But this is a much bigger issue. The world is just in a bad place. These kind of horrific events are happening more and more frequently. And I have many friends that take each one as a time to stand and talk about how evil guns are and that we MUST enforce gun laws. "When is enough, enough?" But these same friends that go on rampages about how guns need to be banned, are my same friends that believe in a women's right to choose abortion. I've got a problem with that.
I'm not really going to talk about guns here. Sure there could be some measures taken to make it safer. But I want to talk about life. And the value of life. About a month ago my friend posted a quote that was getting a lot of attention about how 'the world decided it didn't value life after the Sandy Hook shooting' (because no gun laws were passed after it). So after that incident, because we didn't pass any laws, that was the beginning of the world not valuing life??? I understood the point the person was trying to make, but man it made me angry that he was claiming those that weren't in favor of banning guns must not value life, innocent children's lives. Because that is NOT true. We are the ones that hold an ever deeper value of it. We see life and its potential.
Not valuing life started well before these school shootings. Abortions have been around for a long time. And that number is only increasing, in staggering ways. I think that is a far bigger sign that people stopped valuing life. I truly believe that is one of the roots to all the evil that is in the world. When you can take something as innocent and miraculous of new life and see that little peanut that was made from your own flesh, and watch the flicker of the heart and hear the steady beat and say, 'that doesn't matter.' I just can not understand. I can not understand how people think it is okay to end life there, but not okay to end it for a 5 year old. (Obviously no sane person would think of harming an innocent child. So why do they think they can just a few short months earlier.) When we look at an ultrasound screen we see that 5 year old girl you value. Why not this baby that will grow into her?
When you see abortions, hear about abortions, make them a 'normal' thing, then the value of life is just desensitized. It's going to be harder and harder to draw that line of when is a life valuable. We can make life. We can take it away. It just loses the respect and reverence it deserves.
Of course, I don't think abortions are the sole problem. I see lots of things in today's world that I think are having an alarming effect on how people view other people. And phones are certainly one of those issues. If you look around, kids don't talk to other kids the way they used to. Bullying has vamped up. It's so easy to send hateful texts and just lose the person behind the screen. People are losing reality. We are getting so deceived. And technology today makes that so, so much easier. Media takes away that same reality. How many times do we see tv show relationships and think they're real and get so involved in their 'lives.' We see people die on screen. It's sad. But it's not real. You are not getting a real picture of what death is and how it effects people. Our perception is so off.
So there isn't really any point to this post except for me to complain. The recent Planned Parenthood videos and 'Shout Your Abortion' movement have me so disheartened. I wish people could love as Jesus loves and see life where it exists. Unfortunately I think there are three big contributing reasons to why the world is becoming desensitized to life/death and I don't see it improving:
1. Number of Abortions and the stigma they carry (shout your abortions?!)
2. Phones, social media - hiding behind screens and not building physical relationships
3. Movies, games, tv becoming increasingly violent and begins to warp the way you look at life, it's all just a game
*Not to mention the increasing number of moms outside of the homes and broken families. Refer to that last paragraph in the Family Proclamation. But I know I could offend lots of people so I just will mention what the prophets have warned and move on. :)
And who doesn't love to learn from a little scripture-
"And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world." Enoch saw also that Satan "had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he [Satan] looked up and laughed."
With all that Enoch beheld, there was one thing that seemed to capture his attention above everything else. Enoch saw God look "upon the reside of the people, and He wept."
The sacred record then has Enoch asking God over and over: "How is it that thou canst weep? ... How is it thou canst weep?" The Lord answered Enoch: "Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands ... ' unto thy brethren have I ... also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood."
Taken from Elder Ballard's "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul"
includes scriptures found in Moses 7: 26,28-29, 31-33, 67
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