Prayers and Thoughts and Guns

I cannot post many of the articles I see about school shootings. I just refuse. I refuse because I DO believe there needs to be stricter gun laws. I DO NOT agree with arming teachers. (If the police, who are trained to take down criminals cannot even handle this type of situation, how do we expect teachers to do so?). Security guards are not going to do any good if a shooter really wants through. The United States, with its worship of the Constitution and love of guns, is the only country that has this horrible reality called school shootings.

However, I also cannot post articles that are for stricter gun laws. The reason? They are way too secular. They always downplay the idea of "thoughts and prayers." I do know what these writers mean. People use "thoughts and prayers" as an excuse to not take action. Ironically, the Bible also addresses this. See James 2:14-26 at the end of this post.

So while I understand the sentiment, I know prayer is effective. Our society may enjoy mocking those who have faith. I refuse to do so. I have seen prayers answered. I rely on prayers more than I rely on any action of or advice from a human being, more than I rely on science, more than I rely on technology. So, no, I cannot re-post those articles, even though I agree with their stance on gun laws.

In short, this is what happens when politics is everything. Again, please see the Passage below. It shows God isn't for the supposed "conservative Christian" mindset right now, either - at least not on this issue.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead (James 2:14-26, NIV).