The N.R.A - Testing the Spirits

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, 

but test the spirits to see if they are from God;

for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

I John 4:1

It is right and proper to sift all life events and organizations through the sieve of the Word.  The Word is the foundation for discerning what is True of God.  As Christians we are bound to the Word as the source of action.

The National Rifle Association needs a proper sifting.  The NRA is the number one defender of gun rights in America.  The NRA has enormous political clout.  The NRA strikes fear into all politicians: woe to the pol who criticises the NRA or supports gun control measures, as you will be opposed or primaried in the next election cycle.  The NRA is fiercely opposed to most gun safety, gun restriction measures: opposed to universal background checks, opposed to research on gun violence, opposed to bans on automatic and semi-automatic weapons, opposed to restrictions on purchase of "cop killer" bullets, opposed to restrictions on large capacity ammo magazines.  After all, "guns don't kill people, people kill people".  Furthermore, their appeal to the Second Amendment as the holy grail of gun liberty is blindly obsessive! 

Nearly all attempts at common sense gun violence prevention are opposed by the NRA.  Why?  They believe it will infringe on a person's right to bear arms.  They say it is in the Constitution.  They believe people need to have the right to protect themselves, and the government may come and take away your rights. They say a person has the right to protect themselves from government tyranny.

Yet, we have a problem in America.  The United States leads the world in mass shooting homicides.  According to the World Bank-Organization for Economic Cooperation and development, nations who are classified as high income, "...the United States has the highest homicide rate, the highest number of guns per capita, and the highest rate of deaths due to assault.  The USA has more homicides by gun than all other nations than all of the other high income countries combined". 

In spite of this tragic reality, the NRA's intimidation tactics, its blind arbitrariness to opposing nearly all gun violence prevention measures, its obsession with stoking fear of the enemy and vigilance of government tyranny, grind reform to a halt.  Even the massacres at Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech, Columbine make no difference to their passion.  

The spirit of the NRA needs to be tested against the Spirit of Jesus.  I am beginning a series of blogs to "test the spirits".   As an introduction, here is a "Special Report" from the NRA leadership to its membership:

THE FINAL WAR HAS BEGUN

A DOCUMENT SECRETLY DELIVERED TO ME reveals frightening evidence that the full scale war to CRUSH your gun rights has not only begun, but is well underway.... What's more, dozens of federal gun ban bills suggest this final assault has begun - not just to ban all handguns or all semi-automatics but to ELIMINATE private firearm ownership completely and forever....

WHAT YOU MUST DO AT ONCE

1.  BURY CONGRESS WITH YOUR LETTERS! Write and ask your congressman to vote against these gun bans....

2.  DEAFEN CONGRESS WITH YOUR CALLS!  Tell your congressman about the secret anti-gun agenda to abolish gun ownership in America.

GET EVERY GUN OWNER YOU KNOW to send money to join the NRA or to renew or upgrade "Your Value-Packed NRA Menbership." 

CONFISCATE, DISARM, DESTROY

HARASSMENT, LAWSUITS, AND CRIMINALIZATION of lawful gun owners.  While armed, violent CRIMINALS rage through a defenseless society, the Second Amendment goes up in flames.  That's the tomorrow your children face.  Only you can stop it, through NRA membership....

GUN OWNERS, STAY FOCUSED

THE FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOMS 

IS FAR FROM OVER!

(Source: Inside the NRA by Jack Anderson)

This apocalyptic spirit of the NRA needs to be tested.  Lives are at stake.  The character of our nation is  at a crossroads.  A Christian response cries out!

Stay tuned.

Peace!

Ron Letnes