The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects:

—the independence of religious institutions from the power of the government (usually referred to as Separation of Church and State);

—the freedom to exercise religious beliefs, words and actions (usually referred to as Freedom of Religion);

—the freedom to express ourselves (usually referred to as Freedom of Speech or Freedom of the Press); and

—the right of people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of their grievances (usually referred to as the Right to Peaceably Assemble).

The Second Amendment protects the right of a well-regulated militia to keep and bear arms.

In my view, the Supreme Court unwisely (and mistakenly) unmoored this Second Amendment right from its stated purpose of enabling a well-regulated militia to protect the security of a free government.

On April 19, 1775, well-regulated militias fought the army of the British Empire at Lexington and Concord when the British troops tried to confiscate and destroy weapons and munitions being stored by colonial governments. Therefore, April 19th is commemorated in Massachusetts as Patriots Day and celebrated by the running of the Boston Marathon.

In the Twenty-First Century, this essential power of 1775, has been perverted in ways that:

—make it easier for mentally unbalanced people to commit suicide;

—make it easier for evil people to slaughter innocent children studying;

—make it easier for evil people to slaughter innocent people shopping; and

—make it easier for evil people to slaughter innocent people praying, studying and worshiping.

The Way of Jesus uses the peaceful ways protected by the First Amendment, not the violent ways that are made easier because of departures from the original purpose of the Second Amendment: to sustain “a well-regulated militia”.

In the Gospels, Jesus is a teacher, a counselor, and a healer. (Matthew 5:1-8:3). He engages only in these types of “First Amendment” activities.

Not once is Jesus a warrior. Not once does Jesus engage in “Second Amendment” activities.

Jesus (and his followers) are “First Amendment People”. They are the opposite of followers of MAGA who boast and threaten that they are “Second Amendment People”.

Indeed, Jesus rebuked the disciples James and John for wanting to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that did not welcome Jesus. (Luke 9:51-56).

Jesus told Peter to put away his sword and not to fight to stop the arrest of Jesus. (Matthew 26:51-52; John 18:10-11).

Furthermore, in Revelation, Jesus is described as “the Word of God.” He is dressed in a robe covered with his blood from the Cross. The words coming out of his mouth are his “sharp sword” (Revelation 19:15; Matthew 7:24-27). His followers ride on white horses. They are “dressed in fine linen, white and clean”. “(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)” (Revelation 19:8; 11-16).

In contrast to following the Way of Jesus in peaceful spiritual ways protected by the “First Amendment” (Ephesians 6:12), evil doers in Revelation are described as warriors who fight in the physical ways protected by the “Second Amendment”.

These warriors have breastplates that are “fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur” [like the Red, White and Blue of the Star-Spangled Banner]. These warriors kill “a third of [Humanity]” . . . .

The rest of [Humanity] who were not killed . . . still did not repent of the work of their hands. . . . . Nor did they repent of their murders, . . . their sexual immorality or their thefts.

(Revelation 9:17-21).

These evil warriors fight physically in the ways of the “Second Amendment”: raining fire down from heaven and killing people.

As I discuss in my blogs below, there are times when we may use force to establish or defend the ideal America. An example is alluded to in the Second Amendment itself—the use of guns that are “well regulated” by the government.

But we must never use violence to establish or defend a government or a civilization. (See my blogs below.)

The ways of the Second Amendment are directly opposed to the Way of Jesus and the ways of the First Amendment that create and sustain the ideal America first discovered by the hearts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus:

—blessing all people (Abraham; Genesis 12:3);

—challenging all pharaohs to set all people free (Moses; Exodus 5:1); and

—healing all hurting people (Jesus; Luke 10:25-37).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Are you a “First Amendment Person”? How? Why?

Are you a “Second Amendment Person”? How? Why?

Is it possible to be both a “First Amendment Person” and a “Second Amendment Person”? How?

How are you defining a “First Amendment Person” and a “Second Amendment Person“?

READ MORE

To read about the differences between force and violence, please read my blogs “Ending Violence: Embracing the Spirit of Peace”, “Ending Violence: Putting Faces with Names”,, “Curtailing Force: Replacing Nails with Glue”, “Establishing Peace without Limit”, and “Civilizations and Governments: Mercy Is the Power that Preserves”.