When I first read about the mass slaughter of innocent children at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, last Friday, my mind numbed. I could not fathom what the parents of those children would feel and wrestle with when they found out their treasure in life was gone. I could not find a reason for such an atrocity. I would not find peace in any type of “This too shall pass,” intellectual angling.
Similar shootings in other schools, college campuses and shopping malls in recent years scrolled before my view. They were all horrible, unspeakable. And this seemed the worst of all.
Where does it stop? When does it stop? Where will it happen next?
Security measures to protect children in schools will probably multiply and expand around the country. But our society needs more than guards standing at the front entrance of schools for a long term solution.
Evil has a way of moving around if not eliminated.
Before stepped up airport security, this evil targeted airplanes, killing scores of innocent passengers at a time. With that option harder to select, the evil has moved into schools, campuses and shopping malls.
The real criminal at work is much larger than individuals who act singularly, or even a group of people who act in coordination.
The criminal is the carnal mind, the evil one, the enemy of dark hatred that lurks in the background of the human mind and prepares to spring into action at the least expected moment.
Jesus Christ gave us the solution for conquering this evil. It’s love. The human mind filled with love is the only long term viable solution for stopping the senseless killing.
All of us have a contribution to make in building a society filled with people who love one another generously. Every child must grow up in a home filled with love. Every child must have a school to attend that is filled with love, respect, and peace. Every adult must be working in a workplace filled with love. Every teenager must know what it feels like to be loved and to share love effortlessly with their neighbor. Every citizen must be able to walk the streets of their neighborhood without fear in their steps.
A world filled with love is a world empty of hate and insanity that leads to violence and murder.
This is not going to happen overnight. But it must happen. It’s the only way out of this repetition of dark crime we are presently witnessing.
“Love is the liberator.” ~Mary Baker Eddy
Evan, this article is incisive. It goes beyond the issues of loose gun control, mental illness, family disintegration (all cited as reasons for this atrocity)to the core issue:the carnal mind must be nullified. I was thinking this morning that our greatest contributions as Christian healers in this world is to neutralize evil by refusing to give it power. Hated is nullified by Love, God’s love, and our reflected love. There is no other way.
Article 2 of the Bill of Rights talks about the rights of the people to bear arms, by a regulated militia. I am no lawyer, but it seems that only if this country was attacked like France was during WW||, only then we are allowed to bear arms, not now when we have a well organized Police Force, FBI, and armed services. So why the problem? Why does amatures have access to guns? It sounds very simple to override the so-called gun lobby. I am still shaken up by all these unesary killings.
Evan,
Thank you so much for this post. The grief that overshadowed me, when hearing of this tragedy, seemed paralyzing to me. Thank God nothing can paralyze the activity of the Christ. I steadfastly prayed and the same ideas you have presented in your blog flooded my thought. Love is the liberator! There is nothing else. I shared with my Sunday school students, high school level, how important it is for us to love one another as Jesus showed us.
Linda
Evan, thank you for sharing this love-filled post.
Thank you, Evan. I, too, have been praying for Divine Love to be known and felt by all. I know I must hold to Love and Love alone, but the horror of the act seems so strong. I pray that I and all of us can rise above the horror to God’s ETERNAL Love. There is no hate and violence there.
In thinking about how to pray about this horrific situation, the words “I will show you the bride the Lamb’s wwife'”came to thought. Now I knew I would find that in our textbook, but wasn’t sure where.
I found it in The Apocalypse on pg. 574. The next couple of paragraphs are so beautiful and give such comfort. There is full compensation in the law of Love.
Thank you Evan for your comments.
Thank you for your inspired comments. I’ve been wrestling with the Sandy Hook tragedy. Asking myself the same questions you post in your blog. Where is this going? When will it end? What can society do? Coming up empty. I know I can pray for mankind, but I do that already. It needs more. This article gives me a new focus to l-o-v-e- EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE. I love that. As Mary Baker Eddy says: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” page 494 in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The thought of loving everyone gives me hope and calm. Thank you. This is a definite goal for today and everyday in the new year.