What are the causes of mass shootings? What are the solutions to prevent these horrific crimes? What steps do we need to take as a society in order to prevent them? How can someone commit such a horrible crime?
These are some of the basic questions I believe everyone asks whenever these shootings occur, but one question always remains stuck in my head when these tragedies strike the heart of America.
Why do mass shootings happen?
Worldview
All people everywhere will answer the question in different ways depending on what your worldview is.
Your worldview is the way in which you view the world and everything in it. Your worldview answers basic questions such as this:
1. Why am I here?
2. What is my purpose?
3. What is wrong with the world?
4. How can what is wrong be made right?
When it comes to mass shootings, your worldview has the potential to answer the question as to why these tragedies occur, and why murderers commit these atrocities. Your worldview has the potential to objectively call every person who commits these murderous acts evil. This is why your worldview is important, because without a correct worldview, you won’t be able to answer these questions.
Now that I’ve gone over a basic overview as to why your worldview is important, I’m going to go back to the original question and answer that original question through my personal worldview.
Sin
Why do mass shootings happen? Sin. Sin exists, and sin is everywhere. Sin is the reason why we live in such a fallen and broken world. Sin is the reason why so many kids go to school without hope and go home to destroyed homes. Sin is the reason why kids are finding their identity in everything that the world is offering rather than finding their identity in things that could satisfy their hungry soul. Sin is the reason why rampant leftism has spread everywhere, especially within the education system in America. Sin is the reason why parents think they know their kids, but will turn on the news to find that their child was the next school shooter.
Here are a few Bible verses that speak about the sinfulness of man and the destructive nature of sin:
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. – Genesis 6:5 (ESV)
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. – Psalm 51:5 (ESV)
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. – Mark 7:21-22 (ESV)
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. – John 3:19-20 (ESV)
Surface Level Symptoms
I’m not here to argue about what you might or might not believe, rather I’m here to simply provide you with the truth. Without the truth, you cannot come up with a rational explanation as to why mass shootings happen.
You say mental health? I say the sinfulness of man.
You say broken homes? I say the depravity of mankind.
Broken homes and mental health issues are all surface level symptoms of the root problems mankind deals with on a daily basis, which is the sinful nature he was born with.
Why do these mass shootings keep happening? Sin.
How do we prevent these mass shootings from happening? I will provide the answers to that question in the upcoming articles.