News of this shooting came as I was preparing a sermon for Good Friday, the day Christians remember the death of Jesus. The stories are far from parallel, but this much is true--first century society and our contemporary culture both suffer from disordered thinking. We are inclined toward violence in way that is not only unhealthy, it doesn't make sense.
As I reflected on one of the words Jesus spoke from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," it occurred to me that each of the parties that played a part in the crucifixion did what was expected of them. The religious leaders were protecting the religious establishment. The government was keeping peace and order, and the crowd listened to its leaders and followed.
When we look at the ways our government works, our religious establishment (full disclosure: I'm part of it) and the findings of social psychology, we shouldn't expect the outcome to be any different were it to occur today.
What does this have to do with the shooting in this particular case? I think the shooter did what many of us would have done in the same situation. I am no attorney, but through popular culture, I already knew it was within my rights to kill an intruder.
But does it make sense? The shooter did just what we've seen in sitcoms and movies, and just what many of us might do if we woke up scared and disoriented.
Yet he was upstairs, and the suspected burglar was down. The police had already been called, and the shooter owned his home, which means he was likely insured against theft.
He likely would have protected his family better by hiding them, leaving by a back door, or simply waiting at the top of the steps. But these ideas only come with time and with reflection.
This is why ethical/moral/theological reasoning in advance is so important. In a crisis, we rely on instinct, and the paths of least resistance. We fall into the roles we have been taught to follow. That is what happened in first century Palestine, and that is what happened here. (Please don't read me as implying, however, that the shooter killed Jesus--or even assigning any intention to the shooter.)
I do not know if the shooter was a part of a spiritual community, but again and again we hear stories that reinforce a reach for the gun. This weekend, Christians will hear a story where violence fails, and victory comes through suffering.
Christians today need to hear that story, and stories like it, more than ever.
It's scary that violence comes so naturally and even seems instinctual. Preventing more early deaths like this one requires self-discipline and training for all of us.
Picture via wikipedia..
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As I reflected on one of the words Jesus spoke from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," it occurred to me that each of the parties that played a part in the crucifixion did what was expected of them. The religious leaders were protecting the religious establishment. The government was keeping peace and order, and the crowd listened to its leaders and followed.
When we look at the ways our government works, our religious establishment (full disclosure: I'm part of it) and the findings of social psychology, we shouldn't expect the outcome to be any different were it to occur today.
What does this have to do with the shooting in this particular case? I think the shooter did what many of us would have done in the same situation. I am no attorney, but through popular culture, I already knew it was within my rights to kill an intruder.
But does it make sense? The shooter did just what we've seen in sitcoms and movies, and just what many of us might do if we woke up scared and disoriented.
Yet he was upstairs, and the suspected burglar was down. The police had already been called, and the shooter owned his home, which means he was likely insured against theft.
He likely would have protected his family better by hiding them, leaving by a back door, or simply waiting at the top of the steps. But these ideas only come with time and with reflection.
This is why ethical/moral/theological reasoning in advance is so important. In a crisis, we rely on instinct, and the paths of least resistance. We fall into the roles we have been taught to follow. That is what happened in first century Palestine, and that is what happened here. (Please don't read me as implying, however, that the shooter killed Jesus--or even assigning any intention to the shooter.)
I do not know if the shooter was a part of a spiritual community, but again and again we hear stories that reinforce a reach for the gun. This weekend, Christians will hear a story where violence fails, and victory comes through suffering.
Christians today need to hear that story, and stories like it, more than ever.
It's scary that violence comes so naturally and even seems instinctual. Preventing more early deaths like this one requires self-discipline and training for all of us.
Picture via wikipedia..
Good points Rev Drew. Instincts are developed over time through education and experience. Unfortunately the shooter's instincts were to shoot to kill. At times our society leads us to develop "killer instincts" as a percieved necessity for survival in a world that we view as violent and dangerous. Violence and anger are self perpetuating...in that one tends to respond to violence and anger with thier own violence and anger. It is a crazy, unfortunate situation. Perhaps if the shooter had been exposed to more peaceful methods of conflict resolution both men could have been in a different place today? Welcome to America. Shoot first, ask questions later.
Good points.