His actions were caught on security cameras,
charging after children in order to hurt or kill them.
These are just a few of the stories I found, and
they are chilling. You may be thinking, “Where did these horrible attacks
occur?” The answer is: China, from 2010-2014. And there are more, many more
such stories. But you get the point. And did I mention that not once was a gun
used? In every instance, a knife, a machete, or a meat cleaver was used to
injure and kill students.
Oh, but the politicians in Washington DC, assure
us that such horrific attacks occur only in the United States. And, after all,
guns are the real problem, they say. And isn’t the common denominator, whether
in China or the U.S., that all the attackers are males!
Is getting rid of guns going to stop these
horrible crimes? No. Is confiscating all sharp objects going to make the
children in China safer? No. Since all the attackers were males, then just kill
off all males! That’s what King Herod of Israel did in ordering the murder of
all the baby boys two-years old and under in his attempt to kill the baby
Jesus.
A reality that far too many folks ignore or
refuse to deal with today is that there is evil in this old world. Granted,
some of these situations are caused by a person who is clearly not right in
their head. They need professional help. But in way too many other situations,
it is simply a matter of a person choosing to commit an act of pure,
unadulterated evil.
But why would anyone who is normal in every other
way, choose to perpetrate such a heinous crime on children, or on anyone?
Because they can, that’s why.
America, and to a larger extent, the world, has
opened the proverbial Pandora’s Box. How have we done this, you ask? Let me
give you three ways, though there are certainly more.
First, as a nation, America agreed that God was
no longer essential or wanted in our nation. Many of you will remember when the
Supreme Court of the United States authorized the removal of prayer from our
public schools in 1962. Bad idea.
Second, the value and sanctity of human life was
dealt a devastating blow when, again, the Supreme Court of the United States
ruled in favor of abortion on demand through the 1973 Roe vs Wade decision.
Another bad idea.
Third, the pampering and molly-coddling of our
youth. Many are afraid of their own shadow, needing safe spaces, and teddy
bears to comfort them from the evil that people do. They are ripe for attack
from bullies who see them as easy prey.
So, here’s my proposal: Let’s invite the Lord God
back into our lives, our schools, our society. Let’s recapture the respect for
one another that the Bible clearly teaches. Let’s revisit this antiquated idea
that we should fear God. Why? Because every single person will one day be
presented before God to give an account of their life. Our actions will
ultimately speak louder than our excuses.
Why were there no such awful crimes against
children when I was in elementary school during the 1950s? Because there was
still a very strong fear of God and his judgment which prevented many people
from choosing to do evil against others. They feared punishment from society
and from God.
Roots in Ripon - Author Chuck Roots |
And it’s past time to begin toughening up our
young people. Life isn’t often easy. And it isn’t often fair. But we are not
doing the next generation any favors by attempting to remove all the bad things
that could happen. There are great lessons to be learned through adversity and
conflict. I was often picked on because I was short as a kid. Every so often I
would get into a fist-fight with the guy bullying me. One thing always happened
whether I won the fight or not. The bully quit picking on me. And sometimes we
even became friends.
I have more to say on this, but it will have to
wait.
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