Looking Closer at the Orlando Shooting

                                                           +AJPM+

THE CATHOLIC HTOWNER:

 I normally don't like writing pieces like this, especially this early into a tragedy, because there are still plenty of unknown factors into it and if I make a claim about the event and I turn out to be wrong, then I look like a jackass.

So for this, I'm only going to stick with what I know for a fact about related topics, what I can deduce within reason and other observances.

With that, let's get a few things out of the way:

1. As far as this talk about tougher and more gun control laws goes....those are flat out NOT going to happen.

While there are conflicting reports on this, the shooter either followed all gun laws currently on the books or the government failed to watch him when he bought the guns.
So, if the first part is true, what's the point of more laws? If the second part is true, why should we give more authority to the people who screwed up their job in the first place?
Furthermore, one of the best sayings I've ever heard about gun laws was this:

If you outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns.

Don't believe me? Back when he was working for ABC,  John Stossel interviewed convicts in prison about gun laws and their view was in a nutshell gun laws don't matter to them because they don't obey them. Stossel would go on to cite a study from the National Academy of Sciences that shows the group could not find ANY gun control law that reduced crime. (For the story, click here.)

2. The attitude the shooter had towards gays is NOT limited to ISIS: it's a teaching of Islam in general.

Now I can hear some misguided secularist say "but the Bible doesn't have nice things to say about gays either."
Yeah...the people who make that argument obviously don't get it. Jesus did not say at any point in any written or oral teaching that gays must be killed; Muhammad did say that. In one hadith (a saying, teaching or action done by Muhammad not found in the Koran but considered equally authoritative), it does call for the death penalty for anyone who engages in sodomy.

In fact, out of all the countries that call for the death penalty for open homosexuals, every last one is an Islamic country...NOT a single Christian country in the group.

3. Some idiots out there are trying to blame Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular for the shooting.

One question....how? The shooter never associated himself with any Christian group or denomination for that matter. What does Christianity have to do with this?

4. Why can't they just call the shooter a radical Islamic terrorist?

After all, that's what he is. No...there's a reason why they don't do that and it has nothing to do with facts.

5. A phrase being used less and less after each tragedy.

In an earlier post, I mentioned the difference between actor Mark Wahlberg and cartoonist Seth MacFarlane on how each reacted to the Boston Marathon Bombing. Wahlberg the Catholic said his prayers were with the victims and MacFarlane the atheist said his thoughts are with the victims.
While "our thoughts are with the victims" is sometimes phrased as "our hearts are with the victims", "my prayers are with them" is being heard less and less.

I don't think this has anything to do with the victims being gay (because contrary to atheist brainwashing, Christianity is about saving people from the sin of homosexuality, not killing people because of their sin) but I do think it has to do with the growing secularism in society.

Your thoughts being with someone makes no sense as the average human adult has about 50 to 70,000 thoughts per day. You expect me to believe this particular situation will take precedence over the other thoughts? Your hearts are even worse since "the heart is a fickle thing; who can trust it?"

6. As long as we turn our backs against Christ the King, nothing is ever going to get better.

If you've never heard this before, I won't count it against you: I myself haven't looked fully into it until recently. Nevertheless, the teachings associated with it are needed for this day.