tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post4297411482198883080..comments2023-12-31T16:21:50.498-05:00Comments on Enter The Door Within: What's the Big Deal About School Shootings?WayneThomasBatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837713579691260482noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post-65149068207769938462018-05-20T19:07:11.128-05:002018-05-20T19:07:11.128-05:00Mr. Batson, I could not disagree with you more on ...Mr. Batson, I could not disagree with you more on the issue of guns, but I'm not here to try and change your mind. Instead I would like to thank you, for being willing to speak up for what you think is right even if it may be unpopular with your fans, and also for remaining rational and respectful I a debate that as you so rightly pointed out is full of name calling and whining. both of those thing took integrity and courage and I respect you for that<br /><br />your disagreeing but loving brother in ChristAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post-89697258777389918152018-04-04T17:29:04.704-05:002018-04-04T17:29:04.704-05:00Mr. Batson I appreciate your honesty about all thi...Mr. Batson I appreciate your honesty about all this but I do want to point something out. I have done many studies on the subject and read some eye opening books about video game violence. The thing is that it does not cause aggression in children or teens. It does not cause an increase in violence either. Even if it is realisitic it still is fantasy violence and young people can distinguish fantasy from reality. Violent video games or violent play on the playground are no different. When kids pretend to play cops and robbers and play with imaginary guns it is actually helpful to them. It helps them to get out their aggression in a non-harmful way. It lets them experience the feelings associated with power and control that their young minds need to learn about. I used to think the same thing as you and most adults that violence in video games and movies causes young people to become violent but after all the research and study it just isn't the case. Real violence and tragedies shown in the media is more a cause of violence in young people than fantasy violence in video games and movies. There is a book called "Killing Monsters" which I think was very helpful when trying to find out more about this topic. Never Alone.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420085485612754062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post-22253098558278594862018-04-04T17:28:22.443-05:002018-04-04T17:28:22.443-05:00Mr. Batson I appreciate your honesty about all thi...Mr. Batson I appreciate your honesty about all this but I do want to point something out. I have done many studies on the subject and read some eye opening books about video game violence. The thing is that it does not cause aggression in children or teens. It does not cause an increase in violence either. Even if it is realisitic it still is fantasy violence and young people can distinguish fantasy from reality. Violent video games or violent play on the playground are no different. When kids pretend to play cops and robbers and play with imaginary guns it is actually helpful to them. It helps them to get out their aggression in a non-harmful way. It lets them experience the feelings associated with power and control that their young minds need to learn about. I used to think the same thing as you and most adults that violence in video games and movies causes young people to become violent but after all the research and study it just isn't the case. Real violence and tragedies shown in the media is more a cause of violence in young people than fantasy violence in video games and movies. There is a book called "Killing Monsters" which I think was very helpful when trying to find out more about this topic. Never Alone.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420085485612754062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post-58237724266017453402018-02-25T12:10:21.210-05:002018-02-25T12:10:21.210-05:00This whole issue is complex. I think there are thi...This whole issue is complex. I think there are things that we aren't taking into consideration, when we look at the whole gun shooting issue. There are several things I think we need to ask ourselves.<br /><br />One of them is, how many shootings have been stopped because of other people (civilian or others) were able to intervene and stop the shooter before it went too far? I'm not saying everyone should be carrying a gun, but I do believe it's something we should think about and look into.<br /><br />Another thing is, what type of medication was the shooter on, when they started shooting? The reason I ask this, is because there has been some strong correlations between meds that people have been on, and shootings. Read people who have been on ADD/ADHD medicines, and others on psychotropic drugs, and let them tell you how they've felt and what they've thought.<br /><br />What about the question of how far do we carry this? Ban assault rifles, guns, knives, fists? Honestly, if you ban one thing, the bad guys will just find something as powerful (or make something as powerful) that they'll use. I'm not saying that this defeats the purpose, but it is something we need to think about.<br /><br />I agree that it is an issue of sin and morality. But I don't think we need to go so far as say that "The church is to blame". Really? Do we say that Lot, a righteous man (2 Pet. 2), was to blame for Sodom and Gomorrah's downfall and the gross immorality that they portrayed?<br /><br />Do we say that the new testament church was to blame for the various problems that were prevalent in that time period? Absolutely not! <br /><br />I won't deny that the church has to remember the full scope of the gospel. But just because we see shootings in our day, doesn't mean that we're to blame. <br /><br />What is to blame? Sin. It's what drives people to do evil deeds. It's a wonder that more schools don't get shot up. But it's the grace of God that holds people back from being the most lawless that they can be. I thank God that he has done this, and doesn't allow everything and everyone to be as sinful, lawless, evil, and wicked as they can be. <br /><br />Just my two cents,<br /><br />AndrewAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post-31970768286344436772018-02-23T09:49:36.809-05:002018-02-23T09:49:36.809-05:00Thank you for your insights, Brian. I appreciate t...Thank you for your insights, Brian. I appreciate the "full" perspective. And, honestly, I couldn't agree more. The church bears MUCH of the blame. By being sinful ourselves, we've given the rest of the nation more reason to doubt. By abdicating our role as influencers, we've often lost touch with "be in the world; not of the world." WayneThomasBatsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15837713579691260482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752207.post-28028497232944143962018-02-23T09:20:31.858-05:002018-02-23T09:20:31.858-05:00Mr. Batson, I appreciate your willingness to see t...Mr. Batson, I appreciate your willingness to see the absurdity of these assault rifles, and I especially appreciate you connecting issues of abortion to issues of life after birth. And while I don’t entirely disagree with all of your analysis of the situation, I do think an honest, humble Christian reflection also requires to acknowledge that the church is to blame for much of this as well. Not because we have so-called liberal and conservative churches per se, because I don’t believe that theological differences in themselves automatically amount to being bad , but because much of the church has been so narrowly focused on things like abortion and gay marriage that they have ignored both the gospel call to care for the poor, as well as resisting the rise of violence not only in video games, but in the police force and the military. Out of the mouths of Christians we hear not the gospel or the words of Jesus, but the words of the NRA and the Constitution, defending the right to own and use a gun above the right to live, As if it those were our sacred scripture and inspiration. The Parkland shooting did not happen because of gay marriage or abortion or gender identity issues, but because of the culture of guns and violence that this country and much of the church continue to worship. <br /><br /> Thank you for trying to engage with this through a Christian lens first and encouraging others to do the same. Let us always remember that the example Jesus set for us, to never repay violence with violence, and that true Christian Suffering is suffering which we choose to undergo in order to be like Christ, meaning we would rather have violence done to us than to do it to others.Brian Gormanhttp://brianjgorman.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com