Happiness is a Warm Gun

We are a gun-obsessed culture. In fact, we have become so obsessed with guns that every time we hear about people being gunned down in random acts of violence, we buy even more guns and demand the right to carry them with us at all times. It is harder to get a driver's license, get married, or vote than to arm yourself to the teeth. Ironically, one of the most rebellious things you can do in our culture is not own a gun. People think you are crazy.

Guns are now viewed as an essential tool and symbol in modern America. Patrik Jonsson described the mindset in a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor.

But the vast majority of the momentum on guns is on the side of people who want a .30-30 rifle in their cabinet at home and the right to carry a Ruger in their coat pocket – anywhere. It is being driven, in part, by what could be called a "militia of one" mentality. While 20 years ago many people were arming themselves as part of a nostalgic identification with citizen armies, many today see carrying a gun in public as an essential right and a legitimate, even necessary, tool to ease peculiar and particular American fears about personal protection.

That raises an interesting question. Is it consistent with the teachings of Christ? An acquaintance of mine was going on and on about gun ownership, so I asked that very question. His response was fascinating:

"Absolutely. In Luke 22, Jesus told His followers to buy a sword, even sell their coat if they did not have the money."

The passage in question comes at the end of a discussion Jesus was having with his disciples as their Passover celebration was winding down (Luke 22:14-38). He told them to break bread and drink wine in remembrance of the his soon to be broken body and soon to be spilled blood. Jesus then identifies the disciple that will betray him. The disciples have a childish argument over which of them was the greatest. After a quick lesson in humility, Peter proclaims his courage only to be told he will soon run away in fear after denying that he knows Jesus. The discussion ends with this exchange:

Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors;' and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“That’s enough!” he replied.

One can argue about whether this is an instruction to pack heat or a warning that all hell is about to break loose. The intent is not clear, but the consequences of wielding a warm sword become clear in the events that capped that fateful night (Luke 22:49-51):

When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Some translations describe Jesus as saying to permit even this (injustice). Jesus then healed the victim of violence, a gesture very much in line with the idea of not fighting evil with evil.

Consider the bigger picture. There are Christians out there so motivated to justify their desire to carry a gun that they have identified an ambiguous passage in the Gospels to claim it is consistent with the teachings of Christ. Cognitive dissonance does that to you. However, the larger issue is what it says about your priorities. If you are so desperate to hold on to the things of this world that you are riddled with fear and spoiling for a fight, what does that say about you and your faith? Jesus said not to hold on tightly to person or possessions. Fear betrays what you value most.

Patrik Jonsson highlights the perception of security as the driving factor in our love of guns.

Most don't look to sterile statistics to validate whether they should tote a sidearm or not. It's about what makes them feel safe.

No one mature in their faith thinks their material possessions are worth hurting or even killing someone to hold on to them. No one mature in their faith is tempted to believe that a gun will spare them suffering and loss. We live in a society riddled with greed, fear, and hatred. Guns are very much a part of that culture. Those are not the marks of mature faith.

My gun-loving friend went on to say, "Look. I take the safety of others seriously. I have taken courses in gun safety and routinely practice using my weapon."

So when you practice using your weapon, do you imagine a face on your target? Perhaps someone you dislike or fear. Jesus said imagining killing someone is almost as bad as actually doing it. Those fantasies of violence show hatred.

Jesus admonishes his disciple for going off half-cocked and chopping the ear off of a hapless servant with this warning (Matthew 26:52):

"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

Happiness is not a warm gun or a heart filled with fear or hatred. Sometimes that warm gun even gives you a false sense of power and righteousness that tempts you to do something that cannot be undone.

Fear not, gun lovers. There is no political will to stop you from owning a private arsenal and carrying your prized possessions everywhere you go. Wear your guns proudly. After all, they are the perfect symbol for our increasingly ugly society.