From Cute Kids to Killers

Both youngsters had been cute kids. As teenagers, though, something went terribly wrong, and the results were 15 dead young bodies, including their own.

Since the slayings that put Littleton, Colorado on the map of the nation's consciousness, blame has been assigned to guns, parents, violent movies, video games, and evil in general. Watching as pundits offer their explanations has been an enlightening exercise, as the usual culprits of poverty and not enough social spending were unavailable to explain away this case. While this writer believes that all of the blame factors listed may have contributed to the horrific events at Columbine High, they overlook the obvious.

Ours is a culture of death.

Death is sought as the answer to many uncomfortable situations in our society. Unwanted unborn children can be killed in utero, right up through the ninth month. With enough money and the stomach to destroy a child violently, the problem can be "solved," but of course solving that particular problem leads to other problems, such as a lifetime of guilt, and greatly increased probability of breast cancer.

In Oregon and elsewhere, old, depressed, or seriously ill people can end their own lives with the aid of a "physician." Rather than address the underlying problem of senior care, hospice, or treatment of depression and/or pain, the "problem" seems to disappear entirely with the injection of a lethal dosage. Unfortunately, the generation that visits such "compassion" on others will one day find itself seeking help. Will they find that themselves facing only a cold syringe?

TV and the movies have always had a violent bent. What has changed is that, whereas murder and mayhem used to be part of a plot, nowadays, they ARE the plot. Why else would anyone pay good money to see something called Killer Instinct or Lethal Weapon 3? With each new movie of the genre, the "envelope" of gore is pushed to new levels. What used to be genuine entertainment has given way to a prurient celebration of death. The TV show 60 Minutes achieved the highest ratings for showing the "snuff video" of convicted murderer Dr. Kevorkian, in which he put a willing "patient" to death.

Even our national policy has become a matter of attempting to solve problems by bombing them to smithereens. When the youth see wanton destruction as the official policy of our government, what does that teach them?

What can be done? The culture of death is strong but not invincible. The Bible tells us that after God had formed the first man, He breathed life into him. Jesus said all of the following:

I am the resurrection and the life.

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

For God so loved the world that He have His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

When we recognize that life is a gift from God, and each day may be our last, then our focus changes: Rather than celebrating death, we celebrate life. For God's people, this life is not the end, but the beginning. We live life abundantly because of the presence and work of Jesus, and then look forward to eternal life in the world to come.