ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE
 

1-18-13
TO: Editor, Richmond Times Dispatch
FROM:  Dr. Fillmer Hevener, Pastor, Guthrie Memorial Chapel
RE.:  LETTER TO EDITOR

All persons of good will can agree that our society experiences far too much violence. What are some of the root causes of such violence?

First, an objective standard for “right” and “wrong” has, to a large degree, been replaced by relativism, its foundational belief being: “Right you are if you think you are.” With the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule being replaced by relativism, materialism, and skepticism, the individual, not God, decides what is good or bad behavior. Relativism encourages such inhumane behavior as that of Hitler and Stalin, both of whom defended their mass murders as practical and sagacious.

Second, the value of human life has been sharply reduced in our society. Replacing the account of God’s orderly and special creation of life as summarized in the early chapters of the book of Genesis, are materialism, macroevolution, and chance. Some reason, because human life is nothing more than a product of chance, why should it be considered sacred?

Third, too often our society glamorizes violence in TV programs, video games, and movies. As Tennyson wrote in Ulysses, “I am a part of all that I have met.” Tennyson is right; this violence does have an impact on all of us, especially our children.

Fourth, when our society legalizes the annual killings of some 1, 350,500 babies by abortion (that is approximately 1 every 24 seconds), we are telling our youth that human life isn’t precious, and our youth are getting this message!

We need to attack the root causes of violence: (1) by teaching that life is a miraculous, sacred gift from an eternal Creator (2) by teaching that this God will judge man, and (3) and by having leaders who point society back to the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) and to the Ten Commandments, one of which is: “Thou shall not kill”.

Remember Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” As a society we have been sowing violence, and we are now reaping the same!

Signed: Fillmer Hevener