Dear Editor,

It never ceases to amaze me that we can voice our opinions so loudly as to drown out the voice of conscience, and divert the path of rightness and truth.

In the wake of the inhumane act of violence perpetrated on the innocent, unsuspecting students of Marjory Douglas High School in Broward County, FL, I ask a question: Why are we surprised at this, another senseless, cold, hard attack on our public education students in America?  Remember, we are that highly civilized country that ousted God (the God of the Bible), and his influence from our educational process years ago. We more or less gave him the finger, the hand and told him he was not welcome, and that we could educate our nation of children without his help or influence. So God, being the gentleman that he is, slowly backed off.

It was a long time coming that we would live to regret our rejection of him in the name of “separation of church and state”— which has been grossly misinterpreted and implemented. 

We ask, in the wake of this tragedy, “Where were you, God? Where are you, God? Why, many were barely in high school, God?” Yet the answer is simple. When we rejected God and his Lordship over national, state and local education, we rejected his divine order, which includes his divine protection. Only the Lord can protect from this type of evil. If he had warned us — which he did — who would have heard the warning?

The ones he lived with did not see it coming. The suspicious ones warned of its coming. The powerful ones failed to heed the warnings of its coming. Yet the Lord, who knows everything and can do anything, saw it coming but was adamantly told, through legislation of the state, to “stay out of our business.” This absence of God from our business has sent education derailing at an uncontrollable rate.

The behavior of the majority of our elementary school students has gone unchecked to the point that most of the teachers’ time is consumed with redirecting and behavior management, with very little left for teaching. This derailing has adversely affected not only the students’ learning, but their safety, as well.

Let it be said and understood, it doesn’t matter how many marches we undertake, how many gun-control laws we legislate, how many resource officers we employ or how much technology we implement, unless the Lord God watches over our school, and whose principles and values are the fundamentals taught in our schools, all our money and work is in vain.  Only God can hold back evil, and without Him, evil is imminent. My plea is that lawmakers and leaders of education would repent and return to God for his instruction. For it is in this returning that God will return to us.

Faye Benjamin

LaGrange