Articles
A Violent World
When I was growing up, almost every night at 6:30 my whole family would gather in front of the TV to watch the CBS Evening News hosted by Dan Rather. We never had cable, and CBS was the only channel that came in clear enough for us to watch. I remember particularly enjoying the stories that aired at the end of the show, like the “Everybody Has a Story” segment. But I also remember the violence. As far back as I have memories watching the news, I remember seeing videos and hearing reports of people (mostly in the Middle East) throwing rocks, driving tanks in military-looking convoys, and firing machine guns.
Things have not changed much today. I have come to despise watching the news. Perhaps you have too. Every day, it reports so much violence, hatred, anger, prejudice, and beast-like brutality. As the extreme terrorist group ISIS strengthens its foothold in the Middle East and threatens worldwide, things seem to be going from bad to worse. In our own country, reports of police abusing their power and school shootings are becoming more numerous. Yet, strangely enough, we watch the news anyway. While it is certainly not wrong to stay up-to-date on current events worldwide, we must be careful to not become callused to the awfulness of sin. We can also become so disheartened that we no longer see the good in mankind. Sometimes we may be better off not watching the news altogether. To put a different spin on a well-known phrase, “No news is good news.”
Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood shall be shed, for God made man in His own image” (ESV). All human life has dignity, and God is angered when people reject that fact. Because we are created in His image, our dignity is His dignity. We know this. It is common sense, really, that one human should not take the life of another.
The bloodshed today reminds us of Noah’s day when the Bible describes the earth as “corrupt in the sign of God and…filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). Even though terrorist groups often kill in the name of religion, violence happens when God is forgotten and man becomes corrupt from the inside out. It was so bad that only Noah and his family were saved. In a way this is comforting, knowing that our world today is not nearly as far gone as it was in Noah’s day. Yet it is also disturbing, knowing that man is capable of such wickedness against his fellow man.
Sometimes we may wonder why God allows such brazen wickedness to happen. This question has long been debated between defenders of the Almighty and unbelievers. Though we may not know all the “ins and outs” of the answer, we must remember that humans have free will. God created us to love Him by choice. For this to be true, we must be capable of both good of the most extraordinary kind (loving Him and others being the ultimate good) and evil of the most extraordinary kind (hating Him and others being the ultimate evil). And one day, God will surely judge the wicked. In His own time, He will.
It’s hard to imagine that we can make a difference in a world so full of violence. But we can. As small as they may be, acts of love, kindness, and compassion towards those around you will make all the difference in your own and their lives. Teach your children about the One True God. Show your coworkers you care about their wellbeing. Hug your grandchildren. Whether or not our lives become “corrupt in the sight of God” depends on what we do today. And by all means, remember that this world is not our home.
