Christianity and Gun Control

The Bible, which is the foundation of all Christian teachings, is silent about the issue of guns and gun control. However, it offers guidelines on their use, just like any other weapon. Guns regulations are a contemporary religious issue because the mention of guns evokes emotions of life and death. From a Christian’s standpoint, the sanctity of life must be prioritized. Christians need to protect themselves while in prayer and other activities. The traditional Mosaic Law “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” supports gun ownership (De Souza 98). The dilemma in gun control arises due to the ability of guns to take and protect life. Pro-life Christians believe loose gun controls occasion the rise of mass shooting cases in America. However, in response to mass shooting incidences, religious nationalists argued that “Guns don’t kill people” and misuse of firearms is a decay of Christian values. According to Whitehead, Schnabel & Perry, the gun control debate is not an issue of public safety but about a God-given right (2). Religion influences people’s identities and may be used to examine the complex relationship between relations and gun ownership in America (Merino 3).

Considering Christian values, gun control is viewed as both a civil and a religious issue. Christians believe that God initiates civil rules to guide people, and these views should be used to inform public policies (Merino 4). Catholics are more pro-life and, given the impact of loose gun control on human life, advocate for stricter rules (Whitehead et al., 3). The National Rifle Association, politicians, and human rights activists use this view to justify the need for strict gun control. God has the power to transform people’s hearts in-out (Merino 4), and turning to Christian values may reduce mass shooting incidences (Whitehead et al., 9). Given the religious controversies surrounding gun control, subjecting the issue to logic and morality in a religious perspective will establish a balance between responsibilities attached to God’s providence. The Christian view on gun control centers on the need for self-defense to protect and preserve life. This view is supported by moral theory, serving our duty of going good to others.

Works Cited

De Souza, Silvia Virginia Silva. “Arms Decree and the Evangelical Bloc.” Sur: International Journal on Human Rights 16.29 (2019). https://sur.conectas.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/08-sur-29-ingles-silvia-virginia-silva-de-souza.pdf

Merino, Stephen M. “God and guns: Examining religious influences on gun control attitudes in the United States.” Religions 9.6 (2018): 189. http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/6/189/pdf

Whitehead, Andrew L., Landon Schnabel, and Samuel L. Perry. “Gun control in the crosshairs: Christian nationalism and opposition to stricter gun laws.” Socius 4 (2018): 2378023118790189.       https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2378023118790189

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Christianity and Gun Control

Students will write up short summaries (at least 250 words) of a contemporary problems, discussing why it is a problem for the religious tradition and how the religion is responding to it. In addition to student-written summaries, your paper should also include: links to articles and websites, images, infographics, videos, or other relevant visual aids on your group pages.

Christianity and Gun Control

Your project is only as good as your resources. You need to make sure that you use reliable resources, especially online. There is a lot of misinformation out there! Look for official websites, government websites, academic articles, and legitimate newspaper articles

Important:

You will need to do research; your textbook and required readings will not have enough information about the topic. You will need to consult a minimum of three outside sources and one must be a book reference. You will also need notes in your paper, and a Bibliography/Works Cited page in MLA style.

Do not use Wikipedia as an internet source. You may use internet sources but use only academic sources from the internet. (Academic sources list individual authors, name their sources, and have institutional affiliations.) Points will be deducted for infractions of these rules.