I have been thinking a lot about the gun issue in this country since the horrible shooting in Uvalde. I’ve always been a fairly strong 2A supporter, I do own a gun for a variety of reasons and have always enjoyed them. However, I’ve been thinking about the problem a lot since this school shooting.
The issue I have currently is how striking the Christian response has been to guns and gun violence in this nation. Christians have made the 2A the 11th commandment, and honestly it’s pretty scary. Owning guns is not a God given right. How can we say that when we have Jesus as an example and the God of our religion? Moses made “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” A law, however, Jesus, in contradiction to the law of Moses states, “you have heard it said, an Eye for an Eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you do not resist an evildoer…love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”
My fear today is that most American Christians are not actually worshiping Jesus anymore. It’s a strange religion of guns, violence, and war and a love for country over the precepts and character of Jesus. Even many Seventh-Day Adventists have fallen for this lie. They believe that God has called them to defend religious liberty with violence. Adventists are pacifists, or should be, if we claim to follow Jesus, yet many of us have fallen to a love of violence over a love for the teachings and example of Jesus. The God we claim to serve came to this earth, could have saved himself from evil, yet died a death on the cross. When his disciples attempted to break him free from his captors, he rebuked them, told them to put up their swords, and then he healed the man who was there to take him to his death.
This nation was not founded on a right to kill people who oppress you. It was founded on liberty, most importantly for most of the first pilgrims who came to this nation, the freedom of religion. Our supposed Christian nation is no longer known for its incredible diversity and freedom of religion, it is known for its military might and right to bear arms and kill other people with guns. In truth, this nation has not been known for freedom for a very long time. This Christian nation was responsible for one of the most oppressive slave trades in history, and while we fought and died to destroy that evil, we bear its guilt still. Christians even now forget what the confederacy stood for, they fly its flag as a badge of honor, glorifying in what it means to them, supposed freedom and state rights, freedom of states to do what? Protect religious liberty for all people? No, freedom to buy and sell people as property, freedom to work human beings to death for profit. And now, in the modern era, it still isn’t about freedom of religion and diversity, it is freedom to bear arms, and ultimately kill others if necessary. How wonderful would it be if we were known for our religious diversity and freedom instead of our right to kill other people?
The second amendment is all well and good for a secular society, it makes plenty of sense when history is reviewed and governments oppress their own people time and time again, or governments doing evil things such as killing 6 million Jews and tens of millions of others in World War II. However exercising your second amendment right is one thing, claiming it to be a Christian virtue on the other hand is quite another. 18 children were murdered last week for my second amendment right. Millions have been murdered over the centuries for my second amendment right. It is a price society has deemed acceptable so far, but it is neither Christian, nor a virtue. If it is a necessity in this world, it is an evil necessity with a horrendous responsibility, it is not sacred.
Seventh-day Adventists have a belief that the lamb-like beast spoken of in revelation is the United States of America. The prophecy found in the book of revelation states that this beast will have the appearance of a lamb, but will speak like the dragon (Satan). Is there anything in this world that fits that prophecy better than modern day American Christianity? A version of Christianity that barely resembles the precepts of Christ any longer.
America spoke of freedom and justice for all, but instead it gave oppression, slavery, and a perverted Christianity that holds the second amendment as it’s most sacred precept. The cry goes out in the book of revelation speaking of this lamb like beast, “Babylon has fallen, has fallen! That great city. She has become a home for demons!…come out of her my people, so that you do not participate in her sins…For her sins are piled high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.” Rev 18:2-5.
Adventists teach that the United States is that lamb like beast that will deceive the world. Adventists believe that it will be religiopolitical power that will persecute God’s people, not the atheists in their indifference to religion, not the gays in their fight for equality and respect, not the democrats in their desire for a socialist state, no, according to Adventist teachings it will be Christianity grasping for political power that will oppress and kill in the name of God, thinking they are doing God a favor by their actions.
I realize that many of my social media friends are not Adventist, and not even Christian, so this might not have much impact on you and that’s ok. I just have had a strong conviction in the last couple weeks that modern American Christianity is dangerous, and if anything is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and apostate Christianity, than what we are seeing in American Christianity is certainly it.
Wether or not you support the 2A is beyond the point of this post. The second amendment may very well be a necessity in an evil world full of evil people willing to use government to oppress and kill its own citizens, but we need to be honest about what we support. It is an evil thing to need, born of evil. I also proudly support those who choose to serve our country even when they choose not to be pacifists. Yet again, we must acknowledge that it is not a sacred or righteous thing, it is an evil need born out of a need to protect from evil. If we believe any different as Christian’s, we are deceived and the God we worship is not the Jesus found within the New Testament.
