It’s a Mad, Mad World

The atrocious treatment of unarmed demonstrators during the last week in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, as well as Libya underscores “man’s inhumanity to man” in strong relief. The cries of the numbers of people bereaved or maimed for life in Arab uprisings makes it difficult to sleep at night.

Yet we are aware of similar atrocities in Sudan, Congo, and Rwanda in recent memory. In addition, the last century saw 155 million killed by two world wars and national oppression. A cursory knowledge reveals this carnage has been a defining characteristic of humanity in recorded history.

The enormous firepower and precision of current war machines, currently illustrated in Libya, is a reminder of the growing ability of well-armed despotic rulers to subjugate their people and destroy opponents. History has taught us we have every reason to expect similar violence to continue.

This is in contrast to the irrational belief that humankind is somehow improving with time. What improvement has occurred is predominantly in countries with a Christian heritage, generally in the west. Yet there, the eroding of Christian values threatens to return those countries to chaos.

Even in Canada, with the ebbing of Christian belief, there is a creeping loss of human rights and growing restrictions on belief and expression, engineered by “Human Rights” tribunals. The only real light for the world is the One who called Himself the Light of the World.

If there is any hope for humankind, the exploding increase of Christ’s message across the world, in places like South America, Africa, China, even Mongolia, will help alleviate human cruelty. But final peace and justice on earth will be imposed and administered by the Righteous One.

Just one compelling reason to crave the soon return of Jesus Christ. "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” will herald the end to earth’s bloodshed (Revelation 22:12).