We mourn the tragic shooting of 49 people in Orlando, Fla.!
As Christians, we hold that all life is sacred -- because every life was created by Holy God -- and every life has value, regardless of a person's beliefs or lifestyle. The tragedy is that the lives of these 49 people was cut short by an act of violence. The killer believed in a god of death; his religious views did not allow him to value the lives of others, especially the lives of non-believers. The result was a tragedy.
As Christians, we believe that the life of every person is sacred and of great value. We believe that "life" consists of two essential ingredients: Reality and Relationship.
To "be alive," one must accept Reality -- the reality that there is a God, the reality that God created us for a loving relationship with Him, the reality that God wrote the rules for Right Living, and each of us will be judged by our adherence to these rules, and the reality that we all have sinned against God and that we need to confess our sinfulness, repent of our sins, and return to loving God. To refuse to accept these basic realities is to refuse to "Live."
Second, we must have a loving Relationship with our Father-God. To reject that relationship is to reject "life." For apart from a relationship with God, no one is alive -- we merely exist.
I fear that many of the victims of the Orlando shooting were just existing; they were existing in a fantasy world of their own making. People who live in a fantasy world deny Reality and shun a Relationship with God. In their Fantasy World, they are god; they are in control. They are the center of the universe. Any "relationships" are basically self-centered, meant to satisfy their personal needs. In Fantasy World, they write their own rules and expect everyone to live by their rules. The walls of Fantasy World are extremely thick and strong; people rarely come out of their Fantasy World willingly or voluntarily. What a tragedy!
The greater tragedy of Orlando is that many of the victims never got the chance to face Reality, to confess their sins, to repent of their sins, and to return to God. Death came to them suddenly and unexpectedly, as it often comes to all of us sinners: a fatal shooting, an auto accident, a fatal heart attack, or any number of unexpected happenings. We all face death; we just don't know when or where or how. Christians, however, have chosen to accept Reality and to re-establish a loving Relationship with our Father-God. We are assured that God, in His gracious mercy, has forgiven all our sins and accepted us into His Kingdom. Because of our decision, we know that even though we die, we will be raised up to live for all eternity in the presence of the Lord God!
The greater tragedy of Orlando is that, I fear, many had not repented and returned to God. Now, in death, they face the Ultimate Reality; they face a God whom they do not love, whom they do not respect or revere, whom they have defied, and whom they have refused to obey. As a result of their choice, they have no life, no hope, and are left to face an eternity in Hell. I would not wish that for anyone!
I would like to believe that God, in His extravagant mercy, will give them one last chance to repent and to return to Him. That's my hope and my prayer. AMEN.
-- Dr. Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions are those of the author.
Religion on 06/30/2016