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First of all, please let me make it clear. By talking about people's reactions to these horrible shootings, I'm not trying to minimize anyone's feelings or opinions ... except, perhaps, the feelings and opinions of anyone who would take innocent lives.
It is very interesting, when a horrible event like a shooting occurs, to examine the reactions to these events. If the victim was a member of a minority, many immediately decide it's a crime of -ism. If the person is doing the reacting is a second-amendment zealot, there is immediate proclamation that what we need is more guns. There are guaranteed to be numerous potshots taken at Christians by people who look for any excuse to target Christianity as the reason for all the world's problems. And on and on.
I follow a variety of people of many ethnicities, races, and walks of life on Twitter. I, too have an ethnicity, a race, and a walk of life. So observing the various reactions to these atrocities, including my own, is a study in human nature.
First off, inevitably, is the shock, experienced by everyone. Whatever one's reaction, thankfully, among the people I know, everyone is horrified by these murders. If I knew people who took joy from them, I wouldn't want to associate with them any longer.
After the initial shock, though, things start diverging quickly. Most vocal is the crowd who preach for a kinder and gentler society that responds with slow and painful torture of the perpetrator, both here and in the hereafter which they temporarily believe in. Next, you have the people who take shots at Christians who offer their prayers. Next, you have the Christians who offer their prayers but do little else. If the perpetrator claimed to be a Christian, you have immediate calls for the abolishment of rights for Christians, and if the perpetrator claimed to be Islamic, you have immediate calls for more tolerance toward Islamic people.
Oddly, all of these groups, in my personal opinion, have a point. We do need to punish those who inflict such atrocities on their fellow human being. Slow and painful torture here and in eternity in the name of kindness and gentleness? I don't know. There's a reason I'm not in the justice system: I'm not wise enough to administer justice; trouble is, I don't know of anyone in the justice system who is. But the retribution seekers do have a point. Those who pray for the families and loved one, in my view, also have a point; As a Christian, I do believe in the power of prayer. Those who say that praying is a cop-out have a point as well. The Bible makes it clear that, while we are to pray, prayer without action is empty. Those who condemn Christianity have a point, too, in as far as using God to condone brutal murder is just plain wrong, and in my personal opinion there is no such thing as Christian murder, bigotry, racism, sexism, or any other -ism, so if you condone any of these sorts of evils, don't claim the title of Christian because I don't buy it. And those who say we shouldn't paint all Muslims with the same brush also have a point, as I've known far too many kind, wonderful Muslim people to think along those lines. So lots of good points all around, and we could all do to learn from all of them.
I have to be honest, though, there is a group whose point I just can't see, and that is the pro-gun crowd. This notion, backed by what I consider pseudo-science, seems to say that if we would just arm our nations to the teeth, we would have less crime and be a kinder, gentler people. I can't buy that, and you'll never convince me to. Guns don't kill people, people do? People aren't designed to kill people, guns are. I know there is a need for guns. But that need is extremely selective, and should have to be shown in no uncertain terms, in my opinion. They most certainly should not, in my opinion, be in the hands of the general public, and background checks should be abxolutely mandatory for everyone who gets their hands on one. IF we're going to ere, ere on the side of not enough guns being out there for the using. More guns, less crime? Nonsense.
It is very interesting, when a horrible event like a shooting occurs, to examine the reactions to these events. If the victim was a member of a minority, many immediately decide it's a crime of -ism. If the person is doing the reacting is a second-amendment zealot, there is immediate proclamation that what we need is more guns. There are guaranteed to be numerous potshots taken at Christians by people who look for any excuse to target Christianity as the reason for all the world's problems. And on and on.
I follow a variety of people of many ethnicities, races, and walks of life on Twitter. I, too have an ethnicity, a race, and a walk of life. So observing the various reactions to these atrocities, including my own, is a study in human nature.
First off, inevitably, is the shock, experienced by everyone. Whatever one's reaction, thankfully, among the people I know, everyone is horrified by these murders. If I knew people who took joy from them, I wouldn't want to associate with them any longer.
After the initial shock, though, things start diverging quickly. Most vocal is the crowd who preach for a kinder and gentler society that responds with slow and painful torture of the perpetrator, both here and in the hereafter which they temporarily believe in. Next, you have the people who take shots at Christians who offer their prayers. Next, you have the Christians who offer their prayers but do little else. If the perpetrator claimed to be a Christian, you have immediate calls for the abolishment of rights for Christians, and if the perpetrator claimed to be Islamic, you have immediate calls for more tolerance toward Islamic people.
Oddly, all of these groups, in my personal opinion, have a point. We do need to punish those who inflict such atrocities on their fellow human being. Slow and painful torture here and in eternity in the name of kindness and gentleness? I don't know. There's a reason I'm not in the justice system: I'm not wise enough to administer justice; trouble is, I don't know of anyone in the justice system who is. But the retribution seekers do have a point. Those who pray for the families and loved one, in my view, also have a point; As a Christian, I do believe in the power of prayer. Those who say that praying is a cop-out have a point as well. The Bible makes it clear that, while we are to pray, prayer without action is empty. Those who condemn Christianity have a point, too, in as far as using God to condone brutal murder is just plain wrong, and in my personal opinion there is no such thing as Christian murder, bigotry, racism, sexism, or any other -ism, so if you condone any of these sorts of evils, don't claim the title of Christian because I don't buy it. And those who say we shouldn't paint all Muslims with the same brush also have a point, as I've known far too many kind, wonderful Muslim people to think along those lines. So lots of good points all around, and we could all do to learn from all of them.
I have to be honest, though, there is a group whose point I just can't see, and that is the pro-gun crowd. This notion, backed by what I consider pseudo-science, seems to say that if we would just arm our nations to the teeth, we would have less crime and be a kinder, gentler people. I can't buy that, and you'll never convince me to. Guns don't kill people, people do? People aren't designed to kill people, guns are. I know there is a need for guns. But that need is extremely selective, and should have to be shown in no uncertain terms, in my opinion. They most certainly should not, in my opinion, be in the hands of the general public, and background checks should be abxolutely mandatory for everyone who gets their hands on one. IF we're going to ere, ere on the side of not enough guns being out there for the using. More guns, less crime? Nonsense.
