Killing & The Right To Bear Arms?

Do you believe that God exists in all human beings, and possibly animals? Then what does that say about you and your treatment of other human beings and other creatures? Are you proud of yourself? Are you a bigot? Are you a homophobe? Do you believe in your heart of hearts that God approves of racial hatred? Of religious intolerance? Of murder? Of thievery? Of inhumane treatment of animals?

Or, are these just simple human choices, and God doesn’t care one way or another? This is free will. You decide.

God gave you free will through the mechanism of evolution by which He created primates with the largest brains outside of the order Cetacea. You have the ability to transcend the 90% unconscious animal brain. You have the ability to use the 10% conscious reasoning brain. You have the ability to reason and think. You have the ability to make decisions on your own. God gave you a brain with the ability to think and reason. How do you wish to mold your soul? What kind of life do you want to take with you into death? It is your choice. God will learn from both kinds of lifetime decisions.

Does thinking about such questions and ideas trouble you? Good. You should think clearly about the kinds of decisions you make about your life and how you choose to live it. Know yourself. Then decide. God does not expect a lot of you. You should be able to easily “render unto God that which is God’s, and that which is Caesar’s unto Caesar.” ( Mark 12: 13-17).

We cannot experience death directly, and remember it, for ourselves. We have no choice but to use the indirect experience. We must observe death in others, and in animals. If you have not had the experience of knowing, and having some feeling about a person that has died. If you have not had some feeling about a pet that has died. Then you are less than you should be. Importantly, the indirect experience is incomplete without physical contact with the corpse.

This one idea alone is the best argument I know of for the strict regulation of small firearms. Their ease of use makes killing too easy, too indirect. Do not misunderstand, absolute control of small firearms will not stop killing. Humans are too good at inventing and hate to do that. There are too many good alternatives for killing besides small firearms. In Canada, where firearms are strongly regulated, people more commonly use knives to kill each other. However, for the alternatives, you must get up front and personal, in direct contact, or at least close contact with the victim. You must have a real physical connection.

To understand death, you must be able to reach out, and actually touch the corpse. You must feel the absence of life and soul. You must feel the absence of “personality”, even that of a pet, even a pet mouse, before you can truly value life. Pets are important teachers for children and adults. Learn about life from them. We deny our children the opportunity to value life, if we deny to them the opportunity to indirectly experience death.

Article Source: http://www.religionarticlelibrary.com

(c) Copyright 2006: George Wallace completed an MA and taught in the public schools for 28 years. He recently published a book on religion which lashes out at nearly all of the comfortable ideas about God, the trappings of organized religion, the layers of money sucking priesthood, and their departures from the fundamental ideas and messages of Religion. His pithy comments and suggestions for a return to a God-centered personal religion will outrage everyone. www.OhGodIsThatYou.com

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