Article May 31, 1993 Issue

Stop the killing

The Christian Science Monitor

Recently in my home city there were two murders on the same day. The motives were unknown. In fact the crimes seemed even more senseless than usual: an elderly man was found shot in his home; another man was found murdered beside a roadway. This is too typical of news headlines anywhere in the world. But despite the sad familiarity of such events, my heart cries out, Stop it!

Violence is an exploding imposition on society, insisting on our attention. And people all too often end up thinking that the way to deal with someone who gets in their way or looks different is to attack. It isn't.

I find myself yearning for my prayers to be as powerful as my hopes for healing. And I tell myself I will keep working at it until I can see that my prayer is making a difference. There's more impetus for healing, however, than just my prayer and my hope. There is a great community of hope and prayer behind the words we find in Exodus "Thou shalt not kill." There are brave, moral, good people in our neighborhoods, in community service, in law and public safety work, whose lives are devoted to the fulfillment of the goal of that Old Testament Commandment. Our prayers can strengthen their efforts.

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