"Those who oppose it [gun control] have made a moral choice: that they would rather have gun massacres of children continue rather than surrender whatever idea of freedom or pleasure they find wrapped up in owning guns or seeing guns owned..." Adam Gopnik
I was raised as a Christian. My mother was Presbyterian and my father Episcopalian. We went to church regularly - us kids in Sunday school - and were sent to vacation Bible school in the summer. One summer I managed to memorize the entire list of required verses and was awarded my own bible with my name in gold letters on the cover. I still have that book and am still proud that I earned it - though I doubt I can still remember all the verses I learned. Sometime in seventh grade or eighth grade (I was thirteen) I completed all the educational/devotional requirements and was confirmed as a member of the church.
When I got into high school I began to have problems with some of the teachings of the church. I found it especially hard to reconcile the two stories of creation in Genesis with the things I was learning in school about evolution and the geologic history of the Earth. Our pastor explained to me that the Bible was not intended to be taken literally and the explanation enabled me to continue in the church for a time. But when I got to college, things became impossible for me. I could no longer reconcile the hypocrisy and greed of most of my fellow congregants - including my pastor - with the teachings of Christ. So I left the church.
Today I have no religion. I am agnostic about the existence of a god: it seems highly unlikely that a being as described by any of the currently popular religions exists - but it's possible. When I die I will either discover that there is a god - or I'll just be dead. I'm fine with either option - though if there is a god I'd really like to have a long conversation. I mean - what the actual fuck is up with [insert myriad philosophical conundrums here]? I don't follow most religious rules though I do consider the golden rule to be an excellent guiding principal. And, since I was raised as a Christian I do tend to follow the teachings of Christ.
And this is why the whole gun control debate makes no sense to me at all. The political right in this country frequently claims that the US is a "Christian" country - but they completely ignore the teachings of Christ. How can the rights of good old boys who want to shoot big guns and make a lot of noise trump the rights of little children to be safe in their schools? How can anyone with a conscience justify the possession of a piece of equipment designed for the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible by anyone other than a soldier? [If assault weapons were outlawed - not even the SWAT teams of the police would need them.] How can people care more about their fun and their rights to possess things than the rights of others to live?
Read the article above. Read the articles it links to. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Ask yourself - what would Christ say about this? Then - if you are truly a Christian - prove it! Write to your representative in both the US and your state legislatures and tell them the madness must stop and the power of the NRA must be broken. Reasonable gun control [no assault weapons, no high-capacity magazines, solid background checks for everyone] must be enacted as soon as humanly possible.
On the eve of the day when Christians everywhere celebrate the birth of Christ - remember his teachings. Best wishes to all for a Happy Christmas and a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year.
When I got into high school I began to have problems with some of the teachings of the church. I found it especially hard to reconcile the two stories of creation in Genesis with the things I was learning in school about evolution and the geologic history of the Earth. Our pastor explained to me that the Bible was not intended to be taken literally and the explanation enabled me to continue in the church for a time. But when I got to college, things became impossible for me. I could no longer reconcile the hypocrisy and greed of most of my fellow congregants - including my pastor - with the teachings of Christ. So I left the church.
Today I have no religion. I am agnostic about the existence of a god: it seems highly unlikely that a being as described by any of the currently popular religions exists - but it's possible. When I die I will either discover that there is a god - or I'll just be dead. I'm fine with either option - though if there is a god I'd really like to have a long conversation. I mean - what the actual fuck is up with [insert myriad philosophical conundrums here]? I don't follow most religious rules though I do consider the golden rule to be an excellent guiding principal. And, since I was raised as a Christian I do tend to follow the teachings of Christ.
And this is why the whole gun control debate makes no sense to me at all. The political right in this country frequently claims that the US is a "Christian" country - but they completely ignore the teachings of Christ. How can the rights of good old boys who want to shoot big guns and make a lot of noise trump the rights of little children to be safe in their schools? How can anyone with a conscience justify the possession of a piece of equipment designed for the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible by anyone other than a soldier? [If assault weapons were outlawed - not even the SWAT teams of the police would need them.] How can people care more about their fun and their rights to possess things than the rights of others to live?
Read the article above. Read the articles it links to. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Ask yourself - what would Christ say about this? Then - if you are truly a Christian - prove it! Write to your representative in both the US and your state legislatures and tell them the madness must stop and the power of the NRA must be broken. Reasonable gun control [no assault weapons, no high-capacity magazines, solid background checks for everyone] must be enacted as soon as humanly possible.
On the eve of the day when Christians everywhere celebrate the birth of Christ - remember his teachings. Best wishes to all for a Happy Christmas and a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year.
