A prayer for the victims of mass shootings, and why extremism and hate is evil and not aligned with the love of God
Extremism Can Only Be Fought With Love
Lord Jesus, we pray for those who have met violent ends in these United States and abroad to the extremism and hatred of those who perpetrate mass shootings. Please bless the victims, the survivors, and their families as they grieve the horrors of this evil. Please allow them to see Your grace and love and kindness in the days to come. Any life lost to evil is an unthinkable crime. Please bless these families with unfailing love.
Even still, we pray that those who have had their hearts, minds, and souls, poisoned by this evil and violent rhetoric learn the true ways of God and love, and that evil doesn’t beget evil. The only way for the cycle of hate and violence to end, Lord, is for those who are poisoned to see Your Face and be cleansed in spirit while they still walk this Earth. Please show them the way of love so that they can learn to love again. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Extremism and Hate
What is it about religion and belief systems that lead some individuals to justify acts of evil? For one, they see the act they are doing as an act of God, as if God condoned it or told them to do it. The problem with those who use radical belief systems or religion to justify their evil is that the good word of the Lord is twisted and manipulated in a way that is all-too-common nowadays. People take the word of God and attempt to establish it as a pillar that supports their own perceived branching ideologies. The most basic teachings of God and Jesus Christ, to love your neighbor as you love yourself, is purposefully eliminated in order to successfully further hateful agendas, and unfortunately as a result, a common person might stumble upon these words of hate and become manipulated, losing their way and abandoning love for their fellow man.
Any person who believes in a radical ideology that pits the blame of suffering on any ethnic group have lost their sight of God, no matter how much they wield God as their weapon. It is important to remember that the ultimate gesture in God’s name is a goodwill and love for all people. Any belief system that harbors any kind of hate cannot actually exist in the same spirit of love and God. It is important to note that most of these people have been purposefully led astray by evildoers who manipulate them for their own agendas. In this case, rehabilitation may be an almost insurmountable task, but still not impossible.
Resources To Help
Please, if you have any friends or family members who publicly or privately discuss in subtle or not-so-subtle terms hateful rhetoric, please remind them that they are loved, and that to be a person of God means to love all people.
Here are some valuable resources I’ve included:
International Network for Hate Studies
Stay safe and may the Lord bless you.
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