When the Homily is about Immunology

Bowling for Answers to Columbine

I rented Michael Moore’s film and I’d say that the most concise opinion I can come up with at the moment is: Hmmmm

Really it’s all about simplicity.

Looking for an answer to the question of why there is so much gun violence in America is really the main thrust of the film. Too much violence on TV and movies? Nope, that is worldwide. Too much Marilyn Manson (more about him later)? Nope, he’s worldwide too. Too many guns? (Really I thought this would be his answer) Nope, Canada apparently has a lot of them too. The real answer that seems to be put forth by Mr. Moore is that we Americans suffer from some sort of fear paranoia. We are afraid of everyone and do not trust anyone (especially – according to Moore – minorities.) Perhaps. But whereas he is quick to dismiss other explanations as being too simplistic, the simplicity of his own explanation is ignored.

A few points of contention and some semi-rhetorical questions (you will have to have seen the film to get some of this):

If you walk up to my American front door in the middle of the day, it will be unlocked.

Did Marilyn Manson really claim that the president of the United States wielded more influence on youth than he does? Makes me wonder if he’s ever even talked to any of his fans!

I’ve seen lots of white guys get busted on COPS. I’d love to see corporate criminals get busted on TV, but agree with the COPS creator that he would not get very good ratings if they didn’t throw their lattes and cell phones at the officers and then try to run shirtless out the back window to their waiting Lexus.

We all know what became of K-Mart after they stopped selling bullets. Apparently this was a bad business strategy.

Walking in South Central L.A. in the middle of the day with a film crew really doesn’t prove much of anything now does it?

Who we gonna arrest for polluting the air? How’d you get to work today?

The little cartoon history of the US (from the creators of South Park I am guessing)? Rubbish. Slavery made the US the richest nation in the world? I don't think so...who won the civil war and why? This little diddy really displays the stupidity of making things overly simple. I've seen evangelical "God and America" crap that was as good as this.

The “debate” with Charlton Heston was absurd. A prepared (and somewhat deceptive) Michael Moore sitting down and pounding an obviously unprepared and sick (Alzheimers) Mr. Heston was bordering on the edge of cruelty. Come on, Michael, you can easily find a better debate opponent. At the end of that scene I actually felt bad for Heston and Moore’s point was totally lost on me.

Okay, enough…much more I could say. I like Michael Moore, though I do not always agree with him. But as I said, he – like everyone else – seems to be looking for a simple answer and there just isn’t one. It is a complex issue that involves many many many things – even Marilyn Manson, the abandoning of school prayer, too much easy access to guns, WAY too much violence in the entertainment industry, lack of parental supervision, the collapse of the traditional family, poverty, war, etc etc etc. But, to treat anyone of these things is to merely treat complicating symptoms of the root disease.

In the end, the REAL simple answer (which really isn’t all that simple) is sin. And that sin, I think is founded upon the self, the need to serve the self, and to put the self above the other. It is the abandonment of community for the individual and I wonder if anyone has looked to see if in the least violent countries we don’t see a greater adherence to what we might call “community values.” (what I would call, Biblical Values) Here, in the good ole USA, the individual (and their rights) reign supreme…it is, in our national conscience, the highest good. And Mr. Moore is right in insinuating that we as a culture have come to learn that if said rights are violated, then violence is a viable options (wow, lotsa v’s there!) And of course, it is up to us individuals to determine when our rights have been violated…frankly most of us are unqualified to do so and are almost always wrong.

“Jesus is the answer” say the evangelicals. Who can deny this? If everyone had a personal experience with Jesus, there would never be a Columbine, right? Well, maybe, but I bet there'd still be a Waco. I wonder if the inclusion of that term “personal” isn’t a symptom of the overall problem within our western culture. How about we encourage people to have a communal experience with Jesus?

All of this in my mind while we as a nation are preparing to kill an evangelical Christian who killed a doctor who killed unborn babies. Is there a lesson to be learned therein?