Another mass shooting has come to
pass. More parents are at home without their children under their roof. In the
presence of such tragedy, our smallness as individuals becomes too evident.
Because we are not capable of processing so many tragedies coming after so many
tragedies, we become numb, and in our numbed disbelief and fear, we try to
offer an easy answer that will make it all less horrifying.
It is time to call mass shootings what
they are: an epidemic. It is not so unlike smallpox or polio or AIDS. It is a
scourge that spreads fear, threatens our ability to pursue life and happiness,
and, most importantly, endangers our children. Humanity has faced many plagues
before, and we have responded heroically at times and counter-productively at
others. Watching the responses play out on social media each time over the
years since Sandy Hook, I am fatigued by the rounds of faulty logic and tired
arguments I keep reading. However, I’m writing this to specifically address my
brothers and sisters in Christ who keep posting a certain argument that I fear
pours salt in wounds, misrepresents the mission of our Lord, and damages our
very faith.
Before I dive into specifics, though,
let me tell you a story. In the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic hit America with a
terrifying fury. And of course, the gay community was ravaged by the mysterious
and brutal disease. In the face of that suffering and death, what did the
Christian community do? They looked at their dying neighbor and said they
deserved what they were getting. Many said that it was punishment directly from
God for their sins. They perpetuated this message blatantly and by their
inaction. In the process, they led families to forsake their dying sons and
brothers, to leave the suffering to suffer alone as they walked through the
valley of the shadow of death. By persuading public opinion in the Republican
party, they contributed to the paltry budget allocated by the Reagan
administration for AIDS research despite the fact that our countrymen where
dying by the thousands. The Christian community neglected sufferers out of
their own fear and hatred of people they did not understand, and they hindered
the progress towards effective treatment and a cure. The AIDS epidemic is a
shameful chapter in the history of Christianity.*
Fast forward to today. For the past
two days, I’ve seen countless posts saying that the epidemic of mass shootings
in our country are the result of prayer being taken out of school. Of the Ten
Commandments no longer hanging on the walls of our public institutions. Of the
moral depravity of our citizenry. Once again, Christians are blaming the
victims in the midst of a horrifying plague. Once again, we are representing
our loving, merciful God as a petty tyrant.
There is a very obvious flaw to this
argument. America has a staggering amount of deaths resulting from gun violence
as compared tomostl other developed countries. Yet, if you go to Australia or
Canada, for example, you will not find a citizenry of saints. You will not find
government or institutions promoting Christian prayers. You will not find the
Ten Commandments pasted to school walls. The difference between America and our
peers is not the content of our character: the difference is the laws of our
lands.
I am a millennial and a mother to four
beautiful children, all of whom will receive their k-12 education in public
schools. I am terrified for the safety of my children. I am not alone. My
generation grew up in the midst of Columbine, and as parents, we hear our
children talk about drills at school for “if a bad guy comes.” Please, my
fellow Christians, hear me when I say that your arguments for how to address
this situation that our devoid of factual evidence and your thoughts and
prayers that are devoid of action feel not only empty as I wrestle with my
fears for my children’s safety: they feel insulting. Please, please, please
stop telling me that my God is hateful and that my children’s rights to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are less important than your right to bare
an AR-15.
If I sound combative or if I am
insulting you, I am sorry, but as a minister’s wife, I see daily the damage
Christians are doing to our religion with these kinds of arguments. We are
losing a generation of Americans because of the flawed ways we keep engaging in
these conversations. Our God is a God of mercy and a God of facts. It is long
past time to retire our empty piety and start engaging in helpful conversations
that might lead to a cure for the insidious fear we all live with after so many
years of breaking news that yet another shooter has taken away more of our
children, our neighbors, our countrymen.
*This information is from Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and
the Heroes Who Fought Them
