As God and Scripture are rejected by an ever widening segment of our population so is the biblical concept that man is created in the image of God and filled with spirit and soul. The loss of such ancient truths has led to the gross trivialization of life and an undervaluing of this greatest of human assets.

Certainly this is reflected in our millions of abortion murders. But it also is seen in the killings perpetrated by anti-abortion zealots. Increasing suicide among teens, the popularity of entertainment that depicts savage and bloody killings, and the increasing approval given to so-called "mercy killings" all give evidence to a change in American thinking about the value of life.

This trivialization of human life is not new. It was and is a common part of pagan life. But it is new to a nation, such as ours, which originally was built on biblical principles. Our changing view of life is evidence of our own paganization.

Justified nearly every day by politicians, talk show hosts, collegians and sometimes "religious" leaders is the idea that life must be pleasant and enjoyable to be valuable. If a newborn will "burden" its parent(s) or have a chance of living a less-than-ideal existence, today's pagans justify killing the infant in the womb. It would not have had a "quality life," they say.

When mom and dad grow old, when granddad and grandma require more help than they produce, it is only sensible to put them out of their misery like we would Rover or Spot. At least that is the Dr. Jack Kevorkian view.

The role of suffering in human development is totally misunderstood. Patience in tribulation is a mystery unknown. Life is considered only from the selfish perspective of the immediate.

I wonder how Job would have fared had he lived in the last decade of the 20th Century. Would his three friends have come to comfort him or shoot him? Would Job have searched for the purpose and meaning of human suffering or would he have called Dr. Death?

If God offered his own Son to live a life of suffering and to ultimately die for our benefit, what does that say about the value God places on human life? Jesus himself said it best. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Perhaps we had better listen to what he had to say.

Guardian of Truth XL: 6 p. 3
March 21, 1996