The Shooter was a Psychopath
Today I want to blog about the shootings at Virginia Tech. Events like this have a way of bringing up a lot of questions and it is interesting to watch the varying responses people have to tragedies like this. My heartfelt sympathy goes to every family that had a loved one killed. I cannot imagine what they must be going through, although my brother and niece must know because they also lost a family member through a senseless act of violence. It is, unfortunately, true that we live in a violent world.
While we live in this violent world, however, we can have hope. Hope for a better world to come.
I was really struck, though, by the speech of Nikki Giovanni, a professor and poet at Virginia Tech., as well as feeling dismayed by the Islamic speaker at the event. What a picture this is of our society today. Ms Giovanni began the chanting of . . ."We will prevail. . . We are Hokies!" She also declared, "We are innocent!" And the Islamic professor told everyone that, "We come from Allah, and to Allah we return."
I must say, this is the first time that I recall it being made evident that much of our society has truly lost our moral compass. Usually during tragedies, our nation has turned to God and the Holy Scriptures . . . not the Quran, and certainly not to our own selves!
I wondered when Ms Giovanni declared, "We are innocent!" - to whom was she speaking? Was she telling the parents that the school was innocent of any responsibility for what happened? Was she telling God that the school did not deserve this horrible event? Was she telling God that every person attending Virginia Tech is sinless? Now at first I took it to mean that each of those students that was killed did nothing to deserve what happened to them that day. I understand that and agree with that. What happened to them was not the result of some "personal sin". The shooter was a psychopath. Period.
However, I was hugely dismayed at her declaration of innocence, and her leading the audience to an attitude of defiance. "We are Hokies!" What?
These words are nearly blasphemous to me. She as much as said, We don't need God. We have ourselves! We will band together and find solace in our identification in this institution called Virginia Tech. What a sad, sad place to look for comfort in the face of death. Do you think the dead students care that they were "hokies"? Does being a hokie entitle you to anything at all? Seriously. Rather than humble herself and ask the God of heaven and earth to have mercy and grant His comfort, she declared their innocence and looked to the spirit of being a hokie to strengthen them. It is very similar to the funeral of Paul Wellstone when they turned it into a political rally!
When Israel sinned against God, and was taken into captivity, the prophet Daniel prayed and repented.
Daniel 4 9:"Please, Yahweh, great and fearsome God, who keeps his covenant and extends mercy to those who love Him and keeps His commandments; We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled and turned away from your commandments and rulings. To You, Yahweh, belongs righteousness; but unto us confusion of faces."America has turned away from God in many things, just as Israel did. Immorality is widespread. We cannot pretend that we, as a nation, are innocent! That is very presumptuous and prideful. God has been very merciful to us. The individual students are no more guilty and deserving of what happened to them then others. But let us look to how God can be glorified in this situation.
We are told to mourn with those that mourn. Turn to our compassionate God, who sent His Son Jesus to redeem us to Himself. There is no salvation in Allah! Allah is a false god. He cannot save. And there is no salvation in being a hokie! That is idolatry for sure. Our nation is not entirely innocent. . .we have plenty that we need to repent for. My prayer for America is, "Our Father in heaven, deliver us from evil. In many ways we have turned from You. Strengthen those who are fighting against abortion, pornography, homosexuality and all immorality. Give us a spirit of repentance in America. Help us to seek the truth that is found in You, and only You. Let us not depend upon ourselves, but upon You alone, in Whom is our hope and salvation."