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Guns, Nuns, and Shorting My Own House of Worship
I don’t own a gun and I don’t necessarily want one.
Even if I did, I live in a city that makes gun ownership nearly impossible. I speak with some authority about the ineffectiveness of these gun control laws, having found myself on the wrong end of pistols twice in my misspent youth in the New York City of the ’80s, when guns were just as illegal as they are today.
Now, influential media types are hijacking recent racial crises (some real, some imagined, and some perhaps manufactured) to lobby against the truly effective policing tactics initiated in the ’90s that made the city into a safe place to raise my family.
The story begins in a cafe in Australia, continues in a dark pew in Brooklyn, flashes back to pre-housing-bubble-burst Wall Street of 2006, and may end in a subdivision somewhere else entirely.
This week, Australia’s media-celebrated gun control laws failed to prevent a disturbed islamo-fascist from obtaining a shotgun and killing two customers in a cafe during a standoff with the police. The same laws certainly would have made it harder/impossible for the heroic cafe manager who attempted to stop him from keeping one under the counter if he were so inclined.
Back in Brooklyn, at Mass this Sunday, a Dominican sister spoke after the Gospel in lieu of a homily by the priest. She didn’t wear a habit and she didn’t speak from the podium at which announcements are typically made, but instead ascended to the raised pulpit from which the liturgy is read. Where she stood and what she did or didn’t wear were minor annoyances compared to what she said. She came to talk about a multi-denominational “Sabbath against gun violence weekend.”
She opened with a banal but mostly benign critique of the culture of violence in the media and video games, but then veered off into predictable territory, saying that the US creates more of the violent media than any other country. (We produce more of all types of media, but as I would soon discover, statistics aren’t her strong suit.)
Next, she rattled off a litany of easily debunked whoppers including: “Gun violence is a growing epidemic” (it isn’t) and, “School shootings are also a growing epidemic” (they aren’t). I know that these are provably false because I googled “gun violence statistics” and discovered that no less liberal a source than the Washington Post debunked them.
She arrived at her main point, which was to advocate more stringent background checks (to which I am not opposed), stricter gun control laws (which I oppose because they only keep weapons from law-abiders) and assault weapon bans (which are ridiculous because there is no clear definition of assault weapons beyond, “weapons that look scarier than other weapons.”) Notably absent were any references to Advent, Christmas, God, feeding the poor, or clothing the naked.
I quietly stood up and walked out until she was finished, then returned quietly to my pew. This wasn’t a homily and I had no obligation to listen to her advocate legislation not directly related to Church doctrine. An Archdiocese in which parishes and schools are closing faster than Sony Pictures vanity projects should focus on getting families in pews and saving souls rather than surrendering pulpits to activists who just happen to have taken vows. Sadly, I’ve come to expect this kind of nonsense from my Church. As if on cue, this morning the Vatican issued an apology to US nuns for the previous Pope’s accusation that they had become too secular and political.
Gun control laws alone didn’t reduce violent crime here in New York. Such laws existed for decades while violent crime increased steadily. New York is now one of the safest cities in the world after decades of more aggressive enforcement under the broken windows theory which held that (a) violent criminals tend to also commit petty crimes during which they are easier to identify and arrest; and (b) reducing graffiti, vandalism and other quality-of-life crimes sends a message to everyone that crime will not be tolerated. Economic recovery may have had a part in it too, as may have more controversial tactics like stop and frisk, about which reasonable people may hold opposing views. I am certainly conflicted about them.
In the wake of the incidents in Ferguson and on Staten Island, a rogues gallery of media darlings are lobbying our mayor for the repeal of these tactics because they are “racist.” The cast of characters who have visited the newly fortified Gracie Mansion include Al Sharpton (whose shake-down artistry and racial rabble-rousing have led directly to the death of a Harlem store owner and horrible false accusations against a cop) and Jay-Z (who has grown rich on paeans to his rise from street criminal to magnate). Full disclosure: I am a big hypocrite, because I have purchased his music. He is an undeniably talented MC, but I ignore his more offensive and stupid lyrics in the same way I try to ignore politics from the pulpit.
In 2006, a bright and brash Deutsche Bank trader who was one of the few people making big bearish bets against the housing market handed out (then) funny t-shirts with the phrase, “I’m short your house.”
The trouble is, we New Yorkers can’t short our own houses and I won’t short my own house of worship. I might be in the market for another parish, though.
– Dick from Brooklyn (perhaps soon to be Dick from Somewhere Else)
Published in General
That clarifies to me why so many parishes and Catholic schools have been closing in the New York Dioceses. My own elementary school was closed a few years ago. I hope you spoke to the pastor about how having a speaker like that won’t win him any parishioners. Also, isn’t the fear that many clergy have in speaking about pro-life issues due to the fact that they don’t want to get “political”. Well that gun control diatribe sounds pretty political to me.
My parents parish in North Carolina added a gun control themed intention during the prayers of the faithful at mass a few years back and I shot my mom a glare and refused to ask for the lord to hear my prayer.
It’s not as bad up here in Connecticut if your looking for something “slightly” better. New York City is essentially Godless
It just so happens that I did not shoot anyone this past weekend, so I think I participated. Now, what about the next six weekends?
What a nice lead in to Christmas. I feel for you. The pastor at my church has his own page on Right Wing Watch, so I don’t have that problem.
You seem to have a very good grasp (at least far better than the average journalist) of firearms and gun laws for someone that has no interest in them. I was just in NYC over Thanksgiving and it reminded me of the rule of thumb….the places where I would most like to have a gun are invariably the areas where it is practically impossible to own one.
I am a firm believer that politics should stay out of the church. I am not even comfortable when political ideals I agree with are espoused from the pulpit. In my opinion that happens when the speaker’s priorities become more important to him than God’s priorities.
I stay right where I am when the Sunday homily every so often turns into a lefty screed. I figure it gets me out of at least a couple of months of purgatory to sit through something like that at Mass.
DfB: Beware secular news sources (YahooNews)…For what’s going on in Brooklyn/NYC re: closings/consolidations, and screeds as homilies, I’m truly sorry. The current wrap-up of an Apostolic Visitation to US Religious Men and Women is part of the initiation of a “Year for Consecrated Life” ending in 2o15. It is unconnected to the Vatican’s ongoing *investigation* into the shenanigans engaged in by the “Leadership Council of Women Religious” [LCWR] of headline-making fame. You are in my prayers as you seek God’s leading in finding a church home. Peace and a blessed Christmas to you and yours!
I wonder if anyone from the congregation has ever stood up to refute this kind of nonesense as it was being blathered. THAT would be a shock to those lefties!
Reading a post like this makes me awfully thankful for my church and its elders who not only are supportive of the right to life, and thus the right to self defense, but speak positively about having arms to defend the home, self, and those in the church. The elders recognize that even churches aren’t safe from predators and congregants must be prepared to protect the life of the innocent gathered there.
Good point. Short sighted of me. I could use the time off for good behavior.
I wonder if anyone has ever offered a rebuttal from the pews.
In this case, the priest on the altar was also my confessor, so he has too much dirt on me and could have rebutted my rebuttal. :)
Wow. Don’t mess with your church! :)
NP: Thanks for the prayers and kind words. Don’t worry, they can’t get rid of me that easily. I’ve been in NYC and the Archdiocese for 4 decades. Me and the rats. Hard to get rid of us. :)
– DFB
LOL.
Did you TRY to shoot anyone this Sabbath… or are you a stand up philosopher? :)
On the other hand, I’m not that heroic. I’ve basically stopped going to the church where the homilists were poor and too political and the liturgy irreverent. I suppose I’m fortunate in having other churches nearby that I can go to.
Very glad to hear this! :-) Let the faithfulness be felt…Peace!
Leftism is a religion. I’ve never heard its conservative counterpart preached from the pulpit. Not once. How is what this “nun” did right worship? Obedience? Thanksgiving?
Seems it’s time for a thorough temple cleansing. Maranatha.
Dang, WC. I am impressed. I had to Google that one. But then again, I’m the product of post Vatican II Catholic schools. We weren’t big on scripture, much less Aramaic. Hard to find the Cliff Notes.
– DFB
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
I’m a product of post Vatican II public schooling with twelve years of “Jesus is Love” CCD. Everything I know about our faith I’ve learned in the last fourteen years or so. It’s possible.
But, “Dang” makes you sound like one of us Midwesterners. Are you sure you’re not from Ohio?
I’m a product of that very same schooling. Post-Vatican II Catholics have been denied their birthright. Where have you gone, Pseudodionysius? Ricochet Traditionalist Catholics turn their lonely eyes to you…
PAPIST!!! ;-)
Another lefty con-job, Dick. What many of them have admitted, sotto voce, is that “expanded background checks” – and “closing the gun-show loophole” – mean all firearms transfers would be have to be done through a Federal Firearms Licensee. Give your kid a .22? Nope. Fill out the ATF Form 4473 at an FFL. No private transfers. And by the way, we’re gonna need to keep those transfer records…forever.
National Gun Registration by other means. And, as any committed gunny will tell you, historically, registration always leads to confiscation…always.
Fugetaboutit!
Hey, I grew up in Brooklyn. What church was that at? (I’m in Staten Island now.) I would write a note to Bishop DiMarzio and explain that you don’t appreciate left wing agenda being promoted in your church. And if it continues you might look elsewhere. I don’t blame you for being upset. It would tick me off too.
Hey there, Manny. I don’t want to “out” the parish publicly because this event was unique and not consistent with my previous experience. I’ve setup a meeting with the Pastor to discuss it. I’ll let you know where I get.
Good luck to you, Dick. I’d be tempted to point out that such “events” have the effect of scattering the flock on matters of prudential judgment, rather than gathering the flock under the commonly held true teachings of the Church to the good “pastor.” There really is no place for them. That it occurred during Advent is particularly scandalous.
Well, if it’s not a typical occurence I wouldn’t get too hung up on it. The Catholic Church tries not to be favor one side of the political divide. At least that’s my experience. Still mention it to your pastor and i might drop DiMarzio a note in addition. Can’t hurt.
I often see Facebook posts from athists telling me, “You know, just being a Christian doesn’t make you good. You have to be compassionate and love people.” To which my response is, “REALLY!!? Christians are supposed to love people and be compassionate!? I’ve been going to Catholic churches for forty years, and no one has ever told me that. No one!!! Never!!! NEVER EVER!!!”