A nation steeped in violence

#899 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 1 Jun 2014.

In the wake of this week’s mass shooting in Santa Barbara, U.S. cultural critic Michael Moore said

We are a people easily manipulated by fear which causes us to arm ourselves with a quarter billion guns in our homes … We are a nation founded in violence, grew our borders through violence, and allow men in power to use violence around the world to further our so-called American (corporate) “interests.” The gun, not the eagle, is our true national symbol.

The Reverend Peter Green, pastor of Sydney’s Marrickville Baptist Church, debating the issue from a local perspective on Facebook, said Australia’s enlightened policy on gun ownership was “not foolproof, but has seen a decline in gun-related deaths, despite some recent problems, mainly in Sydney, with criminals using illegally imported handguns in gang conflicts. Vigilance is always necessary.”

Some days I wake up and thank God I am not an American.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.