You can pray, but don’t sit still while you are doing it. Gun control is the answer to everyone’s prayer.
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Following another deadly mass shooting in Orlando, we need to talk about something that is important to all of us, regardless of faith or lack thereof: why a moment of prayer, or a day of prayer, or even a month of prayer is very little help.
For the record, I believe in God and am myself a regular churchgoer. But when high school students are gunned down in cold blood, I have to admit that seeing the “prayers for Orlando” meme made me want to scream “enough with the prayers, already!”
The recent rash of heart-breaking violence both in the United States and abroad has brought prayer and religious intolerance to the forefront of many people’s minds. Much has been made of our knee-jerk tendency to lump all Muslims with extremist terrorists while parsing out violent Christian “activism” as a handful of right-wing nut-jobs.
The obvious truth is that any cause, whether personal, political, or religious, can be taken to unhealthy extremes. Because the shooter in Orlando was Muslim, too many people are going to try to turn this tragedy into an exercise in Islamophobia.
It is up to us to not let that happen.
There are over 1.6 million Muslims living on this planet. Generous estimates put the percentage of them involved in any way with ISIS at .00625%; .00225% are affiliated with the Taliban and .000625% with Al-Qaeda.
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We cannot allow ourselves to get sidetracked by fear.
Because the truth remains that the real issue facing America today is this: the question is not one of religious extremism or the efficacy of prayers, but instead of our laws.
Our laws guarantee freedom of religion but also the “right” to bear arms. And just like typically religious people don’t consider murder a solution, typical gun owners don’t either. But we have a logic disconnect—the “guns don’t kill people” argument. Prayer doesn’t kill people, not even in the hands of the most fanatical, lunatic extremist.
But guns do.
Guns even kill people when they are accidentally mishandled by a seasoned pro or sometimes an innocent child. Guns kill people in the heat of an argument or in a moment of panic or fear.
Current statistics tell us that on average, 31 Americans are murdered with guns EVERY DAY and 151 are treated for a gun assault in an emergency room; 55 people kill themselves with a firearm, and 46 people are shot or killed in an accident with a gun.
The U.S. firearm homicide rate is 20 times higher than the combined rates of 22 countries that are our peers in wealth and population. By all measurable standards known to mankind, the casualty rate for prayer is thus far zero. Can prayer prevent gun violence? Only insofar as it inspires us to take action. Because laws can prevent gun violence and so common sense mandates this is the tool we should be utilizing in our current crisis.
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Why anyone of any race or religion should have access to assault weapons is the question every single person in this country should be asking today. This kind of violence is entirely preventable, and we don’t need to deport anyone or discriminate against anyone or make sweeping judgments about entire groups; instead, we need to place the blame firmly where it belongs: on the shooter. AND HIS GUN.
No assault weapon, no massive casualties. Yes, it actually is that simple.
But as a friend of mine queried today, “If laws were not changed after San Bernardino, if laws weren’t changed after Ft. Hood when servicemen were killed, if laws weren’t changed after Church Emanuel when people were shot during Bible study, if laws weren’t changed after 20 little children were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School, what in God’s name makes us think laws will change because a bunch of gay men and women were shot dead in a gay dance club?”
Sadly, he is right. And if that isn’t an indictment of our supposed “Christian values” as a nation, I don’t know what is.
Muslims are not the problem, mental illness is not the problem; GUNS are the problem. And all the praying in the world isn’t going to change that.
And here is what I believe about God: no religion, person or country has a monopoly on the Divine, it is the simple fact of all of creation.
“God” is our call to share this planet in the highest spirit of cooperation and symbiosis.
What God is NOT is an excuse for marginalization, prejudice, hate, and violence. God is not something “out there” to be worshipped and feared; the inherent flaw in worshiping anything is that takes away your power and puts it into the hands of the concept/thing/person you worship.
This is why prayer is NOT the answer; WE ARE.
We need to act on gun control now. Divided by “prayer,” alone with our thoughts of separateness, we allow the killing to continue.
Let us stand united and take steps to diminish threats through every channel available.
You can pray, but don’t sit still while you are doing it. Gun control is the answer to everyone’s prayer.
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Photo: /Flickr/Joe Loong
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And thank you for sharing this!
Can any of you name just one law that would have prevented any of this? Do any of you know any thing about guns, purchasing guns, or gun capabilities?
The fact is, We need to enforce the laws on the books, not just create new laws.
And no, taking away guns is not teh answer. All that will do is disarm the very people that want to protect their families, and yes even you.
Everyone needs to stop the knee jerk reaction, and think logically, not emotionally. Its the only way to get through this.
Actually, the more I think about it … yes, prayer can have an affect on gun violence. Family prayer, sharing faith and solid beliefs can and does have an impact on people, Consistent prayer helps people center themselves. It goes beyond “what would Jesus do?” to “what does Jesus want us to do.
Any one notice how the narrative changes depending on the “demographic” of the offender- when Eliot Rodger killed a bunch of people the narrative was all about his toxic masculinity, entitlement and male privilege. We were deluged with propaganda about his harmful ideology and inherent issues in men.
When Brock Turner raped a woman we were deluged with propaganda about his white male entitlement (harmful ideology)
When its a radical Islamic terrorist who goes on a rampage people are shamed for being concerned about his ideology. When Sam Ukwuachu raped a woman no one here even noticed.
The nine firearms I own have never been used to hurt anyone unless you count targets, tin cans, dove, quail, ducks and turkey as people.
As far as drawing comparisons between modern Christianity and the Islam as practiced by ISIS and Al Queda extremists?- just plain dumb. Find me one religiously motivated event by Christians in the last 50 years that comes close to San Bernadino, Orlando, Beslan, Garissa Univ, or Peshawar…. False equivalency and incredibly offensive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_terrorism
There are numerous terrorist acts which have been committed by Christians, in the name of “Christianity.”
I’m unapologetically Catholic, and I’m also for gun ownership rights, but you need to look outside of your narrow world view. There are plenty of bombings and mass shootings even in the US which were committed by people claiming to be Christian, even in the last year.
Key words- in recent times and of proximate equivalency…. The point I made (which is still valid) is around false equivalency.
Be honest about what is is that you are advocating here. You are advocating restricting the freedom of the law-abiding, and at the same time expanding the power of government. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, we are told, and render unto God that which is God’s. Aren’t you really advocating more power for Caesar here, and trying to justify it as God’s work somehow? One of the basic issues in American politics is just how much power Caesar(government) should have over the individual citizen. Is it ever proper to use God as a partisan support for a political… Read more »
83% of all shootings are drug or gang related. 50% are by black men under 30. Unless you address the causes of gang and drug violence nothing will ever change.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/06/13/so-what-is-an-assault-rifle-really-we-look-at-the-definitions-and-how-the-term-is-demonized-2/
How did Chicago’s gun control laws in Chicago, which are said to be some of the strictest, prevent the 250+ murders in Chicago this year?
If we dissolve the second amendment.. What stops the government from dissolving the 1st? or 3rd, 13th? or whatever other amendment that they deem unsafe? Freedom of Religion could be construed just as dangerous as the second amendment.. Look at every single Mass Shooting, they have all been in places that were considered “Safe Zones” , places where people weren’t allowed to properly defend themselves. All the liberal logic in the world says don’t blame the victim, blame the rapist.. blame the gun and gun owner.. But instead of worrying about blame, because let’s be honest here, there will always… Read more »