Posted on 01/18/2013 4:36:29 AM PST by ducttape45
My daughter-in-law asked me a question today. She asked me:
So I'm curious- COMPLETELY disregarding Obama, terrorism, muslims, etc- what do you think would be a solid solution to reduce gun violence?
This is my answer. It's long, but I hope you take the time to read it.
This is going to be a very difficult question to answer, mainly because there are no simple answers. But one thing is certain: guns, and the availability of them, are not the problem. I’m going to reach into the Bible tonight because the only answer(s) I can give you are found in the scriptures and nowhere else.
The problems with guns, and all forms of violence, all boils down to one inescapable truth: Man has a sin problem. Now before everyone says “oh there he goes again” please read what I have to say.
There are many passages in the Bible that talk about the condition of a man’s heart.
Proverbs 12:20, “Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.”
Ecclesiastes 9:3, “This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 23:26, “How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart”
Matthew 12:35, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
Matthew 15:18, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”
Mark 7:21, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders”
Luke 6:45, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
You’re all probably asking yourselves, “Why is he bringing this up?” I’ll tell you. The founders of our nation built the Constitution upon one immutable principle, “A free people cannot survive under a representative republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.” They also maintained that “without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.”
Up until the early 1960’s these principles were maintained. Sure, there were, and are going to be, people who did not follow biblical teachings, but on the whole the society was maintained at a level of morality and spirituality that was in keeping with basic Judeo/Christian values, and that in turn kept society strong and vibrant.
However, in the 1960’s all that changed.
1. In 1963 Madalyn Murray O’Hair brought a lawsuit that was called “Murray vs Curlett” which led to the end of Bible reading in American public schools. God got kicked out of school.
2. The legalization of abortion in 1973 has led to the deaths of nearly 50,000,000 children.
3. Pluralism and tolerance for anti and non-Christian religions, teachings and institutions have reared a generation who do not hold to the teachings of the Bible regarding salvation, holiness, love of their fellow man, intolerance towards evil, the concept of hell and a future judgment of man’s souls.
4. Teaching that everyone is right in their own eyes and using a Bible passage out of context “judge not lest you be judged” have given us a culture that would tolerate even someone like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin, two people who killed millions of innocent men, women and children to further their socialistic agendas. (Communism killed over 500,000,000 million people in the 20th century alone)
Since the 1960’s a generation of people have arisen who “know not the Lord.” 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4 says;
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
The falling away spoken of in this passage directly correlates to Matthew 24:24-25 where it says, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.”
That falling away has manifested itself, today, in a generation of people characterized by the following passage from the Book to the Romans, 1:18-32. It says:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Now notice what it says. They did not “retain God in their knowledge.” Think of it this way. They chose not to acknowledge God. It was not because they could not, but because they were displeased with God, and chose to forsake him, and follow their own passions and lusts. This was the true source of their crimes.
Now we can start to arrive to an answer to Kayla’s question. “What do you think would be a solid solution to reduce gun violence?” With the class of people described in the passage above, there is not a single thing that can be done. These kind of people are “full of unrighteousness, wickedness, murders, inventors of evil things……” These are the people of today (granted, this doesn’t apply to everyone of course, but the ruling elite to be sure and many others). These are the people who rule this nation right now, and many others around the globe. Without the restraining influence of the Spirit of God in their lives, which came about because God was taken out of the schools and immorality was allowed into the vacuum that resulted, this country is now led by a class of citizens who have no real regard the well-being of the people they govern.
Oh, to be sure, there are people who do not fall into this group. There are many, thankfully like you kids and many of our friends and family here on Facebook, who still have a knowledge of God and sensitivity to His Spirit and who have not chosen to completely disregard Him, and to those belong the salvation of the nation if they so chose to rise up and bring about the right kind of societal change. But you see the problem?
Unless the condition of the heart is changed, there is no gun law in the world that will stop someone from killing another human being with it, or by any other means for that matter. So for politicians, college professors, liberal elitists in the media, and so on who say that guns are the problem, they are completely wrong!
The problem is the human heart. Remember what Mark 7:21 said above? “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders.” It’s what is within a man’s heart, his soul, his very being, that commits the crime, not the instrument he chooses to do so with. You solve the “heart problem” and you arrive at the answer to your question.
And there is only one true solution to the problem of the heart. If there were others then this nation wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in now. But since all the others failed, that is proof enough that they don’t work, no matter how much it is argued otherwise. In Matthew 22:36-40 it reads as follows:
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Notice the words “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” The word “thy” is singular. Jesus is speaking directly to the individual. And the word “love” is from the Greek word “agapao.” It’s where we get our word “agape” which by translation means “love that is affectionate, benevolent.” If the people in this nation once again had this type of love in their hearts, there would be no need for gun laws. That would be the solution. That would be the answer to your question.
Do I personally expect that type of heart change happen? No, I don’t. Can it happen? Yes, it can. One only has to read the Book of Jonah to understand that. Jonah, a prophet of God from Israel, was told in Jonah 1:2, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
He chose instead to head off in completely the other direction, hundreds of miles in the other direction! He said to himself, “there’s no way I’m going to go there.” You see, he hated the Ninevites because of the cruelty by which they plundered Israel and murdered its people. They were a truly despicable, evil people. But we know that God caused him to be swallowed by a great fish and taken to Nineveh, the hard way.
When he got there, and the fish vomited him upon the land, you can imagine the local folks went wild with fear and bewilderment. And for a city that was so huge that it took 3 whole days to go through it, that’s a lot of people to get excited. So when Jonah finally preached his message, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown” they believed him. Everyone from the king down to the stable animals wore sackcloth and sat in ashes in repentence. Jonah 3:10 says, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
So, can that happen here, can the heart of men and women in the USA be changed, and thereby solve not only the gun problem but all sorts of violent crimes, yes, but only if the condition of the heart is cured by the only means that can truly remedy the problem; sin, and that remedy is in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the answer to your question Kayla. Nothing, or no one, else can work the kind of miracle that is needed now. John 3:5-7 says,
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” And the heart change that we so desperately crave will happen!
Bring back “CHRISTIAN values” back into the school system - the lives of average people - because this country was established and great in power because of that relationship with GOD and the acknowledgement of the Son of God...we have moved away from that...
With that move, being “self-responsible” for one’s actions. We have a rising abortion rate, because both parties in the sexual relationship don’t measure the result of having sex. It’s always someone’s fault, but not their own.
Add to that, one has to be accountable for the actions they commit to. Goes with the above - but for some reason, children today are propped up with FAKE self-esteem and allowed to believe that no matter what they do - it’s okay and if mistakes are made - mommy or daddy will take care of it.
I’ve seen more rudeness - vile - disrespect emerge and values going down.
With the recent rise in legalized marijuana is a tell-tale sign that the US Society is heading in the wrong direction - and the education and values start at home - not school - not the church - not out in society - and definitely not on Facebook or Twitter...those medium are distractions and mislead ill prepared adults and vulnerable youth to take a path that will only lead them to failure.
just my thoughts...
When we can figure out how to make people like Nancy Lanza get REAL about not having their guns available to disturbed kids and young adults, we will maybe stop more Adam Lanza’s
When our society gets REAL about taking preemptive action against nutjobs identifed by worried parents, teachers and co-worker and others...and whom about NOTHING is done because or worries and laws protecting their “rights” to wlak our streets- then we may be able to stop more people like Major Hassan, James Holmes, Jared Louhgner and the weird stalker kid who shot up Va Tech
When Hollywood and the recording industry and the liberals who dominate the arts (all obama buddies) stop saturating our CHILDREN with VIOLENT games, movies, TV shows and music, and even angry contemptuous “art” like Piss Christ, THEN maybe we can return to being humanized by art instead of the opposite
A return to traditional family values would go a long way in curbing violence of any kind,gun or otherwise.A mom and dad in the home,working together,putting their kids first,like back in the good old days,would be a really good start-and i’m talking REAL parents-not enablers,or buddies,or besties,but REAL parents who recognize that their kids are not perfect,can’t win all of the time,must exercise personal responsibility and must work hard to make it in life-and who lead by example. God must be central in the home,or all is lost.
Not a flame!
I have lived long enough, and have made it to 60, and will add this ... “I have seen the evil that men do.”
The explanation of what has been termed, “the human condition”, has been written well enough.
Finally, if I remember right, there was the explanation given, that when Adam and Eve found themselves to be naked, and animal coverings were supplied, there was that inescapable fact that there was a shedding of blood, and a death, to ‘cover’, (as in “got it covered”) the discovered inequity. As a People, in America, that very idea has been argued as ‘insane’, by the same folks that argued what was ‘insane’, as being ‘normal’. What used to be so abhorrent, that one would not ever consider doing it, because of the costs, has now been so compartmentalized, and removed, that it has lost that aura of “DON’T DO IT!”
The answer is obvious. Bring God (not Allah, etc.) back into the schools. Teach real, not revisionist) American History to re-introduce patriotism. Get families back to church instead of opting for Sunday soccer, etc., and have home life centered on Christianity. Have the balls to speak the truth instead of bowing down to the god-forsaken, everlasting political correctness.
Shocking!
Violence is where the focus belongs, not gun violence per se. It would probably be just as effective for the Obama administration to ban all violence. I wonder how far they would get with that?
Violence is where the focus belongs, not gun violence per se. It would probably be just as effective for the Obama administration to ban all violence. I wonder how far they would get with that?
My family and I have been talking about “this” ... the moral decay, lack of God, etc. for quite a while. What you have done is very beautifully and succinctly “made the case”. You’ve said (and backed up Biblically) what we’ve been thinking and talking about. And you are 100% correct. Thank you for writing this .... it will definitely be “shared”! I think this should be FreeperED, by the way .....
So far, these are the replies I got from my brother and my daughter to my FB post.
Brother: Obama = total damnation. I thought I was the wacky uncle. You have taken my crown. Congratulations.
Daughter: Okay so, if we all believe in your God and are filled with super duper warm fuzzy feelings, we can all carry around guns and there wouldn't be so many people dying because we're all Good Christians.
Great. Except that that is never going to happen. So your solution isn't a solution at all, it's your image of an ideal world that will never come to pass again. So nevermind that children are getting blown up, we just gotta let those things happen in the name of the second amendment, and not do anything to prevent the mentally ill from getting guns. It sickens me that so many people are in love with their guns to the point that they plug their ears to all the statistics about gun homicides in the USA.
NONE of the items on Obama's list was taking away people's precious guns. They were meant to keep them away from people who aren't healthy or responsible enough to own them. Although I don't know why conservatives are whining so much about how the government is gonna take us over because without our guns we're helpless! Right...because your automatic weapon is going to do a LOT of good against the US military, tanks, drones, and missiles. Face it, if the government wanted to do something like that, it could do it no matter how many guns we have.
Also amusing to me is how you list abortion as a reason we've gone down the corrupt path. Funny how you can say that after a massacre of 20 children we shouldn't have any legal action taken to prevent more events like it, but abortion -- THAT needs to be outlawed everywhere. Thousands and thousands of real, live children are starving, hungry, homeless, and unwanted. Now they're getting gunned down in schools. But conservatives are too busy trying to put regulations on my uterus to worry about those kids.
I really can't put it better than George Carlin: "Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to nine months. After that, they don’t want to know about you. They don’t want to hear from you. No nothing. No neonatal care, no day care, no head start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. [...] They’re not pro-life. You know what they are? They’re anti-woman. Simple as it gets, anti-woman. They don’t like them. They don’t like women.They believe a woman’s primary role is to function as a brood mare for the state."
Oh, and don't forget the non-religious people. We're responsible for all this nasty evilness in the world, for taking religion out of schools and teaching people that it's better to think for themselves than to take all their morals from an antiquated text.
Can you feel the love?
BTW, what's FreeperED? :D
Limit and speed up the appeals process for murder. Bring back public executions. Hang murderers (OF ANY AGE) in the town square.
Kill the right back, quickly, and humiliate them publicly.
If that is all you take away from this, then I can do no more. Kayla asked a perfectly rational question, and I gave an answer straight from the Holy Bible. If I'm now the "wacky uncle" or the one who is just repeating the "lies upon lies upon hateful lies, regurgitated by the fundamentalist right wing, and spewed out again by the blind, uneducated followers who can't think for themselves, all coming from my demographic, the Straight White Christian Male, usually the older ones, who are terrified that their place of supreme world power is coming to an end" then that's what I'll have to be to you two at least.
I've spoken the truth, and the truth has been refused, by at least two of you. This is what happens when a world rejects moral absolutes and replaces it with doing what is right in your own eyes, judging not, and easy believism.
There was something I purposely left out of my post above, but now I will include it.
2nd Thessalonians 2:11-12 says this, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
This is talking about folks who ultimately deny the truth of the Word of God and who go into the "time of the end." God can only do so much when the person ultimately rejects Him. At that point, they are basically cut loose and let to do as they please. He will also reinforce their misconceptions by sending them a "strong delusion," or in simpler terms, to permit false and erroneous teachings to come upon them to enforce those same wrong teachings. At that point, their eternal destination is assured.
You have now the complete message.
So it becomes of matter of giving up liberty to achieve safety.
Now in a free society there will be mentally ill people who will get out of control. Some are predictable, some are not. Whatever efforts we make to identify and help people will reduce incidents of gun violence, but in order to have liberty we have to accept that some incidents will happen.
It is the price of freedom.
Anyone who thinks there are a lot of children getting killed right now has not seen anything yet. Wait until the marxists take away our firearms.
People have free will. They can choose evil. There is a distinction between good and evil. Good is that which is in keeping with our human nature. Evil is that which is in opposition to it.
Modern liberalism says both are the same. Modern liberalism gives people permission to do evil, and then blames society.
Modern liberalism is the problem.
There was a time, I remember, that people had something called “shame” if they did wrong. Other people reminded them of their need to be ashamed. Today, there is no shame.
I am getting tired of the term “gun violence”. There are way more instances of a gun STOPPING violence than anything else.
They just are not talked about in the libtard media.
This is it folks- this is the gun grab starting RIGHT NOW.
Gun violence has not been addressed so much as it has been ignored. The deaths of twenty kids are trivial compared to those in the urban gang wars.
It is shocking that more American Youths murdered each other in urban warfare in Chicago than in the war in Afghanistan and military suicides. Chicago is more dangerous than Kabul.
What is worse is the murdered young are the very community organized by the current President. His complicity in the murderous affair will never be mentioned. It is obvious his goal was political rather than humanitarian. He didn’t give a damn about the youth of Chicago then and certainly doesn’t now.
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