Thoughts on the Orlando Killings

Thoughts on the Orlando killings

I know all the facts are not in, but what happened in Orlando feels like religious intolerance, hate, other factors gone crazy against the LGBT community.

Hate crimes in the name of our beliefs fuel more intolerance and retribution. You can blame the gun laws; but you most get back to the real culprit, religion and societal beliefs that teach hate for those different from themselves. 

Let’s go beyond religion and dig a little deeper. It is interesting what I have been reading as to the events in  Orlando. People have a wide range of opinions on who or what was at fault. Comments of have been have  absurd as blaming the victims for not caring guns and  it's their responsibility for their own death. Many blame the guns and the nature of the guns he was carrying. Some will blame his religion or lack of religion, or being indoctrinated by Terrorists groups.

What it really comes down to his beliefs. Somewhere in his background he developed a belief that violence solves problems. He developed the belief  that violence is the way to deal with situations. He adopted a belief that gay people are one’s to hate and his role was to solve the gay “problem”.

Where did his beliefs come from? Was it his  parents, good possibility. Was it his religion or teachers of religion, a possibility. Was it his peer group and what he  learned from television and other media, possibility. 

He was an accumulation of all the beliefs, that he read, heard, and watched up to about age 12. All of the things read, heard, and watched after that age congealed those beliefs into action.

The message for us is not about guns and not about religion, but about what do expose our children to from very early age. Are they exposed to violence, anger, fear, and intolerance from all the various sources of information? Or are exposed to love, peace, acceptance, and tolerance. 

We help create the next Gandhi or mass murder.