Key points in this article:
• Shootings in Florida, USA leaves 17 dead
• Shooter said he wanted to “become a professional school shooter”
• Devilish spiritual influences are often behind exceedingly tragic incidents

 
A devastating incident wiped away any sense of love last Valentine’s Day.

A 19-year-old boy who was expelled from his high school in Florida walked into his ex-school and shot teachers and students, leaving 17 dead.

18 school shootings have occurred in the U.S. since the year began.

Shooter Showed Signs of Mental Illness

According to acquaintances, the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had exhibited strange behavior prior to the incident. He would talk about guns and knives all the time, and he even brought a gun to school.

He posted photos of guns and knives on his social media accounts and expressed his desire to use his weapons to kill someone. In September last year, he was reported to the FBI for uploading a video on YouTube in which he said he “wants to become a professional school shooter”.

His lack of a criminal record enabled him to legally buy an AR-15 style assault weapon in February 2017, which he used in the attack.

The Trump administration and the Republican Party claim that Cruz’s mental illness was to blame for the incident, not the gun law.

President Trump expressed his condolences to the victims and their families immediately upon hearing of the shooting, and in his speech on the 15th he said:

“We are all joined together as one American family . . . we are committed to working with state and local leaders to secure our schools and tackle the difficult problem of mental health . . . the bonds that sustain us are those of family, faith, community, and country. These bonds are stronger than the forces of hatred and evil”.

 
His Twitter post on the same day ran thus: “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”

Knowing How to Protect Yourself From Devils Will Prevent These Tragedies

These incidents always spark fresh debate on gun control. Simply amending the gun law, however, will not solve the root of the problem. That is because as long as there are people with evil intentions, they will always find an alternate weapon with which to harm people.

From a religious perspective, it is influences from devils that are behind these horrifying incidents. Very few people feel the presence of the devil, and the majority will surely dismiss them as characters in legends. Devils, however, are real and exist.

Devils are spiritual beings that aggressively seek the downfall of humankind and human society. These devils are powerful influences behind tragic and infamous incidents where many people die, such as shootings and terrorist attacks.

Devils influence people who harbor hatred towards others, people who denounce and discriminate against others, people with strong attachments (including fame), and materialists who think that the tangible world is everything.

The most important thing is for more and more people who learn how to protect themselves from the devil. Master Ryuho Okawa, founder and CEO of Happy Science, explains in his book, “An Introduction to Real Exorcism”, 4 ways to protect oneself from devilish influences:

• Maintain a well-ordered lifestyle with daily effort of some kind
• Controlling diet, physical exercise and sleep to develop physical stamina
• Filtering incoming information and the studying new things
• Solving work problems

 
To block off influences from devils and prevent tragic incidents, it is important that we embrace the attitude of living for other people and for the world at large. Religion is the study of ‘how to live the good life’, and spreading these teachings will indubitably bring huge public benefits.