We should focus on country's moral decline

The horrific killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., have left me numb and filled with grief. The young lives were snuffed out by an evil, deranged person.

Everyone is looking for a quick fix to this never-ending violence, from banning guns to greater security, but quick fixes will do nothing to solve the underlying causes of violence and evil.

The underlying problem is our culture and the ever-increasing secularization of society. A culture that does not protect and promote human life from womb to tomb is a culture that leads to ever-increasing violence and evil. A culture that does not protect and promote traditional marriage leaves families and children vulnerable and insecure. A culture that values things over people, and ideology over charity, is a sick culture that will not last.

Instead of focusing on the fiscal cliff in Washington D.C., we should be focusing on our country's moral decline. Instead of looking for someone to blame, we should be looking within. Until we open our hearts to a loving and forgiving God, our children and our society will continue to be threatened.

Mike Gannon

Coralville