PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
LATEST SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said...""
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- For leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
The U.S. State Department believes the Russian army is now prepared to launch an invasion of eastern Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin decides to pull the trigger, according to a senior Administration official."At this point, they are amassed and they could go at a moment’s notice if Putin gave the go ahead," the official said...Top Ukrainian security officials said Thursday that Russia now has 100,000 troops on its side of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Beast)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT!"Kim Jong-un Calls for Execution of 33 Christians" - 3/7/2014; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3651 "North Korea tyrant Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered that 33 Christians believed to be working alongside South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook be put to death. The South Korean missionary - who was arrested last year - and his accomplices have reportedly started 500 or so underground churches..."[PRAY that the plans for execution would be rescinded, and these believers released.] [Che\ck out: They'll Be Dead By Morning (What Difference Will It Make) http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-what.html
NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan]
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
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Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
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[1] Bullet holes are seen in the glass windows where one person was killed during Friday’s tragic mass shooting and stabbing in Santa Barbara, California (Photo: Gene Blevins/ZUMAPRESS.com)
Mass shootings in southern California last week are bringing up many of the same arguments the country heard after similar atrocities in Columbine, Aurora, and, more recently, Newtown.
“We need more gun control and background checks.”
“We need more money and leeway for our mental health system to catch these people in advance.”
“We should shame and regulate the entertainment industry and video game producers who showcase and glamorize violence in their products.”
These all raise worthy points—some more worthy than others. But we could do all the above—pass more gun control laws, increase the power of the mental health system, ban violence in Hollywood—and bad things still will happen.
We are never going to be able to pass enough laws or ban enough items to stop evil from happening. People do bad things—and guns, mental illness, and violent video games aren’t always to blame. There are times when the only explanation is that the person acted on his evil desires and intentions. We don’t have all the facts yet in this case, and understandably many people believe the killer must have been crazy because, “Who else would do such a terrible thing?” But what if the killer’s failure was one of conscience, not of mental health?
Could the explanation be that he allowed himself to be overtaken by his own self-centeredness, jealousy and hatred of others?
Of course, Americans need to discuss these matters and debate how to make our communities safer and how to prevent such atrocities before they happen. But we can’t ignore the moral dimension—although we usually do following such horrific incidents.
That’s a problem, because if we pretend evil doesn’t exist, or don’t dare mention it for fear of being politically incorrect, or pass off every bad person as someone who was mentally ill or had bad parents or watched too much violence on TV, or any combination of those, we lull ourselves into thinking more laws will end violence. We come to believe that once we’ve passed enough laws, “never again,” will be a reality—until violence does happen again.
The horrific massacre in California would not have been stopped by more gun laws. The killer used handguns [2] he had purchased legally over the past year—not an assault weapon. There is no evidence any of the gun restrictions proposed in Congress last year would have prevented Friday’s shooting.
Three of the victims were killed by a knife. The killer also rammed in to others with his car—thankfully, no one was killed by his vehicle but they certainly could have been. We already have laws against stabbing people and running over people. Are we now going to ban knives and cars?
Our second president, John Adams, said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” He was right. People are not angels. Laws are necessary. But we delude ourselves if we think they will banish all evil from the world.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/05/29/gun-control-cant-end-evil/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2014_05_28_GunControl_Wood.jpg
[2] handguns: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-transcripts-may-25-2014-blumenthal-thune-kinzinger/
Copyright © 2014 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
"'Culture of Sex, Violence' Complicit in UCSB Rampage" - CBNNews.com, May 27, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/May/Culture-of-Sex-Violence-Complicit-in-UCSB-Rampage/
Nearly everyone who was wounded in last week's shooting rampage in Santa Barbara, California, are now out of the the hospital.On Monday night, University of California students honored those who died in the massacre."Walking down the streets of Isla Vista or grabbing a sandwich from a deli shop, really it's a blessing," one University of California, Santa Barbara alumnus said at a vigil. "It really makes me feel grateful just to be doing the simplest things because you never know what can happen and you never know when those things that you enjoy so much doing can be taken away from you."
Meanwhile, police continue to investigate 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, the alleged gunman in Friday's shooting spree.The attack spanned about 10 minutes and included 12 crime scenes. Thirteen people were injured, three were shot dead, and three were stabbed to death inside Rodger's apartment.
Rodger outlined his deadly plot in a 137-page manifesto sent to family, friends, and his therapist. Authorities say he was obsessed with exacting "retribution" for social and sexual isolation. Reportedly, his parents desperately tried to find him after receiving the document, but it was too late.
Meanwhile, Rev. David Guzik, a California college pastor, said America's worship of sex and violence is partially responsible for Rodger's killing spree. Guzik said the massacre shows that "the idols of our culture work destruction in the lives of troubled people." He said that America needs Jesus or "it will be given over to the sex cults and the death cults," which he says drive people to do terrible things.
"THE UC SANTA BARBARA KILLING SPREE: ENTITLEMENT AND ‘RETRIBUTION’" - By: John Hayward, 5/27/2014;http://www.humanevents.com/2014/05/27/the-uc-santa-barbara-killing-spree-entitlement-and-retribution/
"...There are no easy, facile answers to horror and sickness like this, but I wonder how much this supremely entitled youth – a kid who was already driving a BMW, but thought his life was pointless because he couldn’t manage to win the lottery, and could see no other workable path to fulfillment – might have benefited from some realistic expectations, and a concrete sense of movement toward achieving them… not just from people he knew personally, but from the entire culture surrounding him. We spend too much time telling people, especially young people, what they deserve, instead of providing them with realistic aspirations and honorable expectations. It’s wrong to hold everyone else guilty for the actions of a murderous lunatic, or to search for a great deal of rational insight in the ravings of an irrational mind, but I think a healthy culture would have done a better job of arguing with the desperate, hateful, self-absorbed garbage Elliot Rodger wrote in his journal."
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