Raising Heller

To commemorate the SCOTUS ruling on Heller - which, for those of you with your head in the sand, was for an individual right (insert I told you so here) - and in keeping with the trend already started here of asking questions, I'm posting the top five questions I get as a non-law-enforcement, licensed gun toter, along with the answers I normally give.

5) Do you keep a loaded gun in your house?
- Yes. Criminals tend not to wait on you to lock-and-load before doing you harm.

4) Aren't you afraid the gun will go off?
- No. Guns only "go off" in newspapers, where people do nothing wrong but inanimate objects are evil, evil, evil. I personally have yet to hear of a gun sitting in a safe, closet, or desk drawer just magically discharge without some intervention - namely pulling the trigger.

3) What kind of safety mechanisms do you look for in a gun?
- One, and only one: some kind of "drop safety." These come in various forms; some are integrally built in to the pistol and aren't visible; others are built in to the grip or on the trigger. Most guns made in the last 10 years can be dropped with a round chambered and will not discharge. I don't care for any other safeties on a gun (1911s excluded) because they build a sense of false security; they can and will fail. Every gun comes with one safety already - your trigger finger!

2) Why do civilians need high-capacity (10+ round) magazines?
- For the zombies You're home with your family and some goon starts kicking in your door. How many bullets do you want?

1) Far and away, the question I get asked the most: why do you carry a gun?
- Because I can't carry a cop.
- Because when seconds count, the police are minutes away.
- Because a phone doesn't hurt as bad as a bullet.
- Because I don't like the feeling I get when I'm on top of a roof with shingles and nails but no hammer.
- Because someday...

Anglican Dissidents Found Favor In Court

Eleven conservative congregations which broke with the U.S. Episcopal Church and want to keep property worth millions of dollars have won a second court decision, the dissident churches said on Friday.

The latest ruling by a Virginia judge is part of the upheaval over orthodoxy in the global Anglican community.

The Episcopal Church, the faith's U.S. branch, has been beset by disputes, including one involving the installation of an openly gay bishop.

On Friday, Judge Randy Bellows of the Fairfax County Circuit Court ruled that the Virginia law under which the congregations want to keep the property is constitutional, the 11 churches said.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Why do we have such a hard time with the constitution? It says what it says yeah?
-Should churches go to court?
-Do you think this is a good thing the for church or is it bad?
-Is this issue an issue to split over?

The Important Discipline Of Reading Scripture

I hold in my hand a miracle. The Bible is a miracle, and I challenge you to give me any definition of a miracle that our Bible does not qualify. It was the Word God sent, for faith comes by hearing so that we might be saved. James 1:17 - God chose to give us birth by the word of truth. The Scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15).

There are elect people who have not been justified yet; there are justified people who are not finished being sanctified. The finish line of salvation is the resurrected body; therefore, we are not finished yet, and we are in danger every hour. We need the ministry of the word of God every hour.

Andy Davis goes on to challenge us to take up the task of intimately knowing scripture; for if we are to know Christ, we must, by necessity, know scripture. He challenges us to read through the Bible in less than a year and to memorize a book in the Bible in less than a year. He also lists some popular excuses for not doing so. He also gives the reasoning behind why this is so important and not just another thing on the to do list.

You can read the rest on Timmy Brister's site here.

Some questions:
-Why is it that so many who claim Christianity as their own do not spend quality time in the Word?
-Is this as big of a deal as Davis makes it out to be?
-Is scripture the definitive method of knowing God? If not what is?
-Is the enticement of sin such that it convinces us that fleating pleasures are more worthy of our time than studying to show ourselves approved?

New Choice For Presidency: Move Over Obama & McCain

Not wanting to settle or vote for the lessor of two evils, I decided to jump in the race and apparently I have made quite a splash with only grassroot campaigning. I did not expect such a big media push but apparently this is what the country is looking for and has not had since the early 1900's. So, before you cast your vote for the lessor of two evils, please take a look at my platform. All money donated to my campaign will be used for paying off the national debt.

Thanks for the motivation Riley.

Keep Your Guns Says The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.

The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Does this ruling impact you personally?
-Do you think it was the right decision?
-Are guns important for citizens to own?
-Why are gun rights a hot button issue currently?

Apes Gain Rights In Spain Previously Limited To Humans

Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.
Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

"We have no knowledge of great apes being used in experiments in Spain, but there is currently no law preventing that from happening," Pozas said.
Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden and breaking the new laws will become an offence under Spain's penal code.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Is there a symbolic statement being made with this resolution?
-Are there good aspects to this?
-Is a government resolution really needed for such a thing as this?
-Do you think that giving rights to apes that were previously reserved for humans is a step forward for atheism?

Placing Blame: Our Pride Made Manifest

Piper had a guest writer today (Ben Reaoch) who took up the task of tackling personal responsibility; below is a quote from that post.

It started in the Garden. Adam said to God, 

The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12) 
The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn't put Eve in the garden with him. 
The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we're confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself. 
We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational.   

You can read the rest (and see 12 examples) here.

Some questions:
-Do we have an issue with assigning blame to others?
-Do we honestly think we are always the measure of what is right and true?
-What do you think about the examples he provided?
-Is asking for forgiveness and repentance in order?
-How do we go about changing this ideology that seeks to blame all others save for self?