Article date: Mar 28 2018
Craig Hall, Publisher
Boy was I happy to be away last weekend and not see all the social media videos from the “March for our Lives” event. And, yes, I mean that. Not about the march’s initial message, but about the videos I saw of the “messengers” with their profanity-laced attacks, ignorance and hatred of those who think differently than they do, which is also occurring in our daily lives.
I hope with this column and what inspired it, I can show you just how foolish and wrong those messengers are.
So back to my morning. I saw on Facebook from a friend of mine who has cancer who posted to another friend, “Thanks for calling me to pray with me this morning.” I stopped except to post, “What a great reminder, I need to get on my devotion and I’ll lift you both up as well.” I stopped because I’ve been getting away from a lot of the good habits of spending daily time with God and playing too much in the cesspool that is social media. I’m glad I did.
My devotion took me to Romans 12, where Paul sets out his thoughts on personal responsibility. In other words, how to behave for yourself and towards one another. That’s exactly what my two friends were doing this morning, living exactly as Paul says they should in lifting up and encouraging one another. Paul’s words set me on a better path for this column.
While you might not like it, let’s talk about the God aspect in all of this.
I was putting down some notes about the gun debate when Paul’s words changed my focus. Well, maybe not changed it, but refocused things in a more personal way. And that is in how we treat each other. This debate shows we’re doing a poor job of it. So let’s apply some biblical logic to the debate, which you don’t even have to believe in God to understand. So here are my thoughts for all of us on a very personal, individual level.
This first point is going to seem insulting — or just plain stupid — but it needs to be the first thing to go from the inappropriate dialogue happening today. Name one person you know who’s pro-school shootings? There, I said it. Name ONE. So let’s stop saying folks who support the Second Amendment want kids to die in school shootings. Simple enough? For some on the other side, it will be harder than you think.
My second point is almost in the same arena of unbelievability. Name someone you know who’s against background checks for purchasing guns? You’d be hard-pressed. And let’s apply this to the NRA — which many on the other side might be shocked to know supports background checks, upholding the laws of gun ownership, outlawing bump stocks and doesn’t want people murdered.
