Preferred vision
Tuesday November 20th, Isaiah 65: Their work won't be wasted, and their children won't die of dreadful diseases, stray bullets or lack of food and shelter. The Lord says, I will bless all children created in the image of God and their grandchildren, and answer their prayers before they finish praying. Wolves and lambs will graze together; lions and oxen will feed on straw. Oppressors and oppressed will finally see each other as brothers and sisters. We are living in the midst of a push to lessen the restrictions on carrying weapons. Whether we are talking about concealed pistols or the push for fully automatic weapons, the excuses are a combination of civil rights, hunting rights, and self protection. No one speaks of the civil rights of the children or adults who are shot by these weapons, no one uses them for hunting, and I certainly don’t feel any safer because any nut-job on the highway or at the mall may be packing something that has less to do with protection than it does with feelings of insecurity. In the midst of that fear based legislation and societal tolerance, the preferred vision of God is that wolves and lambs graze together, lions and oxen feed on straw, and oppressors and oppressed see each other as brothers and sisters (that last one is my addition) Where do you stand?
posted by Dan at 3:39 PM
3 Comments:
Dear Pastor Dan.
I am a new resident of Anchorage, and my wife and I happened upon your website. We are looking for a church to become affiliated with, and Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church looked like a beautiful church, and one we were going to attend/visit. I also happened upon your blog, and your opinion concerning firearms. Maybe I am mis-reading something, and if so, I ask your forgiveness in advance. I have spent the majority of my life defending my love of hunting, and the outdoors. I love collecting firearms, and when called upon, I also defended my country using the same guns that you seem to condemn. I have had to defend my passions throughout childhood, college, and even throughout my working career. I agree that there are a small minority of people that misuse firearms, and as such, should be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. There are also people that misuse cars, and kill hundreds, if not thousands of more people each year than all of the firearms combined. But, that is a different story. I will probably never convince you to look at this rationally, just like I will never understand your position either. That is the beauty of having free speech, and the ability to think for ourselves. My sadness is that you have used your position as a church minister to expound your beliefs, whether they be based on fact or not, and intentionally mislead others. The real story here is that I am delighted I was able to read your blog. Because of this, I will not be attending your church. I have to wonder something though. I happen to be a "born again christian." But what would have happened if I was not, and you as a minister would have had the opportunity to "save me", but lost that opportunity because you chose to view your political opinions on the web? Maybe the real question here is not whether guns are inherently evil, but whether you are a minister of God, or an activist of gun control? Remember, hate, as is love, lies in the heart, not inanimate objects. May peace be with you and your congregation.
RBP
I am sorry that such an issue as gun control can keep you from attending a grace filled church. A few comments. I grew up with guns. We had a fair collection at home on the farm. We even had a homemade cannon with a 5 foot barrel and mounted on steel wheels. I have guns and used to hunt often. I have a son who works at a shooting range and a son-in-law who loves hunting and is currently on such a trip. I also have a son who carries a weapon, both on and off duty as a policeman. I do not consider such things a threat. You started to make the comparison to cars, and the number of people killed by cars, and you are correct, it is far greater than those killed by guns in the United States, though I am not sure that would hold up on a worldwide statistic. On the one hand it is a comparison of apples and oranges, but perhaps we could draw some comparisons. One reason for the larger number of deaths involving cars is the sheer numbers of passengers in cars and the amount of time spent with them in hand. I don’t know what the statistics would be if compared to the number of human hours of contact with each. Another point worth making is the need to license both an automobile and the driver. I would like to see regular testing of competency and licensing of both guns and gun owners. My son who is a policeman carries a concealed pistol. He also has had extensive training in how to handle the weapon safely, his training consisting not only how to shoot, but when. My son who works at the shooting range has many stories of people who “know” how to shoot who need to be spoken to about their unsafe practices that put others in danger. I am not convinced that I am a safer person when I can go into an ice cream shop and some young man showing off in front of some girls accidently drops his semi-auto pistol on the floor when it slips from his pocket. If a robbery were to occur in such a situation, I feel my wife and I would be in much greater danger from improper use of a weapon in reaction to the robbery than by the robbery itself. I think all guns should be licensed and inspected regularly and all gun owners should be licensed and required to pass test on correct handling and safety on a regular basis. Not much different than the responsibility of owning a car. I think the requirements for carrying a concealed weapon should be no less extensive than that required by the majority of police departments, and I do not see any reason why any person, outside of military and police personal “needs” to be able to own a fully automatic or 50 caliber weapon. So if that keeps you from coming here to church, I hope you find a good church where God’s love and grace are taught that you are comfortable in.
God’s peace
And peace for all humanity
Pastor Dan
If you read further in my blog, you will note that my theology is that I do not need to “save” you. Christ has already done that. The important thing is that you recognize that you are a saved child of God and let that reality rule your life
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