On Christianity & Guns
derekberes.substack.com
On Christianity & Guns 🧵
As expected, another high-profile mass shooting brings with it a frantic search for a cause.
And as usual, there's rarely a single cause for such a tragedy.
Let's look at two: religion—specifically, Christianity—and the environment.
Despite its anti-choice packaging, Christianity has long held disdain for most forms of life, be it other animals or "other" people.
Dominion theology, based on Genesis 1:28, cuts across many forms of Christianity, though it strikes a particular chord with evangelicals.
A caveat: many Christians perform incredible charitable work and fight for social equality and human rights.
This analysis is specific to strains that preach Christian stewardship in civil affairs, which, unfortunately—and intentionally—exude great influence over legislation.
If your foundational philosophy teaches that humans lord over all land and species, and preaches the notion that every human who doesn't believe in your specific faith will rot in eternal damnation, then you've been groomed for violence, be it physical or psychic.
Which leads to the second consideration: the environment.
Specifically, how your environment affects every facet of consciousness.
Humans are not isolated creatures that congregate and return to their island.
We're interdependent with one another and with our surroundings.
Our current environment is filled with apocalyptic imagery stemming from one specific book.
This violent sect reads their holy book in the same way SCOTUS reads the Constitution: in a rigid, absolutist manner that does not reflect the time we actually occupy.
The math isn't hard: a holier-than-thou religious mandate in a nation with more guns than citizens is going to produce a radically violent environment.
You don't even have to be religious to feel this tension because it affects everyone.
As we're seeing, over 310x this year.
This is rather obvious, but the politicians who claim this is a mental health crisis that has nothing to do with guns are the same anti-choice Christians who believe they're instituting a divine mandate.
Faith might be illusory but it becomes a powerful catalyst for action.
Something I posted to some friends recently:I dont do this often - I wrote a response to Russell Brand on his pocast about the televised hearings on January 6....nothing against Russell Brand and his thing...
5.7 million subscribers is quite a platform. As an American living in the UK for the last 20 years Im more drawn to Abby Martin Dosed or Empire Files podcast, gaslit nation podcast or Michael Moore or Conspirituality podcasts for perspectives on truth. These people are actually taking a postion that is well researched and grounded and clear about their values as Americans and what is at stake. They have voices which require a good deal of courage and at risk to themselves. America has its problems and the Democrats have their problems just read where it all started with An Indigenous History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - this was our starting point (and none of it was taught in US schools). We are still coming to terms as a nation with these issues. Finally you can make links or references to a spiritual life though I cant help but notice all the white faces and financial privilege when I have attended spiritual ceremonies - and very real issues of respect and appropriation in what is called "waking up". We are a generation living through a tragedy unlike anything or parents or grandparents experienced. In my opinion its a kind of reckoning with the way we have treated eachother and the way we have treated the earth and hopefully we will all of us get through it and become better human beings for it.