VA Tech Tragedy
As many people did today, I spent much of the day watching coverage of the tragedy at Virginia Tech today. This tragedy has saddened me. While I only know a few people who attend Tech, I have several good friends who do go there or graduated from there. My prayers go out to all who have been affected by this incident, those who have died, those who have been injured, their families, and friends.
As I have been looking at coverage online, I have been reading some of the comments on this story posted on slashdot. One thing that I noticed being repeated over and over is that if guns had not been banned on the campus of VA Tech, then this tragedy would have been lessened, if not entirely averted. However, there are a number of faulty assumptions with this statement. First, it assumes that there would have been someone with a gun in a position to try and stop the shooter. While certainly possible, it is not inevitable that someone with a gun, had they been allowed, would have been in a position to try to act. Secondly, it assumes that such a person, with a gun in the right place, would have necessarily been able to stop the shooter. Again, this is problematic because there are so many factors that would have to go into this situation. Is the gun loaded? Will the person have the ability to actually shoot another person? Such a person could have missed, and been shot by the shooter. In short, it is fallacious to argue that, had guns been allowed on campus, this incident would not have happened. Is it possible that, had guns been allowed on campus, that the shooter could have been stopped before he killed so many people? Certainly, it is possible. But it is not inevitable, nor perhaps even likely.
Some, in response to this, would like to expand the availability of guns for the students on the VA Tech campus. However, we need to consider, is this actually the best possible way to respond and prevent future incidents? Personally, I don't think this would be the best response. Instead of looking to provide a patch, we need to consider more deeply the causes of this and other similar incidents. The cure for violence is not more violence, or the potential for more violence. I do not ascribe to the statement that violence never solves anything, rather, often times violence has solved, on a short term basis, many crisis situations. For instance, Robert Heinlein points out in his book Starship Troopers, violence solved the differences between Rome and Carthage, with the utter destruction of Carthage. While this is the case, I am firmly of the mindset that violence, while it does solve some problems, and may be able to solve many problems, at least in the short term; violence should not be the response to violence. This will only lead to greater and greater violence.
So what, then, should the response be? In my view, the only successful response, in the long-term, to violence, is non-violent resistance. This conviction rises out of my commitment to Christianity, and the non-violent response it brings forward. Now, many may say that Christianity does not espouse a non-violent rhetoric, and will point to the many atrocities committed in the name of Christianity. However, while it is true that there have been many times that Christianity has been used not only to under gird but to fully endorse the use of violence, in my reading of the New Testament it is clear that such a use is a complete misunderstanding of the message that Jesus brought and died for. Vernard Eller, in his book War and Peace From Genesis to Revelation: King Jesus Manual of Arms for the 'Armless argues "one hardly can reject the peace position without rejecting the gospel itself." Thus, rather than simply having a knee-jerk reaction to this incident, such as arming as many people as possible, we need to look deeply at the root causes of violence. These causes are rooted in our culture itself, and to change them will not be easy. Since the exact details of why this person went on such a rampage are not known currently, a comprehensive response cannot, at this time, be formulated.
Can violence, ultimately, be defeated? Yes, I believe so. The gospel message undercuts and invalidates the use of violence, offering a different way of living that allows us to live together in community without violence. I leave with this from Jesus: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." (John 14:27a NRSV).
As I have been looking at coverage online, I have been reading some of the comments on this story posted on slashdot. One thing that I noticed being repeated over and over is that if guns had not been banned on the campus of VA Tech, then this tragedy would have been lessened, if not entirely averted. However, there are a number of faulty assumptions with this statement. First, it assumes that there would have been someone with a gun in a position to try and stop the shooter. While certainly possible, it is not inevitable that someone with a gun, had they been allowed, would have been in a position to try to act. Secondly, it assumes that such a person, with a gun in the right place, would have necessarily been able to stop the shooter. Again, this is problematic because there are so many factors that would have to go into this situation. Is the gun loaded? Will the person have the ability to actually shoot another person? Such a person could have missed, and been shot by the shooter. In short, it is fallacious to argue that, had guns been allowed on campus, this incident would not have happened. Is it possible that, had guns been allowed on campus, that the shooter could have been stopped before he killed so many people? Certainly, it is possible. But it is not inevitable, nor perhaps even likely.
Some, in response to this, would like to expand the availability of guns for the students on the VA Tech campus. However, we need to consider, is this actually the best possible way to respond and prevent future incidents? Personally, I don't think this would be the best response. Instead of looking to provide a patch, we need to consider more deeply the causes of this and other similar incidents. The cure for violence is not more violence, or the potential for more violence. I do not ascribe to the statement that violence never solves anything, rather, often times violence has solved, on a short term basis, many crisis situations. For instance, Robert Heinlein points out in his book Starship Troopers, violence solved the differences between Rome and Carthage, with the utter destruction of Carthage. While this is the case, I am firmly of the mindset that violence, while it does solve some problems, and may be able to solve many problems, at least in the short term; violence should not be the response to violence. This will only lead to greater and greater violence.
So what, then, should the response be? In my view, the only successful response, in the long-term, to violence, is non-violent resistance. This conviction rises out of my commitment to Christianity, and the non-violent response it brings forward. Now, many may say that Christianity does not espouse a non-violent rhetoric, and will point to the many atrocities committed in the name of Christianity. However, while it is true that there have been many times that Christianity has been used not only to under gird but to fully endorse the use of violence, in my reading of the New Testament it is clear that such a use is a complete misunderstanding of the message that Jesus brought and died for. Vernard Eller, in his book War and Peace From Genesis to Revelation: King Jesus Manual of Arms for the 'Armless argues "one hardly can reject the peace position without rejecting the gospel itself." Thus, rather than simply having a knee-jerk reaction to this incident, such as arming as many people as possible, we need to look deeply at the root causes of violence. These causes are rooted in our culture itself, and to change them will not be easy. Since the exact details of why this person went on such a rampage are not known currently, a comprehensive response cannot, at this time, be formulated.
Can violence, ultimately, be defeated? Yes, I believe so. The gospel message undercuts and invalidates the use of violence, offering a different way of living that allows us to live together in community without violence. I leave with this from Jesus: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." (John 14:27a NRSV).
posted by Pastor Doug | 9:51 PM
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