God and Guns

 

An open letter to people of all faiths and good will: by whatever name you call the unknowable—Brahman, the Way, Yahweh, Christ, Allah, Nam—with you I yearn for the peace towards which we all lean. Love and compassion are at the core of every tradition, and yet we all fall short when it comes to living those ideals. In the face of unspeakable horror, tragedy, and evil, it seems so inadequate to say “I’m sorry.”

Words must be complemented with action. Everyday at least one person in this country dies from a gun shot. How utterly tragic that it takes twenty young, innocent lives plus eight adults to get our attention. And for how long?

Do guns kill people? YES!

Do people kill people? YES!

Is stricter gun control needed? YES!

Is better mental health treatment needed? YES!

Is better gun use and safety instruction needed? YES!

Are better background checks necessary? YES!

Is an armed citizenry necessary? NO!

Is visible protection and deterrence necessary? YES!

Are more armed guards, teachers, ministers, shop owners, citizens the answer? Absolutely NO!

Someone (Einstein?) said that to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result is stupidity. The NRA not withstanding, narrow minded politicians hiding behind the excuses of needing more time, study and  money not withstanding, the lack of will and concern not withstanding, we must respond for good, for the future, for love of one another.

How paradoxical that in a country that claims to be so religious, we are the most violent, militant, racially and sexually discriminatory. The gap between our self-righteous delusions and daily reality is as wide as east is from the west. I wonder how many of those people who ran out last week and bought hand guns, semi-automatic assault rifles, and ammunition attended a house of worship this weekend or would at least give loud lip service to some religious tradition. “God’s” heart is broken for all who have died AND for all who carry hate and complicity in their hearts.

What is the answer to the violence in our world? I think it begins with people of faith and good will living the values of their faith and not surrendering to the perversion, stupidity, and evil around us.

There is a rabbinic saying that if the world lived God’s will together just one day, the messiah would come and the world would be transformed.