The Spiritual Problem of Gundamentalism
The Spiritual Problem of Gundamentalism
In the last few weeks I’ve written about LGBTQ rights, racism in America, women’s rights, and Christian Nationalism… so I figured I would tackle something lighter this week, like guns in America. —- Ha.
By now everyone has heard about the latest massacre in Highland Park, IL. While families were gathered to watch the annual July 4th parade, a disturbed young man climbed on the roof of a building and fired 60 rounds of bullets into the crowd, killing six and injuring over 30 people. This was the 4th mass shooting in America in 3 months.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the deep devotion to guns that so many Americans seem to have. I’ll admit that on a personal level, I don’t get it. I wasn’t raised in a home with guns. My dad wasn’t a hunter, drug dealer, or in the mafia, so he saw no reason to have a gun. (That list was a little joke. Y’all calm down.) Basically, we felt safe in our small Arkansas town. Safe enough that we would sleep with our doors open on summer nights with just a screen door keeping us safe from an intruder. It wasn’t until I met my husband and became part of his family that I started to understand a bit of the gun culture. His family is a family of hunters, so guns are a part of their world. Truthfully, I’m still uncomfortable around them, but I can now at least understand that some people feel they need them for protection or for hunting… or for mafia stuff. (again, I’m KIDDING. Just trying to lighten up this heavy subject.)
Anyway, who the heck needs an AR-15??? Why are these semi-automatics on our streets in America, getting into the hands of mentally ill young men?? Why does this seem to be the gun of choice for all the mass killings? And why aren’t the gun enthusiasts concerned about this too??
More guns does not feel like the answer to the gun problem in America. According to this article, we already have more guns in America than citizens. Seems to me if everyone having guns was the answer to keeping us all safe, we would be the safest country in the world right now. But clearly, we aren’t.
Do we own guns in our home? Yes, we do. Do I believe we should have stricter gun laws in our country? Yes, I do. Am I saying we should ban all guns? No, I’m not. Unfortunately, extremism has invaded too many American news channels which promotes an “either/or” mentally with many polarizing topics, like gun control. Either you are “pro-gun” or “anti-gun”. They lead you to believe there is no in-between. Ahhhh, but there IS, and polls show that most Americans fall in that in-between category. Here’s the latest gallop poll for reference.
Like I said, I’m not a “gun” person, so I did a little research on AR-15’s. I thought you guys might be interested in some info I found out. First off, the “AR” doesn’t stand for Assault Rifle as some think it does. The “AR” in “AR-15” rifle stands for ArmaLite Rifle, after the company that developed it in the 1950s. It is a semi-automatic rifle that isn’t truly a “military grade” weapon as I’ve heard some anti-gun proponents call it. If you really want a deep dive into the explanation, this was one of the best non-inflammatory breakdowns about it that I’ve read. It’s a transcript of a podcast... or you can listen to the podcast either way:
I’ll admit that reading articles that have a different perspective than I want them to isn’t always fun. I would guess most of you feel the same way. We like to read blogs, articles and essays that bolster our views, not challenge them — but it’s really the only way to try and understand and learn. Like most topics that are polarizing, you can research on the internet and find many websites that will help reinforce your already formed opinion on just about anything. I could link many sites to “prove” that tighter gun restrictions would help in America. Articles like:
Other Countries Had Mass Shootings. Then They Changed Their Gun Laws
Four Countries With Gun Control - And What America Can Learn From Them
I know that many gun enthusiasts can send me back other articles that help promote their side of the issue. It will go back and forth and nothing will ever get accomplished. I have read enough to know that as with any polarizing issue, it’s much more complicated than either side wants to admit.
“The "more guns = more violence" argument and the "gun ownership = decreased crime" argument both sidestep the complicating socioeconomic, cultural and psychological factors affecting violent crime.”
That quote is from an article that I think has the best break-down on the whole topic. It’s non-inflammatory and full of valuable information. I would encourage everyone to read with an open mind: Do Countries With Stricter Gun Laws Really Have Fewer Homicides? It highlights the nuances in this fight that many on both sides don’t want to address. I’ll end my comments about the cultural aspects of this by saying that I honestly believe the only way to come to a better way forward is for both sides to find some compromise because believe it or not, there are some good arguments that whatever your “other side” looks like, has.
Switching away from the cultural aspect of this topic over to what I think is an even deeper problem… the spiritual issue. Many gun proponents say, “We don’t have a gun problem, we have a heart problem.” — and I can agree with that, but probably from a different angle.
Retired Presbyterian Pastor and avid hunter, James Atwood wrote the book, “Gundamentalism and Where It Is Taking America”. It speaks to the trend of people putting their trust in guns instead of God. He shows how this “gundamentalist" idolatry is so pervasive in America that it has a choke hold on the whole country. I’m speaking to my Christian brothers and sisters here, but I hope you can see how this is deeply problematic. When you are screaming “FAITH OVER FEAR” because you refuse to wear a mask to help stop the spread of a deadly virus yet are clinging to your guns until your knuckles turn white, your message isn’t looking very consistent. If you are fighting for your right to bear arms more than you are fighting for America to be a safe country for us ALL, then I must tell you, I believe you have got it backwards.
Last week I posted a verse from 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul talked about his freedom and how he used that freedom -- to benefit the lives of others, not to benefit his own life. Christians that scream about their American “rights” over screaming about injustice to the marginalized in this country are losing their influence over the rest of the world. It comes across as self-serving, instead of others-serving, which is what Jesus exemplified and Paul reinforced. I believe it’s one of the reasons so many are choosing to leave the Christian faith, or at least re-think what it means to be called a Christian. When you merge other polarizing topics along with the gospel, it taints it terribly. Here’s an example:
This is not okay.
And this is even worse:
A couple of weeks ago, a United States Congresswoman, Rep. Lauren Boebert, was speaking at a Christian event run by the Charis Christian Center in Colorado Springs, CO. She said that "little Twitter trolls" often challenge her pro-gun rights stance by asking if Jesus needed an AR-15.
"They like to say: 'Oh, Jesus didn't need an AR-15. How many AR-15s do you think Jesus woulda had?'" she said. "Well, he didn't have enough to keep his government from killing him."
You could hear the crowd respond with laughter.
Are you kidding me??? Is this really where we are? How can we overlook the fact that as Christians, one of the tenets of our faith is knowing that Jesus CHOSE to die on the cross for us— not because he didn’t have an AR-15 at his disposal. Mocking the beauty of the gospel is NOT OKAY.
So yes, I believe we do indeed have a heart problem. Hear me now — I’m NOT saying this applies to ALL gun owners, or even all pro-gun defenders. But I do see that too many Christian’s hearts are turning away from the truth of the gospel, in favor of a gospel of God and guns. This is a big problem.
In one of his recent articles, David French says America has a “gun fetish” and he makes the case that it’s putting our democracy at risk. It’s a great read, if you want to check it out:
Or maybe it’s more like this quote from a recent essay from Diana Butler Bass:
We don’t have a “God and guns” problem. America has a “guns are God” problem. - DBB
It’s flat-out idolatry and if we don’t address it, it will take over our country and our religion. I see it happening already all around me. I have to agree with the title of this article: Guns are Americans’ Golden Calf — It sure feels that way lately. I have seen a pro-gun chain email going around for awhile that ends by saying they will “give up my gun when they pry it out of my cold, dead hands.” Huh? Really? That is the hill you want to die on? THAT is the thing you refuse to give up? I’m telling you — it’s idolatry, and God hates it.
And this indeed is The Spiritual Problem of Gundamentalism at its core.
As always, you are right on spot! Thank you for your insight and I agree 100%.
Yes! Thanks for your wisdom!