Why the right to bear arms?
I know, stop Phil, this isn't a political blog.
Well, yes.... and no.
I wanted to talk about Esther, queen of Persia, wife of Xerxes I, niece to Mordecai the Jew. I know, most know the story, but believe it or not, it has application today.
According to Jewish tradition, a high adviser to the king was Haman the Agagite. Now if you don't know about Agagites, the tradition is that Haman descended from Agag, the king of the Amelekites that Saul had been commanded by God to destroy. When Samuel found that Saul had spared the king, he took matters into his own hands, and killed him. Haman was a descendant of Agag, and thus carried the hatred of his ancestors. Top that with his hatred of Mordecai, who had refused to bow to him, and that created a bad situation.
With permission of the King, Haman sent a decree ordering the people to kill all the Jews. All of them. We know how the story goes, Esther goes before the King, points out that Haman is going to hang Mordecai, and slaughter her people. The king orders Haman hung, and, while he cannot retract the decree, He decreed that the Jews protect themselves, and the original order was mostly ignored.
Why the Sunday School lesson? Well, there is much talk about the right to bear arms, especially in this time of mourning for those murdered by an ISIS assassin. Calls for gun control, especially for so-called "assault weapons", abound. And legislation will probably be forthcoming. We can only hope that this legislation is stopped.
Here is what the 2nd Amendment was NOT written for:
Hunting
Sports shooting
Self, or home defense
So, if it was not for those things, then what?
Defense against tyranny. When written, it WAS specifically for overthrowing a runaway federal government. Unless the military were to side with the people against the civil government, it is unlikely that that could happen today, Even if we were allowed to have proper weaponry. Today, it would be more as a defense for those times when those sworn to defend us are not around. It is to keep society free. There is a saying that goes like this:
"What is the difference between slaves, and free citizens? guns." There is much truth to that.
If you look at where most of the mass shootings have occurred, what do they have in common? If you said that they happened in a gun-free zone, then you can go to the head of the class. If even one responsible person had had a gun, then.... but they would have been violating the law themselves, wouldn't they? Florida has a law banning guns in establishments that serve alcohol. Sheep at the slaughter house.
When the Jews were allowed to defend themselves from the Persians, the Persians mostly stood down, and didn't want to risk life and limb. Had the Jews not been allowed to, then....
Now do you get the post?
Well, yes.... and no.
I wanted to talk about Esther, queen of Persia, wife of Xerxes I, niece to Mordecai the Jew. I know, most know the story, but believe it or not, it has application today.
According to Jewish tradition, a high adviser to the king was Haman the Agagite. Now if you don't know about Agagites, the tradition is that Haman descended from Agag, the king of the Amelekites that Saul had been commanded by God to destroy. When Samuel found that Saul had spared the king, he took matters into his own hands, and killed him. Haman was a descendant of Agag, and thus carried the hatred of his ancestors. Top that with his hatred of Mordecai, who had refused to bow to him, and that created a bad situation.
With permission of the King, Haman sent a decree ordering the people to kill all the Jews. All of them. We know how the story goes, Esther goes before the King, points out that Haman is going to hang Mordecai, and slaughter her people. The king orders Haman hung, and, while he cannot retract the decree, He decreed that the Jews protect themselves, and the original order was mostly ignored.
Why the Sunday School lesson? Well, there is much talk about the right to bear arms, especially in this time of mourning for those murdered by an ISIS assassin. Calls for gun control, especially for so-called "assault weapons", abound. And legislation will probably be forthcoming. We can only hope that this legislation is stopped.
Here is what the 2nd Amendment was NOT written for:
Hunting
Sports shooting
Self, or home defense
So, if it was not for those things, then what?
Defense against tyranny. When written, it WAS specifically for overthrowing a runaway federal government. Unless the military were to side with the people against the civil government, it is unlikely that that could happen today, Even if we were allowed to have proper weaponry. Today, it would be more as a defense for those times when those sworn to defend us are not around. It is to keep society free. There is a saying that goes like this:
"What is the difference between slaves, and free citizens? guns." There is much truth to that.
If you look at where most of the mass shootings have occurred, what do they have in common? If you said that they happened in a gun-free zone, then you can go to the head of the class. If even one responsible person had had a gun, then.... but they would have been violating the law themselves, wouldn't they? Florida has a law banning guns in establishments that serve alcohol. Sheep at the slaughter house.
When the Jews were allowed to defend themselves from the Persians, the Persians mostly stood down, and didn't want to risk life and limb. Had the Jews not been allowed to, then....
Now do you get the post?
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