http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10220974?print=true
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223193/Culture-violence-Gun-crime-goes-89-decade.html?printingPage=true
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html?printingPage=true
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteBritish tabloids routinely run stories which claim that our Health service is worse than sub-Saharan Africa (while the left-wing suggets that America is more oppressive than China!) Their cavalier use of statistics is notorious. (See Nick Davies Flat Earth News.)
That said, even the Mail gets things right from time to time. So thank you for the links. Certainly, a mono-causational explanation of violent crime will fail. We all need to ask questions about family and social breakdown; cultural nihilism, relativism and consumerism; our attitudes to the mentally ill; and how the penal system can best connect rehabilitation with retribution.
I wonder, though, if you can explain how the topic of gun control is connected to Christian apologetics? The question is quite important. A fairly common critique of Christianity is that our arguments are masks for a cultural agenda; that we merely want to guard a political culture, or way of life.
Now I certainly agree that Christian orthodoxy has political implications. Christians are committed to a pro-life philosophy; we are required to defend the conjugal definition of marriage. But everyone wants to see a reduction in crime, however - even most criminals! I do not see how Christian doctrine compels a Christian to take a position on gun control.
I don't want to prejudge your answer - and I hope I don't sound like a nag! I imagine that there is a connection that I have overlooked.
Graham
Mr Veale
ReplyDelete“I wonder, though, if you can explain how the topic of gun control is connected to Christian apologetics?”
It doesn’t have to be connected. At Triablogue, teammates talk about whatever we deem to be important. It doesn’t all have to fall under the rubric of Christian apologetics.
“The question is quite important. A fairly common critique of Christianity is that our arguments are masks for a cultural agenda; that we merely want to guard a political culture, or way of life.”
i) I don’t care what they think. You can’t reason with unreasonable critics. There will always be unbelievers who assume the worst about Christians no matter what we do. There are always unbelievers who will suspect our true motives, evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.
ii) Naturally libertines resent anyone who crimps their lifestyle. Naturally power-mongers resent any effort to curb their thirst for unbridled power. And they may use the conspiratorial accusation you just broached as leverage to make us vacate the public square. But Christians shouldn’t roll over and play dead just because unbelievers would like us to retreat on the cultural front. They’re not entitled to make that demand. They don’t have the right to dictate to Christians what we think is important. Their rhetorical blackmail should be ignored.
“Now I certainly agree that Christian orthodoxy has political implications. Christians are committed to a pro-life philosophy; we are required to defend the conjugal definition of marriage. But everyone wants to see a reduction in crime, however - even most criminals! I do not see how Christian doctrine compels a Christian to take a position on gun control.”
i) To begin with, liberals are presuming to dictate to Christians what the Christian position on guns ought to be. Well, they don’t get to define that for us.
ii) Disarming the public prevents Christians from discharging their duty to protect their families and livelihoods.
iii) In addition, disarming the public empowers the state. It makes us entirely dependent on gov’t for basic protections. And what you get in return isn’t gov’t protection, but gov’t oppression.
Among other things, the Book of Revelation is a running indictment against totalitarian gov’t. That development should be resisted through reasonable means.
Here's the thing, I've heard that what really causes violence and murder, not to mention 100% of all deaths in North America, Africa, and Europe is sin (with research suggesting this is a universal cultural phenomena spatio-temporally). The correct recourse, of course, is to outlaw all sin. I'm hoping this will be a major liberal platform in the next few years.
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ReplyDeleteHi again Steve,
ReplyDeleteSorry about the delay in my reply. If I understand you correctly, you believe that this issue should be filed under "freedom of conscience." And you are providing arguments to show that Christians can reasonably oppose gun control. That's makes sense.
I'm an Irish evangelical - I write for www.saintsandsceptics.org - so I instinctively oppose political freedom and guns. It takes a leap of imagination to understand why many Americans associate political freedom and guns. But, obviously, you have every right to argue for that position. So I'm sorry I misunderstood your original post.
Graham