Re-evaluating the war on drugs

The Duterte administration's war on drugs has caused controversies in its execution, and human rights activists cry foul every time they believe that due process is not followed when drug lords, drug pushers, and drug addicts are killed in the administration's operations against drugs. They averred that human life is sacred and only God alone has the right to terminate it. According to them extra-judicial killings are obnoxious and anathema to the divine. However, let's look at this point of view in another perspective and travel down the corridor of time in biblical history.

In Noah's time, the sins of the people against the Almighty are comparable to what today's people are doing like corruption, sodomy, infidelity, etc. so that God caused the Great Flood that killed all the sinners except the family of Noah which God saw worthy and pleasing in his eyes. And what can we say of the present generation? How many broken families, many crimes committed, myriads of our youths’ future destroyed because of drugs? Also, did God not say in the scripture that "If you cause my little ones to sin, better for you to tie a stone around your neck and cast yourself into the sea"?

The little ones, meaning our youths are very dear, very much loved by the Lord so that in the scripture he again said, "Suffer the little ones to me, for unless a man becomes like one of these, they cannot enter the kingdom of God".

Now, let's consider what's happening in our country today. What would have happened had not President Rodrigo Duterte been elected to the presidency. Perhaps many of our youths, even our own siblings, would be roaming around in a daze, futureless and doomed.

God is said to be the same yesterday and today. It might be that President Duterte is only made an instrument by the Almighty so that the havoc that drugs has made on our society and his "little ones", can be stopped. That's my take.

Jose Hortelano

Balamban, Cebu