Have we become so immune???

When I read the story I wept, I prayed, I was shocked. Yesterday was another day of infamy where a murderer found his easy victims.

Is God saying anything? To me yes, I see it as a billboard.
"Because you have forsaken me, I have forsaken your children". Murder sprees, LGBT propaganda, sexual perversions and distortion of identity, drugs, lostness and nihilism all pour in and what we see in these murder sprees are just the visible part of sins destructive workings in our youth.

But there is more...Millions suffering in Burundi, Etreia, Mali, The Congo, Peru; millions starving, millions displaced, millions without God and without hope. Ravaged by false religious systems, manipulated and exploited by humanist and communist governments, denied basic human rights by greed and corruption in their own governments.

Yes, there is a great deal of prayer to be done, yes there is a great deal of horrific suffering while not minimizing the terrifying and tragic events in Florida, this doesn't even bump the needle in comparison to the vast devastation found in Africa and the middle east.

I'm surely not telling you anything you don't already know, I want you to know, I know and God knows.

A discussion on 'raising of hands' or the Lord's supper is appropriate for discussion. How do you begin to discuss world events that defy expression in words? How do you opaquely view the starving millions and blurt out a few scriptures? I'm not sure I can. I do pray, I do hope in God. Thousands of words can be spent on a discussion over worship styles, but the subject of a national disaster? Words of prayer seem like the only fitting words.

Not immune, not ignorant just overcome with so much suffering 'discussion' treats it as trite.

Blaine,

You are probably the only one on this forum affected by this!

As for me and my church, we're still celebrating the victory of the Boston Eaglets in the Worldly Series.

But hey...thanks for the reminder!

Bear I appreciate you but when you get on your high horse about things like this it is extremely condescending and uncalled for.

As if those of us here are unaware of what happened in FL. You make it sound like we could care less. Why do you feel compelled to seemingly call out everyone else on the forum? Do you not think we are struck by this tragedy for which there seems to be no solution?? Our nation is broken to the core and like Marvin says a few platitudes expressed in this forum mean nothing.

But if it makes you feel better by making out that you are the only one who gives a rip about this tragedy, please continue on.

What are we supposed to say? I did the most anyone can possibly do, I prayed.

Immune Or are we just selective...?

What about the 71 that died in Russian plane crash? (News this week)
What about those that died in recent train crashes? (News this week)
What about the children who were raped and murdered on video for elite UK politicians to watch before they dissolved their bodies in acid baths? (News this week)
What about the three month old who was raped nine times while being videotaped to sell in Texas? (News last week)
What about the three girls aged 6,8,10 who were repeatedly raped for 10 weeks while their family was staying with a "friend” while their house was being repaired only for the assailant to claim he was a 9yr old trapped in a 36yr olds body? (News last week)
What about the 3,542,000 abortions in the past 12 years by Planned Parenthood? (More than twice the number of American casualties in WWI,WWII, and Vietnam combined! - also in the news last week)
And on and on......
You see Brothers and Sisters we are in a war against evil incarnate, even so I’m not sure that bringing attention to it all here on SI is the best idea- having said that, it’s far far worse than any of us imagines and most people don’t have the stomach for it.... But our God knows and He burdens those whom He will to do battle in prayer.
But that’s up to Greg if he wants to create a place for this type of thing to be addressed-

Very good posts by Marvin and Fletcher.
I don't think discussing scriptures in a positive way to encourage and enlighten each other is wrong or means we don't care or are moved by the evil around us.
Do we imagine that the Apostolic church spent all their time discussing the evils of the Roman society around them, or did they not in fact encouraage one another in the 'word'?

On a practical point of the latest tragic shooting (one of too many in the USA), why oh why cannot folk there see the obvious connection between easy access to assault weapons and these killings. I'm not saying banning these types of weapons will stop all gun crimes or that the guns are responsible in themselves for murderous acts, BUT removing the access to easily obtain them will prevent and restrict these events occurring in the frequency and scale they have been. As was stated recently "Nowhere else in the developed world do you see this happening, only in the USA.

There are many other things that you cannot buy to protect yourself or others. Why not assault and semi automatic guns??

Voices that condemn and brow beat seldom achieve the intentions they want.

I was deeply moved by the events in Fla and it was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back for me. If the good Lord doesn't help this nation it isn't going to be helped even if economic prosperity etc. returns. I was going to perhaps say something but was pondering whether I should or not. I can say with 100% certainty though that I don't believe that those who participate here were unmoved by these events. Just the opposite. You folks are good saints and do not need blanket condemnation hurled over you. Being moved into deeper compassion and intercession for this country and the world comes from hearing the word of God and the voice of the Holy Spirit. We prayed diligently in our home prayer group for the people in Fla and it's likely also that many of you have already been moved and have prayed accordingly.

Blessings.

Dear brother Dave,

There has always been easy access to guns in America and yet these things are a relatively new occurrence, starting first around ‘98 .....

At the end of the day it’s our fault in large part, I mean we can’t really act surprised when unsaved, unregenerate people act like unsaved, unregenerate people but we saints know better, yet we don’t as a whole (body) seem to respond to the problem.... instead we debate and address various symptoms. We saints have become too political in our methods.

When I grew up there was strong preaching on Sunday and virtually everyone had a gun at school in their trucks and no one was ever hurt by a gun... yet now all we hear from the pulpit is "Jesus loves you” and "Christians” everywhere applaud, sending money and social supports. Actually, guns are harder now than then to obtain and even tho it’s against the law to have a gun at school now- yet these things happen with increasing frequency.... see the correlation? guns are simply the symptom or means of an unregenerate person, who themselves are also "weaponized” by the true enemy-

RESPONSIBILITY: Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it. Let us not ignore this fact, my dear brethren; but let us lay it to heart, and be thoroughly awake to our responsibility in respect to the morals of this nation. --Charles G. Finney, December 4, 1873

If you cannot see that society as a whole is decaying then you are part of the problem. It has nothing to do with guns, homophobia, bigotry, or oppression. The world is not "evolving" it is devolving, and human carnality is the cause-Unknown

Bears quote

I'm surprised that no one has posted about the recent shooting that took place at a high school in Parkland Florida. Or am I the only one that is aware of this.

Bears Thread "sufferings thread"

But then I can only hope that somebody who reads this as well as the "sufferings thread" will have a heart to pray for those who are in affliction and suffering.

Okay back to your theological discussions.

One word on the quotes above....Narcissism

I have been so moved and troubled since this happened that I am speechless. I tried to post before most of you did and kept clicking "submit” but it wouldn’t go through. I am just groaning and asking God what it is that He is trying to say to those of us believers who are in continual prayer over the state of this nation.

PLEASE can everyone stop with the sarcasm and jabs. People are watching this forum to see what Christ looks like.

Mama sometimes Jesus called it as he saw it. In fact he always did.

Yes, He did....but sarcasm is not love

Who made up that hard and fast rule?

Bears entire post was sarcasm but that is not what bothered me.

I was speaking to more than one person. It is a tone that is exhibited sometimes on this forum. I have no more to say....

Kids these days are bombarded at home with violence and pornographic filth on television and internet, they watch movies where violence is glorified, then they go to school where they are told (when they can be torn away from their cellphones for 2 minutes) that they evolved from stardust and have a common ancestry with earthworms, and that they have no purpose in the universe. What we are seeing is the logical outcome of a worldview pushed on them by ungodly men (and ultimately Satan).

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Let's remember that the only way we can reach people to prevent these kinds of things from happening is to have a radical love for one another, love that "covers a multitude of sins", a love that is "patient and longsuffering".

"Mama sometimes Jesus called it as he saw it. In fact he always did."

Exactly! And in my own personal opinion, I feel the timid/milk toast Christians are partially responsible for the shape the Church is in now. Jesus spoke very loud for all of us on the cross, what you going to keep silent for him now? Matter fact, I hope I'm one of those Mama is talking about, if so that would be a Blessing for me. If Christians become immune to calling out wrong, well we may as well just throw away our Bibles. I'm not sure if the OP started this thread to put folks under condemnation or for self gratification, but his approach was terrible. By the way, tone and heart is two different things, if you don't know someones heart, you can be completely wrong judging their tone.

Luke 13:1-5 Read
The thief comes not but to steal kill and destroy, but Jesus is come to give us life and life to the full.

This was an unfortunate event, I as well as any Christian would be hard presses not to sorrow with them that sorrow. I wish it was going to get better in society but as we all know it will not. The only safe place to be is hid in Christ in Heavenly places, where we can overcome Satan by the Bloodof the Lamb, and the Word of our testimony and love not our lives unto death..

Have we become immune? Maybe, or maybe not. What can one do about it? We can wring our hands in distress but all that does is give our fingers a good workout.

American culture has been until recent times one that had a sense of right and wrong. We respected others - most of the time. At least it was frowned on that one resorts to violence in the event of disagreements.

In recent times people have been entertained by depictions of violence in the visual media and thus their conscience has become dulled - so we say and we know it is true. However...how do you explain the lament God shared with in Hosea 4:1-2: "Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel,For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land.

2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed." NASB

OPPS! God is talking to people who used to be his children. Israelites did not have tv, movies to dull their consciences so what happened?

Maybe there is something worse coming down the pike: church people killing each other? They already are committing adultery with impunity, aborting their unwanted babies....

Sandra

The only thing a Christ follower should do is pray.......and forgive.Its called the way of the cross. Any time I get caught up in outrage the Lord smites my heart with shame. We are to be known by our love, for one another, for the lost, for our enemies. When I was an enemy Jesus died for me.