• Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
    • Prayer Request
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Chinese Translation
    • Dutch Translation
    • French Translation
    • German Translation
    • Hebrew Translation
    • Italian Translation
    • Portuguese Translation
    • Russian Translation
    • Spanish Translation
    • Turkish Translation
  • Are You Ready?
    • READY OR NOT...
    • 22 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled From the Tanakh
    • Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
    • The Rapture
  • Interviews
    • My Life Story Video - "In His Own Words"
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
    • Son of Hope Gospel Tracts
  • Journal
    • 2023 >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
      • April 2023
      • May 2023
      • June 2023
      • July 2023
      • August 2023
      • *September 2023
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017-2005
    • 2004-2003
  • Updates
  • Where is David Berkowitz Now?
  • David Berkowitz's Life in Prison
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • For Parents, Teens, and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • Stopping Teen Violence
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Satan's Bible
    • Famous Satanists' Last Words - Quotes
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • A Satanist Has a Vision
    • Co-founder of Satanic Church...
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Ministry Tools
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Inspirational Testimonies
  • Friends
  • Contact
  • Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
    • Prayer Request
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Chinese Translation
    • Dutch Translation
    • French Translation
    • German Translation
    • Hebrew Translation
    • Italian Translation
    • Portuguese Translation
    • Russian Translation
    • Spanish Translation
    • Turkish Translation
  • Are You Ready?
    • READY OR NOT...
    • 22 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled From the Tanakh
    • Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
    • The Rapture
  • Interviews
    • My Life Story Video - "In His Own Words"
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
    • Son of Hope Gospel Tracts
  • Journal
    • 2023 >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
      • April 2023
      • May 2023
      • June 2023
      • July 2023
      • August 2023
      • *September 2023
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017-2005
    • 2004-2003
  • Updates
  • Where is David Berkowitz Now?
  • David Berkowitz's Life in Prison
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • For Parents, Teens, and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • Stopping Teen Violence
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Satan's Bible
    • Famous Satanists' Last Words - Quotes
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • A Satanist Has a Vision
    • Co-founder of Satanic Church...
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Ministry Tools
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Inspirational Testimonies
  • Friends
  • Contact
AriseandShine.org

April 2005

The Spirit of Violence

4/1/2005

 
The earth was also corrupt before God,
​and the earth was filled with violence. 
Genesis 6:11


Many are wondering what is going on in the world... 
Acts of senseless violence have left us numb. And people are asking the experts why.
​

On March 21, for example, a sixteen-year-old high school student in Minnesota brought a gun to his school and began to shoot those who were in the building. He then turned the weapon on himself, leaving ten dead. It was the worst school shooting since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, which took fifteen lives.

While in New York State, a 25-year-old man walked into a crowded shopping mall with an assault rifle. He then began spraying the mall with bullets. According to a local newspaper account, approximately sixty rounds were fired. Miraculously, only two people were wounded, one of them seriously.

I saw a color photograph of the 25-year-old as he was being led into court in handcuffs. The sleeves of his orange jail jumpsuit were rolled up to his elbows. So I was able to spy some odd tattoos on his forearms. Family members of his were in the courtroom too. His father, one of the newspaper articles said, was weeping.

Sadly, these acts of sudden and intense violence have become a notable characteristic of modern-day America. In spite of our technological advancements and our high standards of living, we have come to accept random violence as part of our culture.

For scores of troubled teenagers and young adults, having a gun while at the same time holding on to feelings of anger, alienation, self-loathing, and bottled-up hostility make for a powerful but lethal explosive force that could burst into unchecked rage at the slightest provocation.

Equally tragic, I believe, is that many of these incidents of explosive violence could have been prevented. Therefore, I plan to devote much of my April 2005 journal to the topic of youth violence.

While I am not an expert, as a Christian today, and as a man who once walked down the path of unchecked violence and aggression, I hope that what I have to say will be helpful and insightful.

There is an answer to the "spirit of violence" that's sweeping our nation. There is hope.

D.B.


Sources:
-Times Herald-Record, March 22, 2005, Middletown, NY.
-Times Herald-Record, February 17, 2005, Middletown, NY.
-March 21 school shooting from combined reports from different newspapers. 

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Author

    David Berkowitz
    Copyright © AriseandShine.org

    RSS Feed