We recently had another horrific mass shooting of school students in Florida.  Again, this brought out the pundits trying to explain the reasons for such violence.  Mental issues, the failure of law enforcement, and guns.  Then along comes the public marches, some peaceful, but many have elements of violence and destruction of property.  While the answers are definitely complex, the discussion seldom deals with two very important reasons behind the violence we see in our society today.
 
First, as G. K. Chesterson would say, there’s something cheap and unworthy—and inhuman—in a heart that has no roots, that feels no love of country.  And where do we develop roots and love of country?  In a school system that teaches the history of our culture.  But somehow I think we have failed to place much emphasis on this in our current high school curriculum. Or what is taught is a revisionist history fraught with many omissions and inaccuracies.  A look at some subcultures in our society, such as the Native Americans and the Amish, and you find minimal rioting and violence.
 
Second, and not totally independent of the first, is the lack of a strong religious basis for morality in our society. While the early founders of our society were not all Christians, they did agree that without a strong religious, morality, our culture would not survive. Research shows a continual decline in the basis for morality in our society. This relates to the first reason above in that no religious morality can be taught in our school system. 
 
Without historical roots and a strong internal morality, we will not solve the issues of violence, drug addictions, and other social problems that plague our society.  External rules and regulations, such as gun control, will never solve the problems.

         Our public school system, our popular media, and our purveyors of higher education have taught and promoted Darwinian evolution as the only model for explaining the origins of the human race for over 50 years.  That model in a nutshell results in a human being that is no more than an advanced animal with animal instincts that must be externally controlled.
          In an evolutionary model there is no place for sin, no expectations of an internal morality, and no built-in self-control mechanisms to govern a person’s behavior.  As a result, the idea that “whatever feels good” is the ruling criteria.  And society establishes the rules and regulations regarding our lives.  So big government becomes the progressive’s solution to the social problems we face.  After all, pre-marital sex, sexual assault, rape, and pornography are only a natural result of our animal nature.
          After more than 50 years of evolutionary teaching we have a society dealing with rampant social problems, not willing to consider that the cause may lie in our assumptions about the nature of the origin of humans.  What’s up with that!!!

Ethics deals with what ought to happen whereas morality deals with what is happening.  At one time the connection between the two was close, but that has changed in recent years.  With the advent of scientific polling, morality has become based more on what a majority of the people feel is right or wrong than on a personal world view.  The Christian Worldview that once formed the basis of our ethics seems to no longer be the basis for our morality.  Barna research has documented that about 4% of the general population holds to a Christian Worldview.  And only 17% of practicing Christians hold to a totally Christian Worldview.  If this trend continues, standards of right and wrong will no longer exist.  We will live in a society where the phrase, “if it feels good do it” becomes the standard of behavior. Perhaps we are already there.  And the Christians who hold to a Biblical Worldview will complain, but not be able to do much about it. And those who do take a stand for a Biblical ethics will likely feel the heat.  What’s up with that!!!

Tomorrow we vote in perhaps the most important election regarding the future of our country.  We may have issues with the people running for our president, but the party principles are quite clear.
 
I am going to vote to protect the millions of unborn babies who are killed before they have a chance to vote.  I am going to vote to protect our Second Amendment rights or we may not only lose our supply of 22 ammunition, we may lose our guns as well.  I am going to vote to privatize our health care system.  I am going to vote for less intrusion of the Federal Government into my life.  I am going to vote for greater school choice so fewer of our children are socialized into the progressive ideologies prominent in our public schools from grade school through college.  I am going to vote for less government spending and fewer entitlements. 
 
I could go on but these issues are most important to me and, to me, the choice is obvious.  In addition, and perhaps overshadowing all of the above, is my feeling that my vote will be more supportive of my Christian beliefs.  So, tomorrow I will vote for the Republican candidates and I hope you will too!

Those of us who are older and the children of farmers or other working class trades often wonder why our parents tended to be Democrats.  But I have come to realize that the Democratic Party of their time was quite different than it is today.  They credited President Roosevelt for getting them out of the Great Depression and on the road to greater prosperity.  And they were not out to change the nations culture.  Such is not the case today. 
 
Beginning in the 60s the Democratic Party has promoted a definite agenda to change the culture of America.  It started with removal of prayer from the public schools and the legalization of abortion.  It has progressed to the radical changes we have seen during the reign of Obama.  No attempts to control our boarders, an increase in entitlement spending, the approval of same-sex marriage and the mandate of gender-neutral restrooms all are cultural changes that are Democratic in origin. Add to that the common core curriculum promoted in our public school system and a liberal college environment and we have a socialization system that results in adults steeped in liberal ideology. 
 
What about the future?  Another 8 years of Democratic leadership and we will have a United States of America that doesn’t resemble the country we grew up in.  Additional regulations and restrictions on personal liberties, especially our Christian values.  Increasing terrorist attacks by ISIS. Greater controls on our ability to own and carry firearms.  Less choice in who educates our children and grandchildren.  And greater emphasis on political correctness.
 
We may have gone too far already, but my freedom to write a blog such as this is being threatened and might be sanctioned in another 8 years if a Democrat wins the White House this fall.  Because of this, my vote is for Donald Trump.  I hope yours is too. 

“I just lost control” was the comment of the person who killed three Moscow residents a short while ago.  We hear about numerous violent acts daily on the news with similar excuses for the behavior.  But seldom, if ever, is a spiritual reason given for the violence.  Why?  Because of the assumptions that our society makes regarding life.
 
We accept the assumption of biological evolution, which places humans and animals on the same plane.  We accept the assumption that humans are born with no inherent goodness or evil.  Thus, we are molded primarily by our environment.  The notion that we might be born with a sinful nature is the thinking of religious nuts, but has no place in the thinking of intelligent humans.  The notion that “losing control” or “hearing voices in my head” could be of satanic origin is not even a consideration in our modern society. 
 
The solutions to our problems with these assumptions is what I call “Band-Aid politics.” Taking away guns so people won’t get hurt.  Treating all mental illness as a function of past trauma or unhealthy relationships.  Redistributing incomes to eliminate the poor.  To name a few.  Perhaps we should re-evaluate our assumptions about life before Band-Aid politics has gone so far that there is no turning back.

Sitting in our cabin, gazing out the window on our snow covered trees, reflecting on the coming year, brings feelings of both hope and concern.  Hope because I know that my God is in control of my life and whatever happens, I can trust Him to provide peace, comfort and wisdom.  And I expect Him to move in a greater way in His Church this coming year than He has this past year.  He loves His Church and wants to bless His people. I want to be a part of His latter day movement.
 
At the same time, I am increasingly concerned over the condition of our country.  I am concerned that we will see a year of enhanced attacks on the freedoms that we enjoy. At the forefront is the renewed attack on our gun rights.  What a perfect example of Band-Aid politics.  Trying to solve a deeply rooted personal problem by covering it with a Band-Aid rather than addressing the real issue—erosion of the moral culture of our society.
 
If we make a resolution for the New Year to take an active part in upholding and promoting high moral standards, perhaps we can stem the tide we are facing.  I plan to do this by regularly posting on my FB page and my web site, johncarlsonforidaho.com.  Perhaps we can have more impact than we think.

Our country has suffered from an increasing number of terrible shooting incidents where numerous people have been killed and wounded.  One thing stands out to me.  In none of these cases has there been a private citizen in the crowd with a gun who has been able to return fire in an attempt to take down the shooter. Why is it that in a country where the 2nd amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, no one is able to resist the shooter(s)?
 
My theory is that people who would be able to carry a weapon have been so intimidated by what they hear and read in the media that they fail to get the required training and permits to carry a weapon. The NRA is seen as an enemy even though they promote gun safety. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program and the National School Shield program provide training and financial support to help safeguard our children. Who else is doing this?
 
Perhaps the US government which funds an organization that kills millions of unborn children each year should consider funding some organizations that could help prevent the mass killings that are occurring at an increasing rate in our country. The NRA , the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) could all provide adequate training for private citizens. 
 
There should be no “gun free” zones in our society.  Instead, there should be millions of Americans trained to take down any terrorist or deranged person with a gun who starts shooting people at random.  We know that at times it takes fire to fight fire.  We are in a crisis where that is the case.  Band-Aid politics will never do the job!!

There is a verse in Proverbs 22:6 that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Perhaps the increase in gun violence we see in our society can be tied to this verse. When a child is trained up by responsible parents it has a positive impact on the person when they are older. All the negative press about guns makes positive training a challenge. But there is hope.

Not long ago I read about a number of universities starting classes on how to safely shoot and handle firearms. These programs are being supported in part by the gun and ammunition industry. And the number of students enrolling and the number of universities participating is increasing. Even training in the late teen and early twenties will have positive benefits in preventing gun violence.

For younger children, the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program is a gun accident prevention program that seeks to help parents, law enforcement, community groups and educators navigate a topic paramount to our children’s safety. They are on a mission to help you teach Pre-K through 4th graders what to do if they ever come across a gun.
​
Instead of trying to cover the problem with Band-Aids, let’s focus on raising children with strong values of what is right and wrong. It’s the only real solution to a very serious problem in our country. Band-Aid politics is not the solution!