A Response

What follows is a response to an email sent to me by an acquaintence of mine who evidently believes that the shooting in Virginia can be at least in part attributed to the taking of God and the devil out of the public sector. My response is to him, but I thought I'd share it with all of you. Remember that my blog is copyrighted. Please do not share it or use it without my permission.

Hi, Bob. Thanks for keeping me on your email list. I don’t think what I will say is what you think I might say regarding the condition of state schools and our leaving God and the devil out of them, but will say it nevertheless.
I do not wish to have a state religion or have my tax dollars spent on the spreading or promotion of any religious doctrine. If that happens, which doctrine do we promote? Yours? Mine? Billy Graham’s? Jimmy Carter’s? Joe Biden’s? You see, there are nearly as many doctrines as there are people, I think. Someone somewhere isn’t going to agree on something that someone else believes to be absolutely true.
I do, however, desire that people be able to learn about various religions and to study the various religious holy writings of the world. That happens now and continues to happen in colleges, universities, high schools and other educational institutions both public and private, all over the country. I’m not sure what we’re complaining about regarding the seeming lack of God in the public forum.
You say in your email that “then these people wander around lost in their own minds being influenced by the devil without any correction by Truth. Lost, watching other people who seem to know their way and seem to know what they are doing. Yet the lost get no help, no guidance in the public forum. No discussion of Peace, Truth, Love, Salvation, Hope.” You further say, “with no solution, no way to manage the pain they go ‘Ballistic’ and our culture wonders why.”
If indeed that is true, why in heaven’s name would we want the public forum to give guidance and help regarding Peace, Truth, Love, Salvation, and Hope? The old saying, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help,” is as pertinent now as it ever was.
Where are the Christians, Bob? Why aren’t Christians discussing these subjects? Why aren’t Christians providing guidance and help in the public forum? Why do Christians wonder, along with the culture, why these things happen? Christians already have access to the "public forum", as you well know. Where were we? Don’t we already know?
Don’t we already know that we have failed as a Christian culture to tell the good news of Jesus Christ AND demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world? The Christian community's general hatred of homosexuals, abortionists, Democrats, Jesse Jackon, drug addicts, sex offenders, the homeless, the poor and others only solidify and harden our inability to reach across the divide.
We’d rather make certain our 401-K’s and our suburban lifestyle are maintained than to make certain that others know about Jesus. We’d rather donate a few dollars in the plate each Sunday to soothe our consciences rather than make life-altering sacrifices. We’d rather be certain we can pay the first and second mortgages, the credit card, the boat payment, the vacation fund, the cable bill, and the club membership than to see to it that others know about the Risen Lord.
Where were the Christians in this young man’s life? Who tried to span the divide? Where was he to learn about Peace, Truth, and Love if not from the private sector…the Christians? Who would teach him? The government? His professors? Give me a break.
Thanks for writing. I hope this has been helpful to you. I know it has been helpful for me to think about the issues you raise. They are pertinent and will continue to remain so long after the shock of this horrific event wears away.