Reply #132: Telling me that Christianity is neutral about violence makes about as much sense as telling me...

[arendt]

that Judaism is neutral about pork.

I am not "equating the lawful and responsible ownership of common guns with immoral violence". I am pointing out the total hypocrisy of a religion of peace giving away lethal weaponry.

The "brand identity" of Christianity is: Prince of Peace, turn the other cheek, love your enemies, judge not lest you be judged, St Franics of Assisi (who barely missed being excommunicated), etc. The ORIGINAL version Christianity is radically PEACEFUL. Of course, real Christianity was hijacked by Constantine and the Roman Empire in 325 AD.

I am tired of your constant attempts to transform guns into mere commodities by comparing them to non-human-lethal tools like fishing polls or iPods or DVDs. Guns are lethal. They belong in a different category. I'm sure you will respond that its possible to kill someone with a fishing pole.

My gripe is with the fundamentalist churches making themselves a state within a state and arming themselves to the teeth. In America, freedom of religion has become an all-purpose get out of jail free card. The more that a religion becomes just another big box store for the accoutrements of whatever society it lives in (like the one where guns are just another commodity to be sold), the less it is true to its origins and the more it is just another political organization.

To the extent that you endorse their corruption of Christianity, you tar yourself with their fundamentalism. That's how politics works. You need to think about who you are getting into bed with here.

The premise that Christianity needs to condemn, or at least not condone, the lawful and righteous use of guns assumse a priori that guns are sinful.

You are putting words in my mouth. I never said they need to condemn the lawful and righteous use of guns. I said that these particular paranoid and seditious preachers giving away guns makes me nervous. You will probably say, you aren't concerned with criminals getting guns either.

arendt