A national tragedy

By now we are all aware of the tragedy that occurred in Tucson.  It shocks our sensibilities that such a thing could happen in our nation.  Because it is so shocking people have immediately tried to make sense of why it happened and began to point fingers at the causes and/or people they thought was most responsible.  Newspaper columnists blamed radio and television personalities who they believe engage in reporting that inflames the passions of people.  Most of that blame was directed towards conservative personalities; few seemed to recognize that liberal commentators are not immune from making statements that can be taken out of context and have the power to inflame passion as well.  Both political parties were defending themselves while accusing the other side of using this tragedy to promote their own agendas.  Of course, Sarah Palin was blamed by the left because, after all, she is the cause of all the problems that now exist in our nation.

There is no doubt that the recent election campaign was brutal.  Strong words were used on both sides, and some candidates were especially unpleasant.  Television and radio programs that address political issues seemed even more strident than usual.  Occasionally, interviews turned into shouting matches that only ended when they had to take a commercial break.  Later, the host would comment on the good spirited debate that had just occurred.  There was no debate!  There was no discussion of the issues; there was shouting and blaming but no debate.

In one of my books I mentioned the problem of incivility in our nation.  It is not just in the political realm but exists in every area of our society today.  It exists in the church, in the marketplace, on the highways, and in the family.  We are a society that believes that the world does revolve around us and that our opinion is the only one that really matters.  It has become increasingly difficult for us to accept people who have differing beliefs.  Such people are too often seen as the enemy, and it is difficult to co-exist with enemies.

In my devotional reading this morning I read these words by Ravi Zacharias, "The reason for all the bloodshed in the world is that somebody somewhere has deemed ideology more valuable than human life."  As I read those words I thought that summed up the cause of what happened in Tucson as well as any reasons I've heard so far.  A young man who believed that his ideas were more important that the life of a human being decided to end her life.  He failed but took the lives of other innocent people and forever changed the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and his own.

There are many people with whom I disagree regarding their political views, their moral choics, their religious beliefs, and how they drive down the highways.  But, no matter how much I may disagree with them I must remember that these are individuals who have been created in the image of God and for whom Jesus Christ gave His life.  Because of this they deserve to be treated with the same dignity that all people deserve.  Can we discuss our differences?  In a free society we must, but we can be civil about it and engage in real debate, not heated rhetoric that produces more heat than light.  We can leave that discussion without either one of us changing our perspectives but having learned more about how the other thinks our relationship with that individual can deepen.

I hope the politicians and the media people do tone down their language.  If our leaders can learn from this and resolve to work together to resolve the problems of our nation, then good can come out of this tragedy.  But, until our society learns to treat one another with respect and restore the civility that once existed I'm afraid we will see more events like the one that occurred in Tucson.  It is here that the church has a key role to play because this change will not occur until a change takes place in the human heart.

New laws will not change the hearts of people.  They can at best control behavior, but obviously they are not effective if people ignore the laws that already exist.  Until we begin to see the value that exists in each human being, until we can begin to see them through the eyes of God, we will remain a society that believes that ideology trumps human life.  The church alone has that message and must begin to proclaim it and live it.  If we fail to do so, we will have failed to speak a prophetic word in the face of this tragedy, and that will be an even greater tragedy.