Hate - Go Ahead, Nobody Will Stop You
So I decided to stop blogging last month because my intention was not to stir the pot. I wanted to address hate around me, but at every turn my posts were being seen as political. And, if I’m honest with myself, when I look back at months of posts I can see the argument. But it’s hard to just sit back when all the loudest voices ignore what I’ve come to believe are America’s core Christian values. So, maybe my posts are political. If they are, then Christian Conservatism is a platform I’ll stand tall upon.
This week we witnessed another tragedy in Florida. Another deranged child took what I assume was a legally-acquired weapon and massacred seventeen innocent teachers, children, and service personnel in an un-defended school – a soft target. According to reports the shooter was nineteen and was known to have political views contrary to societal norms. His social media pages (that’s Facebook, Instagram, etc.) carried his extremist views for all to see. As a matter of fact, he introduced himself as the “future school shooter” of Stoneman Douglas. I don’t have all the details, so I’m not going to fault the school for its defenses or lack thereof, or law enforcement for their choice to act or not act, because that blame would be assessed based on biased reports form conservative and liberal media outlets alike.
This week a pastor called for the abolition of the Second Amendment, claiming among other things that we live in a post-Christian society and it behooves Christians to limit access Evil has to weapons that kill. While I tend to agree with his point that these United States of America no longer espouse basic Christian values, I disagree with every other element in his premise. If we follow his plan we will render unto Caesar the right to confiscate legally-acquired weapons from law abiding citizens, all because “common sense” says nobody needs a “weapon of war.” However, the Second Amendment in and of itself counters his argument and every other “weapon of war” argument in its very language. All anyone has to do is watch those same reports from those same biased media outlets to see the results sticks and rocks have against Caesar. And to my LEO friends, I apologize, but when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” – Constitution of these United States of America 1789
Finally, the last few years are frightening, not because of guns or drugs or crime, but because we, as Americans, have lost the ability to discuss. Whenever a tragedy happens, we bypass discourse and jump straight to blame, accusation, and activism. “Vote them out!” and “Hands up, Don’t shoot!” and “Blood on their hands!” are the mantra of the day. What ever happened to actually listening to another point of view, weighing its merits, and changing our own views or formulating educated, logical, and effective arguments against it? What ever happened to the days when mature men and women would sit down and talk, and upon occasion agree to disagree without disrespecting one another? What ever happened to respecting the uniform before demanding special treatment? What happened America?
Hate happened.
But go ahead and hate, because it seems there isn’t anyone left to stand up against hate. Caesar gets his gold, Evil gets his guns, and Reason gets lost in the emotion of the moment.
That’s it. That’s all I have. I’ll stand back, guard my doors and trust that God has a plan. It seems in post-Christian America, that’s my only option.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim 3:1–7, NIV)
