Why Are We Surprised

“Well, now I will be a god compared to you, you will all be animals, you are animals and I will slaughter you like animals. I’ll be a god exacting my retribution on all those who deserve it and you do deserve it just for the crime of living a better life than me... I am the closest thing there is to a living god… I will truly be a powerful god, punishing everyone I deem to be impure and depraved.” - Elliot Roger My Twisted World

Elliot Rodger penned those words, published them, and then on May 23, 2014 went out into the community and murdered 6 young men and women, injuring a dozen more using a hammer, a knife, his car and a gun. In reading his manifesto it becomes apparent that the reason he decided to kill many people as he possibly could is because Elliot Roger didn't think he had enough sin in his life. He also believed that committing suicide at the end of his murderous spree would be the end of his imagined woes. Elliot Rodger was expecting college life to be one long drunken and drug filled orgy with sorority chicks throwing themselves at his feet but in reality his classmates shied away from the sullen, hate filled young man.

Many people ask "Where was God when this happened?" God was there the whole time, He placed Elliot in the United States, once a paragon of virtue for the common man and once famed for medical care beyond all other countries. God also gave Elliot two parents to raise him, teach him to know the difference between right and wrong and to trust in God. 

Millions of words have been written on this nightmare and millions more have yet to be written but the facts will not change: like nearly 100% of the recent mass murders Elliot Roger had been diagnosed as a psychiatrically ill man. His litanies of hate and anger were not secrets but splattered across social medial long before the attack. Elliot had planned this attack for over a year, in fact his room mates (the first victims) were aware of Elliot's plans and were afraid for their safety. 

And where was God in all of this? Unfortunately for Elliot, his father, Peter Rogers a famed Hollywood director, rejected God years ago, blaming religion for all the evils of the world and even went into financial jeopardy producing a film to uphold this belief. Elliot was brought up in a world where God was hated and rejected, allowing Elliot to create his own God: himself. 

15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. (Titus 1:15-16)

Maybe someone could have reached out to Elliot with the healing words of God, but its appears like no one did. Then again he was under psychiatric care for years and his violent tendencies were ignored until it was too late. And if someone had tried to reach out to Elliot with the word of God, would he even have listened? His fathers atheism drove him away from God to a point where it's doubtful he ever would have listened. But it would be nice to know if someone tried.

45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. - (John 8:45-47)