By: Rev. Gerald Adams
Many have said that they only do comedy and game shows on media. Their rational is that drama is too close to their daily lives. So, rather than deal with the real they seek solace in sitcoms.
A play on the words of an old hymn of the church might say, “Change and decay in all around I see; (Death and destruction all around I see,) O Thou who changes not, abide with me. Death and destruction all around: Mass killings on college campuses, police killings and police getting killed, domestic shootings and stabbings, babies being killed in drive-bys and legal executions.
A visibly pained and frustrated POTUS seeks to share with the families of the latest mass killing in Oregon the comfort of all Americans expresses his feelings that he has had to do too much of this and hopes that he will not have to do it again during his remaining tenure. He says “prayer is not enough.”
In Texas, a public school has a student and community prayer meeting for the families of victims in Oregon and is attacked by a civil watchdog group from Wisconsin that points out that praying on public school grounds is a violation of national law. You may shoot but you cannot pray. In Fort Worth, Texas a NRA gun dealer is closing his business because he is having trouble getting ammo is having a weekend gun show and sell out. All inventory must go. Adults’ entrance fee is $18 and children’s admission is free. Down the way in Austin, the State Capital, debates are being held on open carry laws for college campuses. By the way, Oregon is an open carry state.
If prayer is not enough, what must we do? Gun control, while not the only answer, is one answer. Just do it! Stop playing. The sitcoms will provide relief only until you are visited with disaster. We must be kind to all.
