Matthew 26:52-54 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. I was writing this blog entry and took a break to check messages on Facebook and Twitter and to grab some URLs that I used as research so that readers could check my facts or, discover themselves about the blog’s subject matter. On Facebook I posted this message and tweeted it also on Twitter: “Taking a brief break from writing a blog post about guns in churches. Sad. Disturbing. Needful of prayer.” That was it. Little did I know that those words would unleash a brush fire of reader reaction to my Facebook and Twitter accounts that would have me not only defending my content but also completely changing the direction of the blog story. Quickly, I watched the real story evolve into a look at gun worship and violence and America’s inability to see this tsunami rolling over the United States and, apparently, has now gone so far as to infect their churches, places of worship where it is inconceivable that guns should ever be accepted. First, please check out gun violence in American churches (18 occurrences over the past 11 years) and also take a look at the phenomenon of church pastors arming themselves and churches hiring armed security teams to guard properties and congregations during Sunday service and other church functions. It is truly…. alarming. Something is very wrong when you feel you must have loaded weapons in churches to feel safe. That means there are no longer sacred spaces in America. Think about that. If you cannot feel safe in a church without a gun to protect you, then, there are no safe places anywhere. Sad. Disturbing. Needful of prayers. The response to my simple line of text took me by surprise. I received comments, direct messages, tweets from people unaware of the issue, but, mainly, from people questioning my thinking since I felt it was sad and disturbing that guns have become an issue in churches. Click “Read More” to the right to continue…. Now, I admire Americans, mostly. I am a grateful world citizen who has benefited from the genius of America as we all have over the past couple of hundred years. Imagine a world without the astounding American achievements. But there is one thing I just can't understand about my American friends: their crazy fixation on guns. It is so very bizarre that gun loving Americans (and that is the vast majority) feel that the resolution to problems resulting from gun violence is to, of course, arm more people with more guns. Of course. If there were to be a run of knife violence and stabbings in America, well, the solution is obvious: sell more knives. The theory is that if you have a gun and want to do me harm and see that I have a gun, well, you won't shoot me forcing you to look for someone unarmed to kill. And if everybody was armed, well then, you wouldn’t want to try shooting anybody with your gun. It would be, on your hip….. dead weight. America is heading back in time to the wild, wild west. I am giving my head a good shake right now. The nonsense of that concept makes me want to shake it out of my head for I fear it is infectious stupidity and I don't want that floating around among my brain cells. Dear American friends. The problem is not so much your guns and the tremendous violence they bring to your culture, but it is that you cannot see that the true problem is your systemic fear and your inability to see that more guns means more bullets, more shootings and more deaths no matter what way you try to look at it. If churches out there want to be safe from gunshots perhaps try uniting your great evangelical powers and fight the establishment of guns and change your laws, your fears, your culture; and as gun ownership decreases, shooting deaths caused by guns will mirror that decline. Pastors, arm your congregations with inspirations to become a less violent society, one that finds no need for guns, one that sees that solving gun violence with more guns is simply outrageous and will never work. Just the thought of Pastor Bob in Anywhere, USA, this coming Sunday, packing a Glock 9mm handgun under his robe bearing graphics of the cross makes me shake my head, again. Brain cells, cover your ears and eyes lest you begin making me yearn for the smell of gunpowder. Here are some links to churches and clergy arming themselves in American churches. 18 Church shootings in the past 11 years: http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?69217-18-church-shootings-in-11-years-(A-comprehensive-list) NBC News Video: http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/u-s-churches-now-taking-aggressive-steps-to-protect-parishioners-735392323556 The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/15/mississippi-church-bill-firearms-training-armed-security YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrvdNeiRQcU New Life Church: armed pastor and security teams http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/02/sanctuary-sentinels-churches-establish-armed-security-teams-as-shootings-rise.html Christian Today Magazine: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/armed.guards.at.us.churches.why.its.tempting.and.why.its.wrong/61869.htm
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