Fatal Attractions
The media are having a field day with the Orlando killings. What a shame, to say the least, that this type of horror is good for business.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die-yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them. - Romans 1:28-32
In his letter to the Church in Rome, Paul is warning the followers to stay focused on God and to avoid the trappings of judgment that lead to a debased mind, one that applauds the actions of those who do horrible things.
We are fascinated by those actions though. We can't seem to get enough and every new story and angle seems to make the killer more popular, more of a celebrity.
No wonder the lost, abandoned, unloved and debased are attracted to such crimes. It will make them famous. People will hate them, fear them, pay attention to them.
One can go from unknown security guard to terrorist overnight.
There is a God-spaced hole in the souls of all of us and that emptiness longs to be filled. If we call upon God to fill it, we are on the right path. We will be free of the demons that lead us to destruction of ourselves and those around us.
But if we don't ask God to be alive within us, we invite trouble, and we can become the evening news topic of the week.
The media are the purveyors of these fatal attractions, the promises of glory and fame that corrupt and debase the empty soul.
What can we do, then, to stop the next deadly act?
We need to invite God in, not just for us, but for all.
The father of the killer said his son was not religious. I believe that is the problem. The evil in the world is anti-religious and non-religious. It is a secular demon that leaves us empty and unfulfilled.
We need God in our lives. And all religions, all people of faith, every faith, need to call those around them into the family of God. They (We) need to do that now, before the next media blitz.
More to come...