The Works of God

Now that so many people are speculating that Adam Lanza lived with Asperger’s syndrome, more speculation is rising about the role of that disability and how his mother responded to it.

Speculation on top of speculation isn’t going to give us anything even approaching understanding.  I think Pastor Jason offered the best advice in his sermon when paraphrasing Dr. John Sailhamer: get your information the first two days, then turn off the TV when they start trying to interpret what happened.

I fear that the evil one will seek to use this horrible act to create even more horrible acts. In this case, I’m not speaking of violent acts, but of greater isolation for those families experiencing difficult behaviors in their children. We’re already uncomfortable with children who don’t quite fit the mold of how a child should be or behave.  But now Satan will whisper in the ears of Sunday School volunteers and pastors: you have reason to be afraid; you have reason to think they are bad parents – look at what happened in Newtown.

Dr. Steve Grcvich of Key Ministry wrote on this topic, Mental Illness and Mass Murder: Reflections from a Christian… and a Psychiatrist, in which he concluded:

Families who have kids or grown children who demonstrate some or all of the traits described above that predispose them to violent/aggressive behavior are in special need of the love of Christ, and represent a great place to start if we’re going to change the world. Nobody should feel like an outsider in the church. And yet, we’re not very good at creating environments that are welcoming to those with mental conditions that leave them isolated and friendless…and vulnerable to the effects of the evil in the world.

I don’t have the answer, but I’m pretty sure Dr. Grcvich is right.

We must pray for God to help us.