NO. 904 SYMPTOMS OF A SICK SOCIETY!

No. 904

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

SYMPTOMS OF A SICK SOCIETY!

On Dec. 14, 2012, the unspeakable happened once again in our country. On this date, a young man who was armed to the teeth entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and opened fire on everything that moved. When it was over, 20 precious children and six faculty members were dead, and the gunman turned a gun on himself ending the rampage. These events have been documented thousands of times and the constant news coverage for the next several weeks left more questions than answers.
Like most Americans, I watched the following news accounts intently and with deep sadness like any parent or grandparent who was grateful that this did not happen to our own children. In our culture today, we realize that it could have been us. What I would like to invite you to think about today is the 24-hour comments and discussions that followed by those in the media, political leaders and all the pundits who attempted to explain why it happened, and to point fingers on those who were deemed guilty. For the gun-control advocates, this event was like throwing gas on an open fire. Others blamed Hollywood and the producers of violent video games, movies and television programs. And then there were those who pointed to mental health issues. I would add the breakdown of the family and sexual perversion, which are also a part of the problem.
From my perspective, most of those in authority missed the real reason for this tragic event and most of the other tragedies that have taken place in the past 20 to 30 years. Some nibbled around the edges but none I heard said these were only “symptoms” of a sick society, and the much deeper root problem -- the breakdown of our culture because we have removed God from the mainstream of American life. While I have said this before, I still believe it’s still true. We did not have this when I was growing up in the 1950s, when parents were still in control of their children and most took them to church and Sunday school on a regular basis.
A couple of days after the shootings, leaders in the community of Newtown held an interdenominational prayer meeting at the Newtown High School. I might add that this is a public school. To his credit, during the prayer service President Obama quoted the words of Jesus, and others read scripture from the Bible. However, this was in interdenominational prayer service and religious leaders from all faiths were part of the program, which is the way it should be.
Here is the point of my column, and you certainly have the right to disagree – Until we, as a nation, put God back on the throne in our homes and in our lives, we will continue down the same path that has brought us to this point in time. Our children deserve more.
Here is my recommendation. We took the Ten Commandments down from the walls of courthouses, schools and other public places. We took prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance from classrooms, sporting events and important meetings. We took them down -- and we can put them back. After all, WE THE PEOPLE have the power. The politicians work for us, we don’t work for them. A full 85 percent of the American people believe in God. While we should always respect the rights of other religions in our country, we must not allow them to dictate what is important to us and our values.
“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)