WHAT ARE WE PUTTING IN OUR CHILDREN'S HANDS? This little girl is holding a GUN in hers! No joke either, and she represents a whole lot of children in our world who are being taught how to USE weapons of destruction; brought up on violence without any conscience or sense of what is right or wrong. And, for the most part, the WORLD is not doing much about it. ISIS, the Islamic State, as it is called, actively encourages it in fact, together with many terrorist organisations and Freedom Fighters the world over. Are YOU happy about this? What is YOUR heart and mind saying to you about this?
BELOW is another little girl with a Book in her hand. The Noble Koran.
Some of those reading may think the Gun could agree with the Book! But this would not be true, because the Koran itself is not VIOLENT unless those reading it interpret it to be so. Even the Christians could, and might still, find verses within the text of the Bible to encourage violence, and cruelty which, if taken out of their right context, might insight extreme and excessive behaviour. There is more MERCY, and COMPASSION in both Books than can be found in the Gun. GOD has revealed that He cares about Man, and has no pleasure in the death of any. Those who may, in error, argue the opposite about HIM, are totally astray and without the Truth.

THERE ARE SOME, that may shrug off the whole subject, and who believe it has nothing to do with them. But the Cartoon to the left is right - the gun is bigger than the child. He may be able to carry, and even know how to FIRE it, but he does not have the the inner strength to deal with the outcome. He may fancy himself, in his imagination and thought, to be a 'RAMBO', but he is but a child.
In our Testimony School here in Eldoret, Kenya, we have had children of 10 to 12 years old enter the School having been child soldiers in Uganda and Sudan. They were deeply disturbed children, filled with vivid and disturbing memories of their past actions. It took a great deal of patient counselling and patience to help them put that past behind them. Little men still growing up, having never seen life as a child sees it. Little men, still with a child's heart, all mixed up with implanted hatred and violence, together with tears of emotional need for their own selves, as well as for those they had killed.
YES, the little girl in the top left photo may almost certainly grow up with a gun still in her hands!
She may indeed graduate to be a Soldier in some 'Movement' or other, and actually coldly become used to killing other human beings. How old would you put this little man opposite? Maybe 7 or 8? And now HE is in uniform as well as having his gun at the ready! His parents have dressed him up to please him! Can you imagine him facing the Enemy perhaps a whole Battalion of rebels - can you imagine him being shot to pieces by them, and left as garbage for the birds and wild animals to finish off?
WELL if he lives he will continue to grow. There are many others older than him, and they don't even have uniforms - only the guns. The two to the left, in their middle, upper teenage, are examples of the average 'child soldier', their rough and ready life fortified by Bhangi, and Changaa, until their minds barely know what they are doing or even why. Many of them BEGAN as very young children. AND if you think this is only a picture of Africa or South America, how about this photo from the Affluent West?
HERE WE HAVE MUMMY showing her young daughter how to fire an automatic pistol. Is it for fun or self defence, and what will the outcome be, I wonder. How many cases do we hear of, where some guy has burst into a school or church and let of his Guns in a killing spree - all because of something that happened, or he was taught, in his past. YES the whole world lives on the brink, or in the very midst of violence and the sound of the gun, plus the slash of a knife. And for the most part EVERYONE just accepts it, and says nothing.
EVERY DAY I read in the Daily Mail, and other British National Newspapers, of the Killing that is going on the Middle East, in Syria, Iraq and Iran, to name a few. In many cases the graphic evidence is appalling, and too terrible to even want to look at. Just recently we were exposed to a photo of a young boy of 12 cutting the throat of an adult prisoner of war. It has to be of the devil when adults force children to do their dirty work for them. It has nothing to do with Religion or God. It has to be the fruit of an anti God and anti human spirit. If we all say nothing, and wink at it all, then one day we shall be overwhelmed by it. What should we then do? We must speak against it, and if necessary take measures to prevent such a code of conduct from continuing unchecked.
The little girl top right of this blog was holding a Koran. We want to believe that she had been taught that God was good, merciful and forgiving, rather than the butcher much of Islam demonstrates Him to be. I hope the picture demonstrates the Way of Peace with God and Man.
I hope it can be an emblem of Hope for the Future. I hope that Christians will also turn to the Bible, their own Holy Book, and teach their children about the LOVE of God for ALL mankind, including their enemies. After all God Loves ALL mankind, regardless of colour, race, politics or religion. He CREATED them all, and has no pleasure in the death of ANY. If HE lives in us in any way or degree, then WE should become LIKE him, and work for the Salvation and Forgiveness of every soul. AWAY with guns, and knives, together with hate, malice and bitterness. LET US put into our children's hands and lives a BETTER way, a more God intentioned Way. A Way of Love for all men, and desire to do them good.
Above right is a Family doing the right thing.
They are encouraging their children to know GOD as they themselves do. Here is the only REAL hope for the future.
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Brilliant article John. Bless you!
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