The Tragic Consequences of False Ideas
By Jeff Keaton
On
April 8 , 2018 , 23-year-old Casey James Lawhorn murdered his mom and his good friend , Avery . Casey wrote a lengthy Facebook post detailing why and how he committed these horrific murders . After describing how he killed his friend and mother in grotesque detail , he made some statements that revealed his worldview . I will quote a few of them .
“ Don ’ t give me or my family your prayers . No one will be hurt by this more than my brother ( Chad Lawhorn ). He will probably need a lot of help getting through this , and if you think you are helping him by talking to the sky , you ’ re [ redacted ] wrong . I don ’ t want or need forgiveness from anyone . What I did is unforgivable , and prayer is a waste of time . Nothing happens after death , but if there is a hell , I ’ m going to be in the lake of ice at the bottom . What I look forward to is the nothingness after death .”
This tragedy is beyond words , ending with Casey taking his own life . I don ’ t know or understand this young man ’ s mental state . However , in his own words , he defined his worldview . He did not believe there is a God who hears or answers prayer . He did not believe there is a God to whom he would give an account . He did not believe he would suffer in hell . He believed death would bring him final relief . This young man believed many of the cardinal tenets of secular humanism . These beliefs are taught to more than 50 million
K-12 students daily in America . Although most secular humanists do not commit horrific acts like this , secular humanism is a worldview of hopelessness . If we are all just a compilation of chemicals that have randomly come together over billions of years , and if we have not been created in the image of a loving God , what is the purpose of life ?
The biblical worldview is a worldview permeated with tremendous hope and accountability . We tell children the truth when we tell them the gospel . God created all things good . Man chose to sin , to rebel against God . Our sin has brought every conceivable evil into our world . However , Jesus came to redeem man and our world . With this intervention , we can once again live lives pleasing to God and become a part of redeeming and restoring our world to look more like God ’ s good and beautiful design . We must reach more children with this truth and rescue the masses from being taught the lies of secularism .
Have you joined the cause of giving children a biblical worldview ? This is one of the best ways to change the course of our nation . We must stop just cursing the darkness ! It ’ s time to take the light of truth into the darkness . ■
Jeff Keaton has been a successful pastor , church and school planter , and ministry entrepreneur . As the founder and CEO of RenewaNation , Jeff works across the United States and Canada to help awaken the church to the great need to give every child a biblical worldview . Jeff is married to Michele , and they have two daughters , two sons-in-law , two grandsons , and a granddaughter . He is the author of The Life of Radical Faith .
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