When People Attack "Thoughts and Prayers" Phrase
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According to CNN, there has been 22 school shootings in the United States of America, as of May 18, 2018. Now, I have not thoroughly fact checked each and every single episode of gun violence they have listed on the map. Maybe there really has been that many. Maybe the numbers are off. Either way, regardless of whether the shootings have killed, injured or simply frightened people, it is something that needs to be taken seriously. Very seriously. Unfortunately, and this is also far from the first time, you have seen many people telling people to stop sending their thoughts and prayers during tragedies. You even have articles like this one, that go as far as downright mocking God and Christians. This one made it look as though God is fake, useless, and careless, and that people are being equally so by praying to him.
Why
Why? Because they insist that they need to get off their knees, unfold their hands, open their eyes, get there, meet the victims, give or send money, volunteer or take some other physical action of the sort. True, we do need more people to do just that, but here's the thing: not everyone is in a position to do that. It would be great to have millions come together and partake in physical action or to send money, but it's not feasible for everyone. Yes, some people do happen to use it meaninglessly, with no relation to God, but how can you even be so sure about that? Let's discuss God for a little and why he allegedly "does nothing" during tragedies such as this.
Where Is God In Tragedies?
From the beginning of time, we have been given the freedom of choice: good or bad. 2018? Same thing: good or bad. We have the choice to prefer soccer over basketball. The choice to choose an iPhone 8 Plus over a Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Alright, so most people get that, but why does God have to cause us to suffer such awful tragedies? Is he deaf, blind, sadistic or something? No, the opposite. It is we, that have made the world the way it is by constantly choosing to do an evergrowing list of horrible things to each other. As much as we would love for life to be all sunshine, rainbows, lilies and singing canaries, it isn't. We cannot, and should not, condemn God every time something does not go exactly the way we want it to. Evil is present in this world, and as such, the consequences that come along with it. God is present in each and every tragedy, and is indeed fully capable of stopping them, but does not stop all of them. Sometimes the reason is obvious and apparent. At other times, it isn't. This leaves us upset and causes others to cuss God, or insult those that choose to believe in him.
The Real Solution
Two things:
1. No more "right to keep and bear arms" A lot of people will strongly disagree, but you know what? It's time for it to go. Time have proven for long enough, that this is an unnecessary form of self-defense. There are over 190 countries in the world, but only 3 protect the right to bear arms in their constitutions: United States of America, Mexico and Guatemala. Just three. Due to the United States significant international presence, its stories get the most press and notice whenever an incident occurs. There are many nations that rank higher in terms of living and personal safety, none of which obviously have the loose arms law in place. No more guns for regular citizens.
2. It's high time for Donald Trump, the American president, to acknowledge that gun violence is more than just a mental problem. It can be both, but do not insist it's only always one and not the other. As proven with several of the cases, not every gun operator has a history of mental illness, nor does testing reveal any. In fact, constantly using the "mental illness" as an excuse for every criminal, does nothing but stigmatize those that are mentally ill, but harmless. After all, he has the power to revoke the gun law. Talk about blaming God, when he was never the one that told us to go ahead and manufacture guns by the millions, and then make laws that allow your citizens to use them for self-defense. The control is clearly in America's hands.
Conclusion
If you can help, help. If you cannot, there is no harm in otherwise wishing someone well, hoping and praying for the best. In situations like this, where the power is clearly in our hands to make change, we must push for it. Now, I know that a lot of people will be tempted to point out that there are many other things that can be used abusively. Spears, arrows and kitchen knives are fantastic examples. Even your cat and dog can be trained to be abusive. However, these tools are not capable of massive, quick murder. Guns, as cool as they look, sound, and are fun for certain sports, have been abused to unacceptable levels. Denial will not help.
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