Solution to gun violence is returning to Bible-held morality

The tragic slaughter of students and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. has brought much sorrow and grief. Twenty children and six staff members were brutally attacked and dispatched into eternity. Families have been shattered.

As common for this type of evil, some have asked questions like, “Why did God allow this to happen?” or “Why didn’t God stop this evil?”

The answer is that God has allowed mankind to reap the consequences of sin. This is not to say that the staff or the children killed are in any way responsible for their deaths. The tragedy of sin is that the innocent often unexpectedly suffer due to the wickedness of others.

Romans 6:23 declares, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Sin always brings death – both physical and spiritual. Only Jesus Christ can truly transform a person and bring peace and purpose to their life.

Some have blamed the lack of “Obamacare” as though the government insurance provided to school employees and their dependents was insignificant to get the help this disturbed individual needed. Others have gone as far as suggesting that new gun laws will somehow prevent further slaughter. The truth is, if the laws already on the books were obeyed, there would have been no dead children. The killer at Newtown broke no less than 20 gun laws in the highly restricted gun law state of Connecticut.

Then there are some of our senators who oppose guns for the public for political advantage who would be reluctant to surrender the concealed firearm they carry in their purse, briefcase or clothing. Other high-profile individuals in sports and Hollywood decry guns yet avail themselves to an armed security detail. This is hypocrisy.

On May 18, 1927, Andrew Kehoe, a disgruntled farmer from Bath, Mich., killed his wife with a hammer and burned down his own house and farm buildings. He faced foreclosure on his farm due to unpaid property taxes. After he killed his wife and burned down his property, he used a wired alarm clock to detonate hundreds of pounds of dynamite that he had concealed under a school in Bath.

When it went off, 43 people died. Kehoe then drove his truck to the front of the school and asked to see the school superintendent, Emory Huyck. When Huyck arrived, Kehoe detonated his truck, killing them both. The final death toll was 45 people who were mostly children. It remains, to this day, the deadliest school mass murder in our country’s history.

The issue is not just guns. If there were no guns, people would still find a way to kill others. Disarming law-abiding citizens with ill-conceived laws will do little to protect the public. Nor will promoting gun-free zones as a refuge from violence help as they seem to be the killing fields of choice for those predisposed to do evil.

What then is the solution to gun violence? We must return to Bible standards of morality in our nation’s schools, entertainment and family life. The Bible must be respected and taught as truth. People who respect Bible principles do not commit mass murder. The Bible teaches in Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” It is ludicrous to expect God to bless us when we as a nation have rejected him and embraced sin.

We also must pray for God’s guidance and protection. While not every disaster will be adverted, as mankind is inherently wicked, much suffering and death could be avoided. Pray for the families who lost loved ones in this senseless tragedy.

The Rev. Art Zacher is pastor at Berean Baptist Church in Fairfield. He can be reached at artzacher@sbcglobal.net.