Tuesday April 11, 2023; 10:45 AM EDT
- The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence starts, "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." and goes on to enumerate the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. I think because Jefferson says they are "endowed by their Creator" many think this to be a theological statement as much as a declaration. I have yet to find any scripture that has Jesus talking about rights, he preached about deeper things like love. #
- Surely the existence of the rights Jefferson enumerated is not the only truth that is self evident, there are other perennial truths that should be self evident, but we spend too little time to understand them. One such truth, that Jesus clearly knew, is that violence begets more violence. Peace through violence, Pax Romana, does not last because it doesn't change anybody, it just eliminates "troublemakers" so that a select few (those with the bigger weapons) can enjoy some peace. So long as violence is embraced their will never be true peace, violence begets more violence. #
- The second amendment to the U.S. Constitution enshrines violence in our founding document. For too many today, many of whom claim to be Christian, the second amendment is a religion, and like most religions it is not to be questioned. Truth is, religions create idols, and guns (particularly AK47s) are the idol of the American Civil and Christian religion. The reality of this should be self evident to anyone with the eyes to see what is going on around us. The fact that any questioning of the second amendment is heresy is clear evidence of how it has become a religion.#
- Christians and Jews who have spent any time with scripture know why idolatry is so bad. Idols do not last and worse, belief and loyalty to idols is what gives them power. The evil in the world that convinces us that violence is the norm of civilization gets its power from the belief that violence is the norm and there is nothing that can be done about it. It's true, we alone cannot overcome violence. #
- This past Friday Christians observed Good Friday, the day on which its founder, Jesus the Christ, was crucified by the state and religious authorities. I don't know how any Christian who accepts the reality of that event can come to any other conclusion other than Jesus was a pacifist. John writes about Pilate's interrogation of Jesus, and in his answer to Pilate's question of whether he is king of the Jews (John 18:33), Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36). If Jesus' kingdom, which he called the kingdom of God or the reign of God, where like this world, our world, then the answer would be violence, but the only violence on that day was afflicted on Jesus. #
- Anyone with eyes, ears, and a conscious knows that things are very, very wrong in the United States. For most it's self evident that things cannot continue has they are, and yet we feel helpless to do anything to fix the problems. I submit that helplessness you feel is the self evident sign of idolatry. Yes, violence is part of the world, that is the self evident truth scripture tells in the story of Cain murdering Abel, which by the way is the first time the word sin appears in scripture. Whether or not one is religious, it is self evident to those not caught up in the thrall of the U.S. idol that more violence will not stop the killings.#
- Unless and until those in the United States understand how we have turned the second amendment in to a religion that cannot be questioned, and made guns our idol, nothing will change. You might be an originalist who believes the plain language of the amendment endows the right to everyone to carry a weapon and that may even be right, but that does not mean the founders were enlightened enough to understand violence. You might be a fundamentalist who uses words of scripture to support your loyalty to the idol, but not know Jesus or Christ Crucified. In fact, your loyalty to the idol denies the Cross and all that Jesus taught. You might claim the label Christian, but you are not following Jesus.#