I guess they missed the sermon on "turn the other cheek"

[Scooter]

Seat fight at Pennsylvania church has a deadly end

The sanctuary of the Keystone Fellowship Church used to be a safe place for church members to worship and fellowship with others. That changed abruptly Sunday when a member opened fire during service.

An argument began after Mark Storms, 46, told Robert Braxton III, 27, he was sitting in seats reserved for two other church members, according to a statement made by District Attorney Kevin Steele, The New York Daily News reported.

After a church member tapped Braxton on the shoulder to let him know he was in someone else’s seat, Braxton yelled “don’t (expletive) touch me” an affidavit obtained by NBC Philadelphia said.

Witnesses told reporters that Braxton started making a scene over the seat, but soon calmed down after talking to a church usher and a pastor.

But the situation took a violent turn when Storms approached Braxton, carrying a gun, telling the 27-year-old to get out of the sanctuary.

“When he came over, he had a gun out, escalating the situation,” Steele said at a press conference on Thursday. “Braxton then took a swing at the defendant, punching him in the jaw.”

Braxton then tells Storms “(Expletive) you and your fake badge, get the (expletive) out of here,” according to a witness. “That’s not a real gun,” another witness said she remembered hearing in the their exchange.

Braxton then proceeds to ask, “What are you going to do, shoot me?” according reports.

Storms shot Braxton once in the chest and again in the right arm.

Braxton died of gunshot wounds later that afternoon after being rushed to Abington-Lansdale Hospital.

Storms was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment.

“Storms’ shooting of Mr. Braxton was not a reasonable self-defense situation,” Steele said. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to bring a gun to church.”

“You don’t go to church to be killed. You just don’t do that,” Diana Walters, Braxton’s aunt, told WPVI. “He’s a young man. He had his whole life ahead of him.”

During his arraignment, Storms insisted that he used his weapon for self-defense. Bail is set at $250,000.

[Bicycle Bill]

And the NRA and others who support a totally free and unfettered interpretation of the Second Amendment still continue to claim that "an armed society is a polite society".
That, in a word, is bullshit.

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

It's also bullshit to refer to supporting a totally free and unfettered (spot the redundancy) interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.

It is not now unfettered and the NRA does not have any policy to roll back all of the regulations that do apply (AFAIK).

As to the OP, what humans do to each other is beyond comprehension without an adequate explanation for evil.

[Bicycle Bill]

It's also bullshit to refer to supporting a totally free and unfettered (spot the redundancy) interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.

It is not now unfettered and the NRA does not have any policy to roll back all of the regulations that do apply (AFAIK).

As to the OP, what humans do to each other is beyond comprehension without an adequate explanation for evil.

fet·ter ˈfed ər/ (verb)
past tense: fettered; past participle: fettered
1) restrain with chains or manacles, typically around the ankles.
"a ragged and fettered prisoner"
synonyms: shackle, manacle, handcuff, clap in irons, put in chains, chain (up);
informal: cuff; literary: enfetter
"the captive was fettered"
2) restrict or restrain (someone) in an unfair or undesirable fashion.
"he was not fettered by tradition"
————————
un — prefix meaning "not"

So unless you are nit-picking about using two words ("free" and "unfettered") that could have the same meaning in the same phrase, I fail to see an inconsistency or redundancy.  What you are seeing is an example of a literary form known as parallelism.

As for the concept of totally unrestricted gun ownership and possession, what would you call proposals for elimination of background checks, waiting periods, controls on specific types of weapons, or other forms of registration and permitting?  While you are undoubtedly correct and the NRA itself does not (publicly) call for such sweeping changes there are other factions that do; and if Wayne LaPierre and the rest of the NRA muckety-mucks and membership were to wake up tomorrow and find that all of these had been struck down and no longer had any effect I don't think they would be in any hurry to re-implement any of them.

-"BB"-

[rubato]

They got the prayer thing goin' they musta left out the pledge of allegiance. Stops this kind of thing cold, or so I'm told.


Yrs,
Rubato

[RayThom]

"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition."

You'll never find this shit happening at an Atheist church service. We have an innate respect for all life. Such shameful pettiness is beneath us and morally reprehensible.

[MajGenl.Meade]

So unless you are nit-picking about using noting two words ("free" and "unfettered") that could have the same meaning in the same phrase, I fail to see an inconsistency or redundancy.  

Bingo. FTFY

While you are undoubtedly correct and the NRA itself does not (publicly) call for such sweeping changes

Bingo... therefore, "And the NRA and others who support a totally free and unfettered interpretation of the Second Amendment" = Bullshitto



(and Rubato, you're consistently an idiot)

[Big RR]

Absent a specific threat, I honestly cannot fathom what sort of person would carry a gun to church (especially a christian church). Even an off duty policeman could leave the gun home for the hour it takes to celebrate the Prince of Peace.

[Scooter]

Well you know, just in case there's a doctor who performs abortions or some black kids in attendance that you want to execute.

[Sue U]

Absent a specific threat, I honestly cannot fathom what sort of person would carry a gun to church (especially a christian church).

I lived in that neighborhood for a few years before moving back to NJ. It is a suburban/exurban area about 20 or 30 miles outside Philly, with virtually no crime to speak of beyond shoplifting at the local mall. I can't imagine why anyone in that area would have a handgun at all, let alone take it to church.

[Gob]

I can't imagine why anyone in that area would have a handgun at all, let alone take it to church.

Ha, you'd be happy for someone to sit in your pew, and happy to give up your right to shoot them dead, would you, you commie?

[Sue U]

Yes, as a matter of fact I would.

[Gob]

That's anti-American, surrender your passport and report to a FEMA office.

[Scooter]

Christian Hate Group Admits To Sending Men Into The Women’s Bathroom At Target

Pastor threatens to pee on the floor of his local Target to ‘protest’ transgender policy

[RayThom]

In case you overlooked it, here is a liberal redneck's take on the issue:

[BoSoxGal]

'And fuck Nancy Grace, too!'

[rubato]

Christian Hate Group Admits To Sending Men Into The Women’s Bathroom At Target

Pastor threatens to pee on the floor of his local Target to ‘protest’ transgender policy

Well that's dignified.



Yrs,
Rubato

[Scooter]

Religious children are meaner than their secular counterparts, study finds

Children from religious families are less kind and more punitive than those from non-religious households, according to a new study.

Academics from seven universities across the world studied Christian, Muslim and non-religious children to test the relationship between religion and morality.

They found that religious belief is a negative influence on children’s altruism.

“Overall, our findings ... contradict the commonsense and popular assumption that children from religious households are more altruistic and kind towards others,” said the authors of The Negative Association Between Religiousness and Children’s Altruism Across the World, published this week in Current Biology.

“More generally, they call into question whether religion is vital for moral development, supporting the idea that secularisation of moral discourse will not reduce human kindness – in fact, it will do just the opposite.”

Almost 1,200 children, aged between five and 12, in the US, Canada, China, Jordan, Turkey and South Africa participated in the study. Almost 24% were Christian, 43% Muslim, and 27.6% non-religious. The numbers of Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, agnostic and other children were too small to be statistically valid.

They were asked to choose stickers and then told there were not enough to go round for all children in their school, to see if they would share. They were also shown film of children pushing and bumping one another to gauge their responses.

The findings “robustly demonstrate that children from households identifying as either of the two major world religions (Christianity and Islam) were less altruistic than children from non-religious households”.

Older children, usually those with a longer exposure to religion, “exhibit[ed] the greatest negative relations”.

The study also found that “religiosity affects children’s punitive tendencies”. Children from religious households “frequently appear to be more judgmental of others’ actions”, it said.

[RayThom]

Religious children are meaner than their secular counterparts, study finds

They found that religious belief is a negative influence on children’s altruism.

Duh! I've been making that correct observation most of my life. My daughter, and many of her friends are not religious, yet quite spiritual. They are much more kinder and gentler and less judgemental than my church going peers could ever be.

Religion... killing us softly with His song.

[Crackpot]

Strict partisans of any stripe are like that. There are people just searching for a reason that
Proves them to be better than anyone that disagrees.