TONIGHT’S SHOW focuses on the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others at a Safeway in Tucson. We pray for the recovery of Rep. Giffords and the wounded, for their families and the families of the six who were killed.
The incident had barely been reported when conservative political talk was already being blamed for the incident. Right-wing bloggers very quickly pointed out that a liberal supporter of Rep. Giffords had posted something inflammatory about her just two days before the shooting. The blame game distracts us from the true powers and principalities responsible for this evil act.
We look at some of the unanswered questions and the potential consequences of the shooting.
Just now listening to P.I.D. 1/10/11 . Congrats on 13 years. You kids might just make it! lol hehehe Love the shows P.I.D. and VFTB both. God bless you and your ministry through the trying times ahead. Randy
Congrats on the decade+, but with all due respect, you guys really drive me nuts sometimes. Honestly, how can you be so quick and so sure to claim this guy was sold out by the devil! You should at least let things be investigated more thoroughly. It seems like sometimes you guys unconsciously just try to get your theological points in however you can. Thats like ‘the media’ using the story for political blame games, while your media just uses it to make your points.
That comment about people hoping for the suspect to be a teapartier is insane and just as disturbing as any ‘blaming’ on political speech, I think you might wish thats the case, but its not. Its like you made up something horrible to justify yourselves. Keep dreaming — people don’t wish that it was a teapartier and Christians won’t be violently prosecuted on a global scale.
Oh yeah, another point about your confusing beliefs — isn’t it said that ‘you will be as perfect as Him’ and that ‘you will do things greater than I.’ The Mormons might have something. Also, why does Jesus ask God not to lead him to temptation?
You wanna hear something truly insane — decent people are going to burn in hell for eternity after they die… Even if they’re decent!
Take care and good luck guys.
Derek: It’s almost like these people were praying more for the suspect to be a tea-partier, than for any recovery!
Sharon: Yesss! (with a paranoid glint in her eye and hiss in her voice)
Me: WHAT THE HELL! REALLY?!(shaking my head in disbelief)
Anthony: thanks for your input. Since we start with the presumption that the Bible is true as written, I don’t expect you to see things the same way. Being sold out to the devil doesn’t necessarily mean that the young man was a literal Satan-worshipper; it’s just as likely the kid was a dupe.
Although the skull shrine in his yard, if it’s his, certainly bears consideration.
As for the Tea Party comments: we didn’t invent that stuff. Bill Maher linked Loughner to Bill O’Reilly. Sarah Palin was named as responsible for the attack by the sheriff in Tucson. A columnist at Slate, among others, explicitly linked the shooting to the Tea Party.
But we’re not buying the right-wing argument that socialism is to blame, either, and we’ve said so.
As for the “lead us not into temptation” line: that was Jesus showing the disciples how to pray.
Thanks for the response.
I still see it as a big leap to say that people are praying for some justification of their over-hyped politics, than for the victims. I read the Slate article you linked to and I agree that it is tinged with a so-called leftist perspective; especially the point the writer made about health care legislation, suggesting that if Obamas reforms don’t go through, the ability to identify mental cases would suffer and incidents like this would recur. But the author also made good points about the violence-tinted rhetoric of the Tea Party supporters. The article was markedly partisan. It just seemed to me like you were playing into the blame game by making that remark.
As to the involvement of Satan, my comments come from a disbelief in a supernatural being who is to blame for evil. A couple days ago I had the thought that light is a sign of life or activity while darkness is simply the absence of light. I then made the connection that evil has no substance or source, but is basically the absence of good. I can see in a metaphorical sense how the shooters lack of love and humanity could lead him to do what he did, but to tow the theological line that it is the entity so-called Satan’s fault is strange to me. That’s a reason I brought up the Lords Prayer; of course this is how Christians are instructed to pray, but it also contains many theological points. From what I’ve picked up on my time on this earth so far regarding temptation, is that it is the Devils role to tempt, not Gods. Why would God tempt people? This is one of those points of contention I have with your faith. Apparently, from the outside looking in, reading some of your scriptures, it seems that God is both Good/Evil. He hardens mens hearts to commit evil, calls for the slaughter of non-believers, and ironically will ultimately and violently impose a new world order on earth for those who pay Him lip service. When I say lip service I mean that, even though decent people try to maintain themselves, raise a decent family, and live meaningful lives they will still suffer hell eternal because they don’t call your god lord. I really hope that you can see where I’m coming from, because that is the whole reason why I make my comments. Whether you can see it or not, your faith is full of moral contradictions that people who haven’t been conditioned to ignore can plainly see and have serious doubts about. I assume your response will be something to the effect of, ‘I wish it could be different, but I didn’t write it’; which just goes to show you see it too.
With all due respect, may the prophecy of the Lords Day be a false one. Peace.
It’s assumed Gaby Giffords was Jared Loughner’s primary target but what if it was John Roll? How do we know the FBI didn’t plant references to Giffords in Loughner’s safe?
Giffords was shot in the back of the head. Was Roll shot first and Giffords shot attempting to flee? It does make a difference because the Glock fired multiple rounds. If Loughner shot first at Roll, the subsequent shots could have been in “spray” mode, firing wildly. He could have easily just shot Giffords in the shoulder. There’s been nothing released on whether Loughner had any firearms training.
It’s easy to explain how Loughner could get Giffords schedule, but what about Rolls? That would suggests confederate(s) in the attack. Both Rolls and Giffords had enemies. Was Loughner a “lone gunman” actually acting at their behest?
Just putting this out there as food for thought. What better way to cover up a conspiracy to assassinate a federal judge than by making it seem like he was a collateral target?
Incidently, how did Roll get the idea to meet Giffords at the Safeway? They could have met at her office in Tucson. Roll was not just another constituent.
You may want to get William H Kennedy back on to analyze the murder of Christina Green because it is almost certainly a ritual crime.
GLAD you spoke to the t-shirt aspect; the sight of thousands of them displaying “Together We THRIVE” drapped neatly over the folding chairs in readiness ~ for a Memorial Service felt like a political rally smacking of ACORN/”YES WE CAN!”… ownership of the website may remain obscure ,but it would be interesting to see WHO picked up the tab for all the T-shirts and what affiliations .
One aspect mostly glossed over is that Gabriel was one of the Democrats voting against Pelosi for Speaker of the House…and that a website visited frequently by the shooter called The Daily KOS featured “Blue Boy” blogger who repeatedly ranted that having voted against Pelosi, his Congresswoman Giffords whom he HAD supported was now “DEAD” (sic) to him… the site has since been scrubbed ~
Anthony,
Thanks for your cordial reply. God doesn’t tempt people; the Bible is clear on that point. The Lord’s Prayer simply asks God to protect us from the temptations thrown at us by the Accuser.
The Bible holds the answers if you’re willing to see them, but a lengthy dissertation on the Divine Council, sin and salvation is not appropriate here, and we’ve covered those topics to some extent in interviews with Michael Heiser.
I do see where you’re coming from, because I’m from there, too. A careful consideration of the evidence for the truth claims of Christianity moved me from there to here.
Do not misunderstand me, I emphatically do not wish things were different. My point was simply that with my limited, finite, flawed human understanding, I would have created a different universe. But that wasn’t my call.
With all due respect, Anthony, it seems to me that your objection to God is that He doesn’t live up to your standards.