Is the Movie Theater Mass Murderer the Only One Who Shows a "Disregard for Human Life"?

James Holmes was charged with 24 counts of murder, two each for the 12 people killed, and 116 counts of attempted murder, two each for the 58 injured. For the murder charges, one count included murder with deliberation, the other murder with extreme indifference. Both carry a maximum death penalty upon conviction.

A former chief deputy district attorney says a conviction under extreme indifference means that any life sentences would have to be served consecutively, not concurrently. In addition, the 24-year-old Holmes was charged with one count of possession of explosives and one count of a crime of violence, which is a gun charge. Authorities say Holmes booby trapped his apartment. --- Internet news release

In a recent court appearance James Holmes, who has a large number of murder and attempted murder charges plus a few other charges beyond murder, was described in part as a person who showed a "disregard for human life."

Probably most people would agree with that statement in light of his actions in killing 12 people and wounding 58 others in a shooting rampage at a movie theater in Colorado some time back.

Now for a troublesome question -- is he the only one showing disregard for human life? There was a more recent incident of a shooting in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin in which some people were killed. And there are incidents happening all over the world in which human life is violently taken by shootings and by other means. So the same could be said in these incidents as well. But what is not honestly faced is the fact that a number of high profile persons who have been elected to political office and judges who have been appointed to serve in the justice system have demonstrated that they too have a "disregard for human life!"

Here's what is happening each week in the United States -- about 25,000 unborn children every week are intentionally mutilated and murdered in their mothers' (term, mother, is used very loosely here) wombs with the mangled remains disposed of as casually as you would pitch unwanted garbage into a landfill!

We have a president who sanctions this grisly practice and opposes any effort to protect lives of the unborn. In the Illinois legislature he successfully blocked legislation that would have protected the life of a baby which successfully survived an abortion, which a few do on very rare occasions. So far as Obama was concerned let it lie on a table unattended until it dies -- that is how it is in Illinois today for the very few that may survive an abortion attempt.

Not only the president, but many members of the U.S. Congress, governors of our states, members of state legislatures, and judges in the judicial system qualify for taking the position in which it can be said of them that they have a "disregard for human life!"

Tens of millions of unborn children have been destroyed since the infamous Supreme Court decision of 1973 with little serious objection being shown. Even a number of high profile church leaders, including United Methodist bishops, are very silent when it comes to this issue. They are willing to go to great lengths to tell you what is wrong in other areas of our culture -- for instance, just ask them sometime what their position on gambling is and be prepared to listen for a long time to their response about the evils of gambling!

The most tragic thing about this issue is the failure, because of the ignorance and blindness that exists, to recognize that this one single abomination will invoke the wrath of a holy God more quickly than anything else in our culture. We have a lot of collective and personal transgressions of numerous kinds going for us at the present time, but to destroy human life intentionally for which the Creator has a high and holy purpose is an offense that the human mind in its limitations cannot begin to comprehend!

God has been speaking and clearly calling to repentance, but so far the national response has been the commonly used traditional obscene gesture -- we'll just keep on showing our "disregard for human life" and if God doesn't like it, He can go and ________! You fill in the blank, but be aware that God will probably not follow through on your suggestion. He will be making a response to all this -- not a question as to whether He will, but rather WHEN will it happen!

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." --- Jeremiah 1:4, 5

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7, 8