In our once safe country, regard for human life is at an all time low. On a TV show the other day, the anchor posed the question of why that is.
I was not the one being interviewed, but I have an answer.
With the lack of respect for our weakest citizens, the unborn, the elderly, and the disadvantaged a message is being sent. A message that life is simply not valued.
It begins with the unborn. When they can be torn from their mother’s womb or poisoned chemically with over-the-counter drugs, our society pays a price. When the elderly or disadvantaged are publicly attacked, another price is paid. Generations of Americans are growing up seeing little value attached to human life. Our evening news unfolds the grim story right before our eyes.
And there is a lack of justice for those doing those wrongs. The misguided concept of no punishment for wrongdoing is a danger to us all.
It’s interesting that a similar problem of leniency on lawbreakers was a problem in Germany and other parts of Europe in the 1500s. A commentator of no less eminence than Martin Luther provides great clarity on the subject. His opinion was timely and is applicable even in our day.
“Mercy, Luther argued is the duty of Christians in their private capacity; as officers of the state, however, they must normally follow justice rather than mercy, for since Adam and Eve’s sin man has been so wicked that government, laws and penalties are needed to control him. We owe more consideration to the community endangered by crime than to criminals endangering the community.”
From The Reformation by Will Durant