It's the old stereotype- God and guns.
Many people question why people who are nonviolent in nature- Christians are probably some of the most non-aggressive, peaceful people on the planet- would be armed to the teeth and decry any attempt to pass new gun control legislation. After all, didn't Jesus tell us to turn the other cheek? Didn't Jesus say, "Those who live by the sword die by the sword?" Why, then, the Christian obsession with guns?
There is no answer to this question, because it's the wrong question to ask. You will never understand the desire of so many Christians to possess firearms if you only ask that question. Christians AREN'T obsessed with guns.
However, Christians ARE obsessed with freedom and liberty.
I was interviewed by a former student of mine who was a political science major. He was doing a research paper on the Second Amendment and why conservatives were so pro-gun. He called me up and asked me, "Why do you Christians cling to your guns like there is no tomorrow?"
I answered, "Because I will fight to the death to protect my freedom to worship as I please."
There was dead silence on the phone. I continued.
"Christians," I told him, "do not see their primary citizenship as American. Sure, we love America and believe that America is the greatest country on this earth. We agree that the principles upon which it is founded- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- are the best principles to build a government on. However, we don't believe that government is the giver of rights. We believe GOD is the giver of rights. We hold our God-given rights so near and dear that we refuse to live under tyranny and oppression. We don't believe that God wants His people to live under tyranny- He wants His people to be free."
"We carry guns, not because we want to harm people or because we are obsessed with violence, but because we want to be left alone to worship God as we please. This is the purpose of the first Amendment- that Congress shall make no law establishing a state religion, nor prohibiting free practice thereof. We are not violent people. We do not advocate violence against anyone or anything. We are peaceful people. However, if the right to worship God as we please, whenever we please, however we please, is abridged or threatened or prohibited by any means, we will fight. We refuse to live in a place where our freedom to worship God is not guaranteed."
I went on. "If you study history, governments typically do not allow freedom of religion. The vast majority of governments in this world have some kind of restriction on worship, whether it is outright banning of Christianity under Communism and Islamist governments, or soft persecution by extra taxes, etc. The only time governments do not infringe upon the rights of people to worship is when the people are armed. Then, governments leave the people alone."
"We Christians know this- we've studied history and we know that an armed populice leads to limited government. We Christians are not obsessed with guns- we are obsessed with freedom. We believe that we have inherent human rights given by God that no government can take away. Gun ownership is simply a means to ensure that we will always have those rights. That's it. That's the answer to your question."
He pondered that answer for a second, then he asked, "Do you think Jesus would have carried a gun?"
I answered, "Well, obviously guns weren't around at that time. However, His disciples were armed at all times."
He said, "They were?"
I answered, "When Jesus was arrested, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, one of the people there to arrest Him. Now obviously, this sword was concealed or the guards would have disarmed the disciples before arresting Jesus. So, Jesus apparently had no problem with His followers carrying weapons. He warned, however, about their use when He said, "Those that live by the sword die by the sword. Jesus was not an advocate of violent revolution nor of any kind of aggression. He even taught people to turn the other cheek. Like I said before, Christians are very peaceful people. It's just that we believe there are some things that are worth dying for, and one of those things is the freedom to worship and practice our religion as we see fit."
At least he listened. I doubt he agreed with me one bit and probably thought I was crazy. However, I felt that I had answered his question exactly the way I wanted to.
People, Christians are not obsessed with guns. We are obsessed with liberty. We are obsessed with the freedom to worship God as we please. We are obsessed with the right to free speech and assembly, whenever and wherever we please. We are obsessed with the right to privacy from unwanted intrusion and the protection of our loved ones from any kind of aggression.
This is what we are obsessed with. The United States of America is moving away from the concepts of liberty and freedom- we are increasingly monitored and governed by a growing government, and this should cause a great deal of alarm among freedom-loving people.
I sum up this blog with one of my favorite scenes from Karate Kid (the Ralph Macchio version) when Daniel and Mr Myagi are in the fishing boat:
Daniel: Did you get in many fights when you were a kid?
Myagi: Plenty. Myagi hate fighting.
Daniel: But you like Karate.
Myagi: So?
Daniel: So, Karate is fighting- you train to fight!
Myagi: (slowing looking at Daniel) Is that what you think?
Daniel: (hesitating) No.
Myagi: Then why train?
Daniel: So I won't have to fight.
Exactly the Christian position on gun ownership. Daniel knew that if he had the reputation for knowing how to fight, he would live in peace. Nobody would bother him. Christians know that if they own guns, we will be able to live in peace, living a life of liberty and freedom- us and our children. We have no desire for violence against anyone. We simply want to live in peace and freedom in this great country that we call home. Without a second amendment, however, there would be no first amendment. By possessing the strength to resist tyranny, we ensure that we will never have to.
Many people question why people who are nonviolent in nature- Christians are probably some of the most non-aggressive, peaceful people on the planet- would be armed to the teeth and decry any attempt to pass new gun control legislation. After all, didn't Jesus tell us to turn the other cheek? Didn't Jesus say, "Those who live by the sword die by the sword?" Why, then, the Christian obsession with guns?
There is no answer to this question, because it's the wrong question to ask. You will never understand the desire of so many Christians to possess firearms if you only ask that question. Christians AREN'T obsessed with guns.
However, Christians ARE obsessed with freedom and liberty.
I was interviewed by a former student of mine who was a political science major. He was doing a research paper on the Second Amendment and why conservatives were so pro-gun. He called me up and asked me, "Why do you Christians cling to your guns like there is no tomorrow?"
I answered, "Because I will fight to the death to protect my freedom to worship as I please."
There was dead silence on the phone. I continued.
"Christians," I told him, "do not see their primary citizenship as American. Sure, we love America and believe that America is the greatest country on this earth. We agree that the principles upon which it is founded- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- are the best principles to build a government on. However, we don't believe that government is the giver of rights. We believe GOD is the giver of rights. We hold our God-given rights so near and dear that we refuse to live under tyranny and oppression. We don't believe that God wants His people to live under tyranny- He wants His people to be free."
"We carry guns, not because we want to harm people or because we are obsessed with violence, but because we want to be left alone to worship God as we please. This is the purpose of the first Amendment- that Congress shall make no law establishing a state religion, nor prohibiting free practice thereof. We are not violent people. We do not advocate violence against anyone or anything. We are peaceful people. However, if the right to worship God as we please, whenever we please, however we please, is abridged or threatened or prohibited by any means, we will fight. We refuse to live in a place where our freedom to worship God is not guaranteed."
I went on. "If you study history, governments typically do not allow freedom of religion. The vast majority of governments in this world have some kind of restriction on worship, whether it is outright banning of Christianity under Communism and Islamist governments, or soft persecution by extra taxes, etc. The only time governments do not infringe upon the rights of people to worship is when the people are armed. Then, governments leave the people alone."
"We Christians know this- we've studied history and we know that an armed populice leads to limited government. We Christians are not obsessed with guns- we are obsessed with freedom. We believe that we have inherent human rights given by God that no government can take away. Gun ownership is simply a means to ensure that we will always have those rights. That's it. That's the answer to your question."
He pondered that answer for a second, then he asked, "Do you think Jesus would have carried a gun?"
I answered, "Well, obviously guns weren't around at that time. However, His disciples were armed at all times."
He said, "They were?"
I answered, "When Jesus was arrested, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, one of the people there to arrest Him. Now obviously, this sword was concealed or the guards would have disarmed the disciples before arresting Jesus. So, Jesus apparently had no problem with His followers carrying weapons. He warned, however, about their use when He said, "Those that live by the sword die by the sword. Jesus was not an advocate of violent revolution nor of any kind of aggression. He even taught people to turn the other cheek. Like I said before, Christians are very peaceful people. It's just that we believe there are some things that are worth dying for, and one of those things is the freedom to worship and practice our religion as we see fit."
At least he listened. I doubt he agreed with me one bit and probably thought I was crazy. However, I felt that I had answered his question exactly the way I wanted to.
People, Christians are not obsessed with guns. We are obsessed with liberty. We are obsessed with the freedom to worship God as we please. We are obsessed with the right to free speech and assembly, whenever and wherever we please. We are obsessed with the right to privacy from unwanted intrusion and the protection of our loved ones from any kind of aggression.
This is what we are obsessed with. The United States of America is moving away from the concepts of liberty and freedom- we are increasingly monitored and governed by a growing government, and this should cause a great deal of alarm among freedom-loving people.
I sum up this blog with one of my favorite scenes from Karate Kid (the Ralph Macchio version) when Daniel and Mr Myagi are in the fishing boat:
Daniel: Did you get in many fights when you were a kid?
Myagi: Plenty. Myagi hate fighting.
Daniel: But you like Karate.
Myagi: So?
Daniel: So, Karate is fighting- you train to fight!
Myagi: (slowing looking at Daniel) Is that what you think?
Daniel: (hesitating) No.
Myagi: Then why train?
Daniel: So I won't have to fight.
Exactly the Christian position on gun ownership. Daniel knew that if he had the reputation for knowing how to fight, he would live in peace. Nobody would bother him. Christians know that if they own guns, we will be able to live in peace, living a life of liberty and freedom- us and our children. We have no desire for violence against anyone. We simply want to live in peace and freedom in this great country that we call home. Without a second amendment, however, there would be no first amendment. By possessing the strength to resist tyranny, we ensure that we will never have to.
If your theory about guns preventing tyranny were true, then the United States of America wouldn't be moving away from the concepts of liberty and freedom at all. There has probably never been a time when the population has been so heavily armed. I agree that the government is becoming more oppressive but I don't think that the arms of the population are doing anything to hinder that development.
ReplyDeletethere are some things that are worth dying for, but when you're talking about guns, you are really talking about what things are worth killing for.
When the rule of law breaks down in a society, as it has in America, what is left? The rule of guns. A totalitarian regime (one that does not want to follow the rule of law but rather be able to dictate what the law is according to its whim) realizes this. In moving a society away from the rule of law into a dictatorship, the dictator must remove guns from the opposition, because once the rule of law is gone, only the rule of guns is left.
ReplyDeleteA balance of power is the only reason a society keeps the rule of law. A balance between government and people results in peace- an imbalance one way or the other leads to either totalitarianism or anarchy. I choose the rule of law.
The above article only illustrates why you people terrify me.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There is something really terrifying about people who want to be left alone. Christians are some of the most peaceful people on the planet- not aggressive, not terroristic, not violent. I don't understand what is so terrifying about a balance of power between people and government. A balance of power always leads to peace. Imbalance is what leads to war, tyranny, and oppression.
DeleteHowever, your comment left here, with no explanation or facts or points, points to the fact that you are simply a troll with nothing better to do. No trolling here, please.
I have been searching to find a reason why Christians fight so hard to have less restrictions for guns. I was hoping to find something that made sense, but this does not.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, it simply shows me that Christians like this fear their government.
Secondly, it shows me that people like this have not thought through their excuse for needing guns very well. And yes, I say excuse, because the reasoning shown here is too poor for me to accept without feeling these Christians either particularly ignorant or simply stupid.
There are many peaceful places with strict gun laws, where in fact many people live (I live in one) where people can practice any religion they wish.
I seriously doubt that your government is suddenly going to lock up your churches and persecute you for wanting to be a Christian.
However, should your government actually decide it will do such a thing, do you really think your gun is going to save you? And when you start taking lives, how will judge which ones will be just and which ones will not be? Did Jesus teach you to take up a sword and fight your government? But even on top of all of this... do you think, again, that you will even stand a chance against any modern army?
Over all, I do not fear people like you on your own, if you just minded your own business and locked yourselves up on your own fearful world with your guns (but please post warning signs so we know to stay away lest we get shot)... It is when people pushing for more and more guns and less and less control over them... that is when I start to worry.
I hear the word "fear" so much these days. Why is it that when someone believes something strongly, the other side always says it is based on "fear?"
DeleteI have found that there is a major difference between common sense and fear. Common sense says to look both ways before crossing the street because people have been killed not doing so. So, a study of history shows that people not looking both ways could potentially get hurt or killed. Common sense, therefore, says to look.
Now, to someone who doesn't believe in looking both ways, they would say that person is looking both ways out of "fear." Not really, just common sense. A study of history shows that totalitarian governments disarm the people before instituting tyranny. Is that fear of government? Nope. Just a study of history and common sense.
Also, if you will read my next blog, it shows that there are only two ways peace is achieved due to our fallen nature. One, superior moral clarity, which I don't count on. The second is balance of power. If you study the USA and the USSR in the cold war, we didn't nuke each other. Why not? Was it because of superior moral clarity? Not really. It was because there was a balance of power. Both had nukes, power was more or less balanced, and so we left each other alone.
Contrast that with Germany and Poland in 1937. The Wehrmacht was the finest army in the world. They had Panzer tanks. The Polish army still used war horses. There was a huge imbalance of power. What happened? Germany invaded.
The same is true of these mass shootings. They always happen when people can't fire back. There is an imbalance of power between the shooter and the victim. Therefore, life is taken. Balance the power between people and violence stops. That's what history shows.
So, both liberals and conservatives want to balance the power between people so there is no violence. Liberals want to balance the power by taking away all guns. Conservatives want to balance the power by arming everyone. The reason I tend towards the conservative side is that banning all guns is a pipe dream. No way it will ever happen. There are too many guns out there- there are more guns than people in America. Therefore, if the only way peace is achieved is to have balance of power, guns must be made available to all people.
Like I said before, Christians are peaceful people. We don't want violence and we don't want killing. We want to be left alone, just like those people in the conference room in San Bernadino. They were minding their own business. However, when the terrorists walked in, there was an imbalance of power. They had the guns and the people didn't, and therefore there was violence. If there had been at least one person armed in that room, the outcome would have been very different.
So, it isn't fear that drives the need for guns. It is common sense and an acknowledgement of the need for balance of power to have peace. That's it. I hope that clarifies my position. Thanks for your comments.