Violence comes out of the heart... It's not caused externally...

So what’s the problem: "Anger, Discrimination or the Heart."

I was raised in Neshaminy, across from the Bucks County Drive-In; on 611 (between County Line and Street Roads). The local Post Office was on the corner of 611 and Street Road. Today it’s Warrington PA. We had no local police, only State Police; no crime, just people peacefully living together. I graduated from Central Bucks (class of ’59) and worked my way through college! A lot of farmers attended CB and in hunting season they would drive to school in their Ford pick-ups; with a gun on their gun rack. No violence and no school shootings ever.

Raised by my Mom; her instructions were always “listen to the police, be polite, ask questions and try to understand those with single opinions!” Yet things are so different today. What’s happening in America and why are differences solved with violent actions?

Another night of horrific shootings and homicides in Philadelphia and the State of PA again raise the question of why violence happens in the human race. https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-maps-stats/ https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Crime/state/PA

This makes me cry out and ask how human beings can be so violent. It’s not just about shootings; every day I hear about bullying, gang violence, family/domestic violence, brawls in high school, character assaults, social media confrontation and families with pugnacious discussions over presidential candidates. There are spiritual reality to violence that the Bible speaks to, including cause and resolution. We need to understand the evil desire of violence and how we should act in response.

It seems to me that most people have accepted the certainty of violence. They hope and many pray the next police shooting or neighborhood disturbance won’t be on their street; we need to deal with violence at the source.

Violence is the result of a clash of the soul. Violence does not begin with wars, hate, injustices, discrimination and societal unfairness. It begins with the heart.

There is an underlying reality that violence against human beings is wrong because human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. There is a worth, a value, a dignity, to every human life, i.e. that makes violence a moral wrongdoing.

In his book Martin Luther King wrote: “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that (John 1:5). Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” (Where Do We Go from Here? 1967). https://vimeo.com/11154217

Jesus models the power of nonviolence when on the very night of his arrest, when violent men made their move on Jesus, he told Peter who was ready to fight: “Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”

Jesus speaks about the source of violence in that human violence begins in a deeper place. The sin of violence has already begun before blood is spilled, words spoken; shots fired or fists flying fights!

It’s impossible to talk about murder without talking about rage. We cannot talk about violence without talking about the sickness of hatred, malice and anger in our culture.
It’s a human condition: violence comes out of the human heart. Violence is not caused externally by video games, movies or a crisis of malevolence.

Jesus clearly taught that the world is a sinful and violent place. But he challenged his followers not to live in fear and trepidation: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus mandates a response to violence. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says: “The followers of Jesus have been called to peace. When he called them they found their peace, for he is their peace…. they are told that they must not only have peace but make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult.” http://www.rpsnepal.com/2017/03/01/the-cost-of-discipleship-book-review/