Not One Word to Promote Violence Should Come from Our Lips
Description
The problem is that we must be able to disagree--even to declare others wrong--and others should be able to disagree with us as well.
On Sunday a gunman drove into a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Michigan, opened fire, killing 4 attendees and setting the church on fire before eventually being shot and killed by police.
We can all express our opinions regarding the motivation of the shooter. There are many options, and they are all speculation.
* He was a Marine and a veteran of war in Iraq. Perhaps he had some post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) struggles that made him act irrationally. Many veterans are struggling with elements of post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI). Commonly called PTSD, this is not a psychological condition, it is a brain injury that happens when living in life and death situations for long periods of time. The civilian population has no sense of the depth of pain these men who fought for our country are suffering.
* He shouted that all Mormons are anti-Christ. Perhaps he had some skewed vision of evangelical Christianity that drove him not only to see Mormons as spiritual opponents, but also worthy of death.
* He had formerly dated a very religious Mormon woman. Perhaps this tragedy was the result of a romantic relationship and the rejection of a man who was already mentally unstable.
* Perhaps some of these or all combined together to motivate his behavior.
Here is what we do know. We increasingly see bad actors thinking that overt acts of violence against innocent people are a way to express their anger and frustrations over a society that is in turmoil. People are just not thinking rationally out there. …
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