A Moral Problem

Matt Post at the Capitol

Last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people has not only triggered more calls for gun control but students leaving classes in protest. As part of the nationwide walkouts this past Wednesday, students gave speeches outside the U.S. Capitol alongside Democratic lawmakers. A video of the speech made by Matthew Post (no relation to me) has gone viral. This high school senior from Maryland declared, “We have a moral problem in this country…The adults have failed us. This is in our hands now. And if any elected official gets in our way, we will vote them out.”

I can sympathize with Matt’s anger and frustration but don’t agree with how he and others like him are reacting. Matt threatened to “shame our national policy leaders into protecting us.” No politician is perfect but we are supposed to honor and pray for those in authority. Many young people nowadays don’t respect their elders.

Voting out certain elected officials is a good idea. I would start with those that stood with Matt on the Capitol steps. Politicians wanting to tamper with the Second Amendment are hypocrites for having armed personnel protecting them. School shootings won’t cease if comprehensive gun control legislation is implemented. The city of Chicago has toughened their gun laws but the murder rate there has actually increased.

Terrorists have found ways to kill people without using guns. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, we didn’t hear proposals to outlaw airplanes. When two brothers killed and maimed multitudes at the Boston Marathon five years ago, we didn’t see protestors calling for a ban on pressure cookers. Many teens still die from texting while driving even though it’s illegal in most states. I haven’t heard any of their friends and loved ones advocating the elimination of cell phones (although a few fanatics want to get rid of cars).

Yes, Matt. I agree adults have failed you. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Ever since prayer and Bible reading were removed from American classrooms generations ago, we’ve seen an increase in crime, drug usage, and out-of-wedlock births. Homosexuality and gender transition are now taught in our schools as normal behaviors. God-fearing individuals who won’t condone these things are labelled as “haters.”

On the same day Matt gave his speech outside the Capitol, he posted on Twitter: “We’re going to keep marching. We’re going to vote. And we, the youth, are going to bring morality to this country’s politics.” Matt, I hope you do. You seem like a bright young man who has the potential of making a greater impact on our nation. But preaching morality without repentance won’t bring lasting change. It’s like putting a Band-Aid on cancer.

The real moral problem is sin. The solution is knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and planting the incorruptible seed of God’s word in the human heart. When people become born again, they have the supernatural ability to obey His commandments including "Thou shalt not kill."

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” - Proverbs 16:25