People don't like their beliefs to be compromised even when obvious facts are stated. They will cling to anything that gives them solice no matter how ridiculous of a story it may be.
Thanks to the media I'm pretty sure most of you have heard about the Sandy Hook School shooting (over and over again I might add) that sparked the gun control controversy. First let me give my stance on the gun issue...I really don't give a toot one way or the other about guns. We own a gun that's somewhere in the house and may or may not even work..in fact, I'm not really even sure what cranny of my house it's in at the moment.
Even if I had the unfortunate opportunity to use a gun I'm not sure if I could properly work it in an emergency situation. I've had only one experience with shooting a gun and I really didn't like it. It was loud and just holding it my hands made me nervous. In reality, I think the only instance I would ever really want to inflict personal damage to someone is if any one of my family members were in harms way. At that point I would hope my adrenaline would kick in and I'm sure it would turn out better than me trying to get a gun off safety and remember how to use it when in the moment of fear.
Okay now for the gist of my post. I saw this posted on one of my FB friend's status tonight:
Status: sharing some good advice from a friend
Merry Christmas to ALL my FB friends and GOD bless..P.S
You may not like guns and chose not to own one. That is your RIGHT. You may not believe in God. That is your choice. However, if someone breaks into your home, the first two things you're going to do is;
1. Call somebody who has a gun
2. Pray they get there in time
My response to the status: In this case wouldn't it be true that if I believed in God and prayer then I wouldn't need a gun in the first place? All I would have to do is pray for my safety from the all powerful god of choice and I would be protected from harm? I mean, isn't that the point of prayer? In hopes that this God figure will choose to show us mercy when we ask for it? If someone really believes that they are protected by god then they wouldn't need a gun? Or is a pick and choose kind of thing with god so you better be prepared just in case god was not at his desk when the prayer was called in??
Her response to my post: leave it to you Laura to come back with something negative about our creator........I'll say an extra special prayer for you tonite, love ya girl & you have a happy holiday......lol ☺
I let it go after her response, but what my ego really wanted to respond back and tell her that maybe she needed to throw in an extra prayer for her safety against the bad guys so she could sleep peacefully tonight and to tell her that she was probably obviously offended by my post because sometimes the truth hurts.
First off, there was nothing negative in my response to her post. I stated obvious facts. Secondly, it's apparent that those many religious people who have offered up prayers for me in the past for my lack of belief in their deity must have fallen on deaf ears....hence, the ineffectiveness of their condescending prayers.
At least I live my life without being disappointed by a prayer that wasn't answered and I rely on my own sense of what is right or wrong. My power is mine and only mine. I don't give it away to some fantasy character created by man to manipulate man.
You may ask what I do without a belief in a God. It's really very simple.
I gather my strength from how I view the world and people around me, from my experiences and the practice of making better choices with each mistake I make. Learning to live in the moment and in moments of tragedy, loss or death to deal with them by stepping away from my grief and knowing that this too shall pass. By embracing my time with my family, friends, and neighbors.
It's all very simple without a middle-man.
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I do believe in a higher power, but that is my own belief that I do not intend to press upon others. I have seen the work of those pious ones you speak of, the ones who would claim to have a more private relationship with God than the rest of us. They seem to feel superior to us lowly sinners. Feel the need to teach us a better way to live. There is no rule book for belief and faith. It is personal. I feel no need to wear a banner proclaiming my belief. My life should speak for itself. I falter and fail at times, but I keep trying ......
ReplyDeleteJust to say that I agree with your assessment of your friend. I am amazed at all the media talk and the people who feel the need to spout their convictions that more guns or less guns could have prevented the tragedy. Or shall I say, senseless tragedy. That is just it, people, it was senseless. A tormented person, obviously out of his mind decided to go on a rampage. Had he not had those guns available, he would have found some another way.