Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Suddenly one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
Matthew 26: 51-53 NRSVue
Charlie Kirk the MAGA superstar in the United States was shot and killed during a public rally in Utah this week. Kirk was 31-years-old and leaves behind a wife and two young children. This was a terrible crime and he did not deserve to die this way. Nor do the tens of thousands of Americans who are shot to death each year. I hope the perpetrator of this crime is found and brought to justice quickly.
Kirk claimed to be a Christian and those who are sorrowful about his death note his faith. Still, he was a Second Amendment "right to bear arms" advocate and opined that deaths related to the freedom to own weapons could be a consequence of this inalienable right. He was answering a question about gun violence at the moment he was shot.
I imagine Kirk considered himself a bible-believing Christian yet there is nothing in the Gospels to suggest that Jesus supported the use of violence. In fact we can find verses in the Sermon on the Mount and in the account of Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane to indicate the opposite. Somehow these witness by Jesus, Prince of Peace, is totally ignored by many conservative Christians on both sides of the border.
On the same day that Kirk was murdered there was another school shooting in the US and while no students or staff died there were injuries, as well as the death of the young gunman. Let's be clear, Canada has a growing gun violence problem with an increasing number of weapons smuggled across the border. Yet we aren't experiencing anything like what's happening in the US. We met a lovely couple from Maine while on a hiking trail in Newfoundland last month and they told us they're exploring moving to Canada because they are appalled by the violence in their country.
Charlie Kirk was not a martyr of a saint, even though some are portraying him that way. He was another victim of a slavish obsession with violence. We can pray for his bereaved family and that sanity will be established in a country hell-bent on a false notion of freedom. To support this is a cult of death, not Christianity.There does need be be a "turning point" but I won't hold my breath.
I'll be honest, I won't mourn for this man. Of course it's terrible he was killed. He should not have lost his life and his family should not have to go through this.
ReplyDeleteI was appalled, however, that he would state having gun deaths every year was worth the price of upholding their second amendment rights. Think of all the school shootings that have happened in the US over the years. If Sandy Hook didn't change things, nothing will. So it's that mindset Kirk had that has kept things this way.
Taco Trump and Vance did not show a fraction of the concern when the Minnesota democrat and her husband were killed a few months ago.
These are all worthwhile observations, Roger, and it has all got worse since you wrote them. Trump has even stated that he wasn't aware of the murders of those Minnesota politicians, which can't be true. God help America as it careens toward anarchy.
ReplyDelete