More Teen Violence

Teen violence is a problem on the rise in America. Nearly 40 children are killed on school grounds in our nation every year. They are being gunned down, stabbed, and beaten to death. Sometimes one individual does all the damage, and sometimes, they move in packs.

This morning the Today Show ran the story about the teenage girls and boys responsible for a violent beating of one of their own. This link had been posted but the Today Show was forced to remove it from their website due to usage restrictions. What basically happens is the victim is lured in to a house by some girls who scream at her and beat her for 30 solid minutes. In the meantime, the whole beating was videotaped while two boys stand lookout outside the home. See Teenage Beating.

Consider some of the following statistics:

• 160,000 children skip school each day because of intimidation by their peers. (The National Education Association)
• Two-thirds of young people have been teased or gossiped about in a mean way at least once in the past month. (Study conducted by Families and Work Institute and funded by The Colorado Trust - study polled more than 1,000 youths in fifth through twelfth grades.) Additionally, almost one-third of 6th to 10th graders - 5.7 million children nationwide - have experienced some kind of bullying. (National Institute of Health study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association.)
• Homicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 overall.
• A study done in 2004 reported that 17% of teens had carried a weapon of some kind to school in the last 30 days. 33% of teens had been in a physical fight with a schoolmate in the last 12 months. 9% were physically violent with their boyfriend/girlfriend in the past 12 months.

There are more statistics. But what is at the heart of the problem? The following factors seem to be a large part of why teen violence is on the rise:

1. Antisocial beliefs and attitudes.
2. Cliques in school.
3. Fame lust.
4. Culture and entertainment.
5. The breakdown of the family.

Number five on the list is the most critical. While every teen needs to learn responsibility, the bigger problem is with what is being allowed by the parents. In the case of the Florida cheerleader pack attack, a mother of one of the culprits tried to defend her daughter's actions on the Today Show. She basically implied that the beaten teenager got what was coming to her. What can we possibly say to that? Only that we hope the state of Florida will also see the need to try the offenders as adults, and allow the law to give them the punishment they deserve.

Parents, guard your children. Teach them respect for authority. Teach them respect for their fellow man. Teach them to love their neighbor. Teach them the vengeance of a perfectly just and holy God.

"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth." ~ Genesis 6:11-13