The Supreme Court has begun hearing a case which will determine whether or not the Constitution includes an individual’s right to bear arms. The District of Columbia claims the power to deny its citizens private ownership of guns on the grounds that no militia exists as a prerequisite under the 2nd Amendment.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
It might also be well to include other concepts as part of the decision making process, perhaps the 9th Amendment.
“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
The political maneuverings which I’ve both heard and read would lead me to believe that neither the 2nd or 9th Amendments are at the heart of the issue; instead the American individual’s ability to govern his/herself is in jeopardy. This “Great Experiment” in self government was established on the premise that, “…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
The information reaching my eyes and ears would lead me to wonder how many of my fellow citizens have lost faith, not only in themselves as capable of self government and control; but of a larger more important issue, that of the divine nature of our Creator and the origin of our freedom as a nation.
Members of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence could be heard as they chanted “guns kill”, “save our children” and other reasons to include accidental shootings as if those in favor of individual gun rights go about killing indiscriminately and have no thought for the safety of our little ones. Being of sound mind, red flags of warning wave each time I hear such tainted lines of illogic and, rather than dismiss them; instead I wonder what agenda would be achieved by someone so foolish as to spew them. In the words of the recently departed William Buckley, “I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said”.
“Anise Jenkins, president of a coalition called Stand Up for Democracy in D.C., defended the district's prohibition on handguns.” “We feel our local council knows what we need for a good standard of life and to keep us safe,” according to the FoxNews article.
Have these folks no understanding of the expectations of the human condition here in America? Do they have no understanding of the foundations of Democracy? The answer would have to be, “No, they haven’t got a clue” or they would never turn over a God given right to anyone; much less to an arm of government.
There are many who would claim, “…the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them…” doesn’t refer to the Judeo/Christian God found in the Bible; but to a more generic terminology such as Springtime or some other vagary. I involved myself in such a discussion and posted it back in May of 2005 under the title, Author of Liberty, as I found several individuals who could not bring themselves to offer thanks to God for our individual rights; gratitude to the Creator not being found in their character.
This past week I ran across a rather disturbing advertisement on the Internet, an opportunity to purchase a DVD intended to blast away any faith in God. The presentation is called, “The God Who Wasn’t There” , if you are so inclined. Quoting from their official website:
“Own the taboo-shattering documentary that Newsweek says "irreverently lays out the case that Jesus Christ never existed.”
What possible goal or agenda might such a presentation have other than to destroy an individual’s faith in God, Jesus Christ and as an added bonus, destroy the foundations from which our nation sprang? If there is no God there can be no God Given Rights. If there are no God Given Rights then these “privileges” must come from some other source; then they must, by default, be the product of government and such privileges can be either added to or taken away by government.
It might be difficult for many of you to follow along with me from this point as I refer to the Book of Mormon concerning the nature of certain men, men who will deny the existence of God. Be that as it may, the Book of Mormon stands as a witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and has wisdom within its pages that can be confirmed by the Holy Spirit for those willing to invest themselves in honest prayer.
A man declaring his disbelief in the reality of God is presented in Alma 11: 21-46 when Zeezrom confronts Amulek. Zeezrom starts it off in verse 21, “And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you? Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you?” Does this look familiar to similar settings today?
You’ll have to use the link if you want to find out how it turned out, I wish to move along.
There can be no discussion on God Given Rights without first establishing the existence of that God who is capable of granting individuals those rights. Like I said a moment ago, it might be difficult for many of you to follow along with me from this point as I refer to the Book of Mormon.
In Alma 30, starting in verse 6 we meet an unhappy fellow named Korihor, “But it came to pass in the *latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was Anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.”
There follows an explanation as to how the law of the land grants unto each individual the right to either believe or not believe in God with no penalty as long as the other laws of the land were followed; basically the Ten Commandments. Alma 30:6-11
“And he did rise up in great swelling words before Alma, and did revile against the priests and teachers, accusing them of leading away the people after the silly traditions of their fathers, for the sake of glutting on the labors of the people.” Alma 30:31
You’ll have to use the link if you want to find out how it turned out; but I warn you in advance, you with little or no faith, you won’t like it.
Okay, just one more reference to the scriptures and I’ll close. This next one is for anyone who is too lazy or time challenged to sit down and read all the Bible or Book of Mormon in order to gain a complete understanding as to our relationship with God; remember, the object of discussion has to do with God Given Rights, individual gun ownership rights and stuff like that. In one chapter, less than two pages of serious reading you can pick up everything you might wish to know about God; don’t believe me, give it a try anyway.
One more time, you’ll have to use the link; but I warn you with little or no faith, you won’t like it. There is little good gained from teaching pigs to sing, it wears out the teacher and only serves to annoy the pigs.
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