Letter to the Editor

Your view: Stop violence

Friday, February 29, 2008

My! My! Another school shooting! Right here in our neighboring state of Illinois; North Illinois University in Dekalb, Ill. Like everyone else, I have questions, why and how. Not only about this shooting but all the past school shootings. Why do these young people turn to such violence? How can we stop future such tragedies. Do you realize that since Feb. 2, 1996, to this last shooting, there have been 35 school shootings in our country?

What action can be taken to stop this violence? I wonder, if we shouldn't start by making a short list of some basic commonsense rules that explain to students how they are to behave and how they are to treat one another. You know, the way civilized people are expected to behave. Then we could hang a copy of that list on the walls of our schools, in every classroom. I wonder if that might not help stop this madness?

Here is my idea of those basic rules: 1. Don't kill! 2. Don't steal! 3. Respect your Mom, Dad and others! 4. Don't lie! 5. Don't use filthy language! 6. Don't lust after. . .Oh! But wait just a minute. Didn't we used to have those same rules hanging in our classrooms? Yes, we did. That's right, the Ten Commandments. They used to be hanging in our schools and government buildings. Maybe God was right. Maybe He knew we needed to be commanded to live right and not just make it a recommendation.

Let me see. When I was in school, we had the Bible, we had Prayer, we had the Ten Commandments, but we didn't have shootings, rapes, violence against teachers, disruption and chaos in the classroom. You know, I think I prefer the former things over the present. Which do you prefer?

I recommend a return to the teachings of the Bible. But, every time this recommendation is made, I hear some of the most idiotic opposing points of view. Like, "The Bible could be dangerous in the classroom." Or, "The Ten Commandments might harm our children's minds." Then there's, "I don't want mandatory prayer in school."

Now let's think this through. The Bible is more dangerous than guns? How ridiculous! The Bible read, believed and put into practice could warp a child's mind? How? Pray tell! Maybe it will sway the young mind to think decent, encourage the young tongue to speak decent and respectful, and maybe it would help that individual to act decent and responsible! Now, this would definitely be a change to this politically correct society that we're living in today, wouldn't it? But, a good change and I believe the right one.

As far as I'm concerned, I think we need to swing our schoolhouse doors wide open and beg God to return to the classroom. We can then get back to decency and commonsense in America. We need to demand that the true history of our great country be taught in school; how our founding Fathers established this nation on the Bible and Christian principles.

And for those that don't want to accept this fact and live in a Christian nation with decent God fearing folks, we can buy them an all expense paid one-way ticket to anywhere in the world of their choosing. Then they can live happily ever after in a non-Christian nation.

As far as me and my house, "In God We Trust!"

Pastor Tom McCanless