How many pastors want to see multiple deaths of their congregants 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦?!? Because without training, both individual and group, that is EXACTLY what is very likely to happen in the event of a shooter coming into such a church.
Let’s not forget that Daniel Defense also designed an AR-15 that is smaller and lighter weight for children, young children. Train up a child to use guns to solve problems? Sounds like that is the problem from the start, rather than a solution.
Guns are the Number 1 killer of children in the USA. Good guys with guns statistically tend to be victims of accidental discharges, and not the heroes they’re claimed to be. Then, pretty much every single mass shooter ever has seen himself (okay, a few herselves are in there, but their inclusion is statistically insignificant) as the good guy with the gun. Even when they’re walking into the targeted area, they see themselves as the main character wronged by some thing or other and justified in their actions. They are the good guys with guns while they’re amassing their arsenals, they’re the good guys with guns until they’re not.
I have to admit my eyebrows made a wild break for my hairline when I read the headline of the article.
Reading this, I honestly wonder what in the world they're thinking. What happens when some kid or prankster brings a bunch of firecrackers to church with them? Or a car with a serious problem backfires on the road running near the church during a Sunday service? Or who knows what else that might sound like gunfire to some less than observant member of the congregation? There are so many ways for this to end in severe tragedy it's hard to even know where to start, and once that starts happening it's probably going to be hard to stop.
Just remember, in real life when people wind up dead, there is no reset button.
This is all their own doing, when you get right down to it- the very people who most loudly proclaim that we need more weapons to defend ourselves with. They're the ones who created the need for 'em in the first place. Spend a few decades (centuries, for some churches) whipping up the masses to hate and fear everything and everyone not like them, and this is what you get. A culture of hate and fear, where you have to have a plan to kill everyone you meet before they kill you. For what? You had the wrong skin tone. You loved the wrong person. You were wearing the wrong color shirt. Your hair was parted funny. 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. Be ready to be murdered any time, anywhere, for any reason. Get 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 before they get 𝘺𝘰𝘶!
Big shocker that all the hate and fear follows them back home. It sits in the pews right next to them. It lives under their own roof. They eat, drink, and breathe it. That readiness to do great violence at the drop of a hat- that's the real problem. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 our national disease.
Yes, we have a major gun problem in this country. Other countries handle access to lethal weaponry with a greater degree of maturity and common sense... but even if we had the same laws as they do, I suspect, we'd be having the same problems, because we didn't 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 make lethal weapons ubiquitous. That wasn't 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 far enough. No, that's not how we do things in these here parts... we went and built a fucking 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 around them. Fetishized them. Made them part of our national 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺. And what can you do, when you have a culture built around the tools of violence, except find excuses to use them at every conceivable opportunity?
We've justified killing over the most idiotically trivial shit, like shoplifting and simple trespass, to the point where many states enshrine the right to kill another person for standing on your lawn in law. Hell, Texas even lets you keep shooting 'em in the back as they run away! We've allowed our police forces to effectively become an occupying army, and then lionized them for their brutality, so that even a routine call to ask the neighbor to turn their music down can turn into a bloodbath. We've made our whole damn country into a war zone from sea to shining sea. There is no stone from Maine to Florida nor from Virginia to California that you can't get shot for turning over.
De-escalation is not the American way- the American Way (tm) is to keep going bigger, louder, meaner, and deadlier until the other guy gives in or lies dead at your feet.
Prayer was 100% the plan for many churches to combat Covid-19. "God will protect us!" It's hard to be wrong on both issues, but somehow we manage it. I am grateful that my church went virtual to start, and on reopening, wore masks and emphasized social distancing, using the slogan, "This is how we love one another." Far too many churches went the other way.
If gun violence against churches is on the rise, it may be good for churches to ask why people are reacting to their message with violence. And has Hemant points out, the larger issue of "God and guns" has helped create this mess we are in as a nation. Whatever the issue is, clearly, "more guns" is the answer, right?
Nothing shows your trust in gawd and prayer like needing a gun to be safe. Remember when all the anti vax loons said they have jeezus so didn't need vaccination? Funny how their trust in their imaginary friend doesn't extend to guns.
Arming church members to thwart potential mass shootings bespeaks of a distinct lack of trust in their god to protect them.
I thought their "all-powerful" god was an awesome god. What does it say when a deity fails to protect its own followers within the walls of its houses of worship.
A group of young activists in Montana are suing the state for failing to take action on climate change (or, rather, for making it worse by jumping in bed with fossil fuel companies). Apparently, Montana's state constitution requires it to "𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵." A bunch of similar cases have been filed in the past, but this is the first one to actually go to trial.
It’s not like SBC churches are anything like common targets, iirc. This seems like more “oh we’re so victimized!” from a place of complete safety. Also was prayer even an option or did Lifeway just assume churches had some kind of security? I’ve been in a few churches in my life, never saw security in any of them. Possible I just didn’t notice, of course, but I’d bet money Mormons don’t have armed guards.
All I got to say about this is:
How many pastors want to see multiple deaths of their congregants 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦?!? Because without training, both individual and group, that is EXACTLY what is very likely to happen in the event of a shooter coming into such a church.
Can you say, "Friendly Fire," boys and girls?
Let’s not forget that Daniel Defense also designed an AR-15 that is smaller and lighter weight for children, young children. Train up a child to use guns to solve problems? Sounds like that is the problem from the start, rather than a solution.
Guns are the Number 1 killer of children in the USA. Good guys with guns statistically tend to be victims of accidental discharges, and not the heroes they’re claimed to be. Then, pretty much every single mass shooter ever has seen himself (okay, a few herselves are in there, but their inclusion is statistically insignificant) as the good guy with the gun. Even when they’re walking into the targeted area, they see themselves as the main character wronged by some thing or other and justified in their actions. They are the good guys with guns while they’re amassing their arsenals, they’re the good guys with guns until they’re not.
I have to admit my eyebrows made a wild break for my hairline when I read the headline of the article.
Reading this, I honestly wonder what in the world they're thinking. What happens when some kid or prankster brings a bunch of firecrackers to church with them? Or a car with a serious problem backfires on the road running near the church during a Sunday service? Or who knows what else that might sound like gunfire to some less than observant member of the congregation? There are so many ways for this to end in severe tragedy it's hard to even know where to start, and once that starts happening it's probably going to be hard to stop.
Just remember, in real life when people wind up dead, there is no reset button.
This is all their own doing, when you get right down to it- the very people who most loudly proclaim that we need more weapons to defend ourselves with. They're the ones who created the need for 'em in the first place. Spend a few decades (centuries, for some churches) whipping up the masses to hate and fear everything and everyone not like them, and this is what you get. A culture of hate and fear, where you have to have a plan to kill everyone you meet before they kill you. For what? You had the wrong skin tone. You loved the wrong person. You were wearing the wrong color shirt. Your hair was parted funny. 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. Be ready to be murdered any time, anywhere, for any reason. Get 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 before they get 𝘺𝘰𝘶!
Big shocker that all the hate and fear follows them back home. It sits in the pews right next to them. It lives under their own roof. They eat, drink, and breathe it. That readiness to do great violence at the drop of a hat- that's the real problem. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 our national disease.
Yes, we have a major gun problem in this country. Other countries handle access to lethal weaponry with a greater degree of maturity and common sense... but even if we had the same laws as they do, I suspect, we'd be having the same problems, because we didn't 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 make lethal weapons ubiquitous. That wasn't 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 far enough. No, that's not how we do things in these here parts... we went and built a fucking 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 around them. Fetishized them. Made them part of our national 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺. And what can you do, when you have a culture built around the tools of violence, except find excuses to use them at every conceivable opportunity?
We've justified killing over the most idiotically trivial shit, like shoplifting and simple trespass, to the point where many states enshrine the right to kill another person for standing on your lawn in law. Hell, Texas even lets you keep shooting 'em in the back as they run away! We've allowed our police forces to effectively become an occupying army, and then lionized them for their brutality, so that even a routine call to ask the neighbor to turn their music down can turn into a bloodbath. We've made our whole damn country into a war zone from sea to shining sea. There is no stone from Maine to Florida nor from Virginia to California that you can't get shot for turning over.
De-escalation is not the American way- the American Way (tm) is to keep going bigger, louder, meaner, and deadlier until the other guy gives in or lies dead at your feet.
Yay, us.
Envy of the fuckin' world.
Choir lofts can be repurposed into a sniper perch and also accommodate the ritual positions - kneel or stand. Also prone for the Pentecostal sniper.
Prayer was 100% the plan for many churches to combat Covid-19. "God will protect us!" It's hard to be wrong on both issues, but somehow we manage it. I am grateful that my church went virtual to start, and on reopening, wore masks and emphasized social distancing, using the slogan, "This is how we love one another." Far too many churches went the other way.
If gun violence against churches is on the rise, it may be good for churches to ask why people are reacting to their message with violence. And has Hemant points out, the larger issue of "God and guns" has helped create this mess we are in as a nation. Whatever the issue is, clearly, "more guns" is the answer, right?
Nothing shows your trust in gawd and prayer like needing a gun to be safe. Remember when all the anti vax loons said they have jeezus so didn't need vaccination? Funny how their trust in their imaginary friend doesn't extend to guns.
"The Second Amendment revisionists". There, corrected.
"Don't love, make war" seems to be the new American unofficial motto.
God forbid they use any of their influence over politicians to get guns out of the hands of those who should not own them.
OT: Haters in meltdown mode over Biden having a Pride Celebration at the WH.
https://www.joemygod.com/2023/06/haters-melt-down-over-white-house-pride-celebration/
It's only a matter of time before a car on the street in front of a church backfires and triggers Armageddon inside the walls of that church.
Just wait until there's an "incident" leading to parishioners being killed by trigger-happy, untrained fellow parishioners.
Arming church members to thwart potential mass shootings bespeaks of a distinct lack of trust in their god to protect them.
I thought their "all-powerful" god was an awesome god. What does it say when a deity fails to protect its own followers within the walls of its houses of worship.
WWJP the new xtian motto
"What Would Jesus Pack"
OT- I don't know if these kids have a chance of winning... but they sure as shit 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 to: https://apnews.com/article/youth-climate-trial-montana-e0f7ad22e61511ce72bc3ff83e7cd09b
A group of young activists in Montana are suing the state for failing to take action on climate change (or, rather, for making it worse by jumping in bed with fossil fuel companies). Apparently, Montana's state constitution requires it to "𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵." A bunch of similar cases have been filed in the past, but this is the first one to actually go to trial.
It’s not like SBC churches are anything like common targets, iirc. This seems like more “oh we’re so victimized!” from a place of complete safety. Also was prayer even an option or did Lifeway just assume churches had some kind of security? I’ve been in a few churches in my life, never saw security in any of them. Possible I just didn’t notice, of course, but I’d bet money Mormons don’t have armed guards.