Heels and Handguns

I came across this article today in the Washington Post.  It gave me pause.  This article is quoting scripture, “Put away your sword,” Jesus commands, “for those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)  It is in response to the Trayvon Martin shooting and goes on to ask that we all “put down our guns” for Holy week.  Yes, I am a Christian, and yes, I believe in the 2nd Amendment.  This article challenges the fact that these two principles frequently are found in the same person.  How can a person be a Christian, and still believe in using a weapon that could end in a violent crime, that could take ones life?  I counter that if one is truly a Christian, they would never use their weapon to harm another human being unless there were no other choice.

The tragic shooting of this teen does break my heart, and still all the facts are not known – so I will not judge either side.  I only wish the country would take a breath and not use this case, with so much uncertainty, to polarize our country further than it already is.

Earlier today, I was listening to talk radio, and the conservative speaker was discussing that George Zimmerman is hispanic, but those who are more liberal are saying he is a “white hispanic”.  How about this argument:  Trayvon and George were both people.  They were in a community, they had family, they were humans.  They may have been Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim.  They may have descended from African American, Brazilian, Portuguese, or Hispanic heritage.  In this country we have come so far over the course of 235+ years, to try a case such as this in the court of public opinion serves no purpose and only drives a wedge deeper.  George Zimmerman called the police over 50 times with concerns about people in his neighborhood.  If Trayvon had been a homeless man of Irish or Mexican decent, I have a feeling Mr. Zimmerman would have responded in a similar fashion (right or wrong).

It seems to me that too many follow like sheep walking to slaughter.  The media feeds them until they are too full and lulls them to a sleepy goodnight.  The politicians are waiting with open arms and promising to fix everything, “Don’t worry” they say, “I will take care of you.”  THINK people!  THINK!  Before it is too late and you find yourself wondering what happened to your country.  Both politicians and journalists use religion and race to strike fear and draw worst case scenarios.  The truth is usually somewhere in the middle, but you have to open you mind, your eyes – take in what is around you and form your very own opinion.  Never let someone else tell you what to think.

At the heart of the matter, we are all either good or evil.  No matter what race, what religion you practice, or if you own a gun.  You will find the eternal ying and yang in all parts of life.  I grow more concerned for our society when journalists use bible verses to encourage us to put our guns down.  I grow more weary when I see thousands of people in hooded sweatshirts marching in the name of race.  Let’s all remember we are American’s first, if we forget that, we will lose it all.