Which congregation would Jesus shoot?

[LiberalEsto]

If Jesus came back, and had a gun, do you think He would shoot and kill people inside a right-wing, gun-loving, gay-hating fundie church?

Or would He go to a liberal Unitarian Universalist congregation and shoot its members for being gay-loving, anti-gun liberals, some of whom question whether He existed or whether he was the son of God?

If Jesus is the person I like to think He was, He would be working to comfort and heal the victims of the shootings at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville. He would also forgive the shooter.

He might be blaming the money changers running the U.S. government, who are handing everything to their corporate cronies and impoverishing millions of Americans, leaving some of the the more mentally fragile among us angry and broken, ready to snap and harm others.

Jesus, as I perceive Him, might travel to the centers of power in this country and rail at those money changers and try to throw them out of their corporate temples. But He'd get arrested for trespassing or creating a disturbance.

He might try to teach the angry, hating people in this country to turn the other cheek and forgive, and to love one another. But the media would ignore Him.

And the results, I fear, would be nearly same as they were 2000 or so years ago. They'd lock him up in a megaprison and never let Him see the light of day again.

***

I suspect this guy Adkisson hated himself, hated churches, hated liberals, hated gays, hated Christianity .... basically a person filled to the brim and overflowing with hate, and looking for an easy target to take out his hate on. UUs generally don't carry guns to church -- at least I've never seen such a thing in 20 years of attending UU churches -- so it was a risk-free target.

As a UU, I believe that every person has inherent worth. Even this mentally ill person -- who got hold of a gun (which he shouldn't have had access to) and killed innocent people who never hurt him. I wonder what kind of terrible damage he went through in his life that led him to act like this. He deserves my compassion too, but he needs to be kept out of society, and hopefully, treated.

How did a mentally ill person like this get access to a deadly weapon? He couldn't have done that much damage with a knife.

Why don't we have health care and social services networks designed to help people, instead of using our tax dollars for propping up crooked corporations? He should have been able to get help.

Why don't we provide jobs for Americans instead of shipping them overseas so corporations can grab bigger profits? He should have been able to find a job.

The message on the home page of the Tennessee Valley UU Church says:

"Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law. This is our great covenant: to live together in peace, seek the truth in love, and help one another."

Ironic that this is the place Adkisson chose to attack, isn't it?

[YOY]

1. Pretty sure he's take one look at the state of things and shoot himself.

n.t.

[Squatch]

2. Jesus was anti-gun?

Who knew? :shrug:

[JDPriestly]

5. Jesus was anti-murder.

I am not opposed to the ownership of guns for purposes of sport and hunting. I have some questions, however, for those who strongly advocate for gun rights.

1) Most places have restrictions on possession of guns by people with a history of mental illness or certain criminal convictions. Thus far, I have not read that this man fit into either category.

Do those of you who are gun advocates have any suggestions for how to prevent people such as this man, people with obviously deep-seated anger and frustration from entering churches and killing innocent people in front of the children of the church?

2) If you read the stories carefully, you realize that the pastor of the church was on vacation, the children had just finished a summer day camp, ant that is why they were performing a play rather than having a regular service. Usually, if their church is like mine, there would not have been so many children at the service. But there were, and there presence makes this act even more horrible than many similar ats. This event will scar the children who were its witnesses for the rest of their lives.

If you are a gun owner, I would like to know whether you carry your gun to church and whether you plan to carry a gun to church in the future now that this has happened?

3) In many of the comments to some of the MSM stories I found on Google about this event, right-wingers suggested that, this man could have been stopped easily outside the church if someone had had a gun. Of course, we know that the man hid his gun inside a guitar case until he was at the church, so that does not make sense, but I have a more important question.

Do gun advocates suggest that we teach children to shoot and carry guns so that they can protect themselves against adults with guns?

I would like to add that it is not all that unusual for children in gang-infested areas to die from random gang shootings.

[lonestarnot]

3. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth.

[JDPriestly]

4. As a Unitarian, I feel that this, once again, reminds us of the importance

of valuing all human beings and forgiving those who hate and harm us while working to change the conditions that cause the hate and harm.

I would be interested in finding out whether this man was a Limbaugh/Fox News/ABC News fan. Where was he hearing or seeing the propaganda that made him so intolerant, that made him focus his frustration on "liberals."

By the way, while the Unitarian Church is a liberal religion and, in some respects, a liberal social movement, I have known Unitarians who were Republicans and also and especially libertarians. Unitarians agree on very little, and do not necessarily agree about politics. We do not believe in coercion. We do believe in tolerance. Hence, Unitarianism is also attractive to libertarians.

[Clark2008]

7. Yes - he was a fan of conservative media.

The shotgun-wielding suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church was motivated by a hatred of “the liberal movement,” and he planned to shoot until police shot him, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV said this morning.

Jim D. Adkisson, 58, of Powell wrote a four-page letter in which he stated his “hatred of the liberal movement,” Owen said. “Liberals in general, as well as gays.”

Adkisson said he also was frustrated about not being able to obtain a job, Owen said.

No one "hates" that intensely without being goaded or taught. I live in Knoxville... I can't wait to hear what the local hate-mongers gripe about today. They'll probably high-five him for taking out two liberals in our community.

Sigh.

[stray cat]

6. Maybe he would be the person who sacrificed his life in the church saving others?

[timtom]

8. Your analysis is spot-on.

[LiberalEsto]

10. Thanks

And now we're learning that one of his ex-wives is a member of this congregation. This ex-wife (one of four) happens to be the one he put a gun to the head of, and threatened to blow away a few years ago.


So how come he was still able to own a gun?

[timtom]

11. A-freaking-HAH!!

All is not as it seems...

[Celebration]

16. yup

I had a feeling he knew someone there.

[hopewell1985]

9. He

Would meet with the Pope, tell him to keep up the good work and go home.

[Pacifist Patriot]

12. Bwa, yeah right. Wicked sense of humor you've got there.

[Sanctified]

13. None of the above, Jesus's message was about love and forgiveness.

Jesus and a gun makes about as much sense as manure flavored ice cream.

[LiberalEsto]

14. I was using irony

but you're right.

[Sanctified]

15. Oh I agree with everything you said.

I was just giving my answer to your question in regards to who he would shoot.

[GeorgeGist]

17. As far as I am aware, Jesus believed ...

the soul should be led, not followed.