Public figures regularly invoke the name of God or some higher power when they achieve some accomplishment or recognition. So I only half paid attention when the new police chief, Col. Henry Whitehorn, thanked God when he took the podium at the press conference last night. But then he came back to the almighty saying that God has a plan.
That caught my attention. He didn't immediately elaborate on the plan, and Channel 12 returned to CSI just after that, so I'm not sure if anything else came up. But I was struck that this is a man who sees himself working for a higher authority than himself, the mayor or even the citizens of Shreveport. I hope so. Because, quite frankly, I'm not sure that the police chief can prevent most crime.
The Rev. Bobby Joe Cooper paid me a visit this morning and without me asking he brought up the issue.
"Every week people are killing each other. The new police chief is not going to stop that. The only solution is Jesus Christ."
Cooper is on to something. He's been walking the streets, evangelizing in hopes of making a difference.
Maybe if we all leaned on some higher power (It doesn't have to be Jesus. All world religions condemn senseless violence, and secular humanists would see it as impractical.) then our city might be safer.
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4 comments:
I appreciate your desire to include all "faiths" in condeming violence, but I'm not sure secular humanists find violence impratical.
The greatest crimes against humanity were made by people who professed secular humanism. Communism alone was responsible for 100,000,000 deaths last century. This doesn't include facism and other forms of extemism.
When people fail to recognize a higher power, they have nothing to keep them from causing the greatest attrocities.
Religious people certainly are not immune from participating in sin, but by in large, atheisms has cause more suffering in the short time it has been popular.
I should add that you are absolutely right about a higher power being needed to help curb criminal behavior.
I don't know Tom. Based on what little I know of secular humanism as practiced by average people, it still recognizes ethics and the need for some sense of order for a functioning society. Random violence doesn't fit into an orderly society.
Random violence is one thing. But there is nothing preventing a secular humanist from advocating targetted violence.
As the baby boomers continue to age and Medicare and Social Security bills sky rocket, a practical solution may be to euthanize the old and infirm. Why pay huge medical costs for someone who doesn't have long to live? Why not just put them out of their misery? It would be good for society economically.
When is to prevent a secular humanist from taking such a position?
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