Who would Jesus shoot? Kentucky Baptist edition

Nothing says following Jesus Christ like completely ignoring everything he stood for. Link

The Kentucky Baptist Convention wants to “point people to Christ” by giving away guns at Second Amendment Celebrations hosted across the state.

In the words of spokesman Chuck McAlister the strategy is “outreach to rednecks,” and 1,000 people are expected to attend the next event. To lure the nonreligious into the fold, the churches are offering a handgun, shotgun, or long gun as door prizes. Winners attend church for a photo-op with their new gun, but they must pass a background check before collecting their prize.
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Firearms manufacturers, gun groups, and even the occasional congressmember host controversial gun giveaways to recruit members and raise money. The Kentucky Baptist Church has found the strategy “very effective” for its own purposes, but it’s drawn criticism from other Baptists. “How ironic to use guns to lure men in to hear a message about Jesus, who said, ‘Put away the sword,’” Rev. Joe Phelps, pastor of Louisville’s independent Highland Baptist Church, said according to Courier- Journal. “Can you picture Jesus giving away guns, or toasters or raffle tickets? … He gave away bread once, but that was as a sign, not a sales pitch.”

Conservatives justify this by translating “Thou shalt not kill” into “Thou shalt not murder” like there’s a huge difference. It’s become such a right-wing talking point that I recently had a conversation with a friend who’s a Catholic Priest and he cited that translation as to why gun ownership and use is compatible with Christianity.

I used to be a Christian. I know what the Bible says. And if you believe as a Christian you can shoot someone, you’re ignoring everything Jesus is supposed to have said and all he represents. After all, if you don’t shoot someone and you yourself are killed, aren’t you going to heaven as your reward? So what’s the risk? Or don’t you really believe all that afterlife stuff?