C
As you read this; please keep in mind that I AM a believer in Christ. This scenario was designed to to open peoples' mind had hopefully inspired good constructive discussion.
***
A man buys a new hair-trigger gun, loads it, takes off the safety, and places it on the coffee table in his living room. He lives in a gated community where there is vertically no crimes; thus his purchase of the gun is completely unnecessary.
He realizes that he has to leave for work soon and calls his seven year old son into the living room.
"Son" he says, "I have to rush to work early today and am leaving you here by yourself for about ten minutes; your mom will be home soon."
He points to the gun in the table, to which his son of course looks at wide-eyed and in awe!
"That son, is an EXTREMELY dangerous weapon... It is NOT a toy. It has a hair-trigger; meaning that you don't even have to squeeze the trigger hard for it to fire off a bullet. If this gun is fired, it will seriously hurt or kill you or someone else. DO NOT touch it! I mean it son! You can play with anything else you want in the house, you can even go into my office and play with my priceless antiques. You can go into Mommy and Daddy's room and even jump on the bed if you want to; but to not touch that gun!"
The man then rushes out the door to work, leaving his son in the living room, staring at the weapon on the table.
It is not too long afterward that he gets a hysterical call from his wife telling him that when she arrived home she found their son lying in the floor, nearly dead from accidentally shooting himself in the stomach. The man rushes to the hospital were a doctor tells him and his wife that their son will live, but that the bullet from the gun ruptured a portion of the boy's spine. Not only would the boy be paralyzed for the rest of his life, but he would have to be kept on strict, daily medication, and if the dosage is not followed exactly to the letter every four hours; the body will suffer agonizing pain.
The wife looks over at the husband and cries out in hurt, fear, and rage "How could you! How could you leave a loaded gun out for our son to have easy access to? You are a logical man...WHAT did THINK would happen?!"
I TOLD him what would happen!" The man snapped back, shaking his fists...angry at the boy. I warned him what would happen if he touched the gun...I TOLD him! That boy chose to disobey me of his own free will. I told him he could play with anything else in the house...I didn't MAKE him pick up the gun and shoot it!"
The wife pounds her fists into the husband's chest, sobbing, "Are you SERIOUSLY going to blame our child for what happened?! YOU left him alone with a loaded gun! You KNOW how fascinated he gets by things! You know how curious he gets! And now, our son will have to suffer for the rest of his life! Why did you even put the gun there in the first place?! We Don't even NEED a gun!"
"I didn't MAKE him disobey me!" The man protested, "he CHOSE to go against what I told him. And now he has to suffer all his life...and that is HIS fault! I...am totally and completely blameless. Had he just done as I told him, he would not have gotten hurt!"
The doctor interrupts, "Sir. While it is true that the boy was shot because he disobeyed you; you took a gun that you did not HAVE to get, and placed it in an area where a curious, wides-eyed child has ridiculously easy access to it. I would dare to say that had the gun not been there, and had you not left your son alone with it; this whole ordeal would not exist. So you warned him not to touch it...but really! Seriously! You are a smart man...what do you THINK would happen?!
The father paused to think for a few moments before speaking again , "the boy should have just done what I told him. If he would have...this whole ordeal would not exist."
The mother and doctor's jaws drop as they stare at the husband; dumbfounded.
***
A man buys a new hair-trigger gun, loads it, takes off the safety, and places it on the coffee table in his living room. He lives in a gated community where there is vertically no crimes; thus his purchase of the gun is completely unnecessary.
He realizes that he has to leave for work soon and calls his seven year old son into the living room.
"Son" he says, "I have to rush to work early today and am leaving you here by yourself for about ten minutes; your mom will be home soon."
He points to the gun in the table, to which his son of course looks at wide-eyed and in awe!
"That son, is an EXTREMELY dangerous weapon... It is NOT a toy. It has a hair-trigger; meaning that you don't even have to squeeze the trigger hard for it to fire off a bullet. If this gun is fired, it will seriously hurt or kill you or someone else. DO NOT touch it! I mean it son! You can play with anything else you want in the house, you can even go into my office and play with my priceless antiques. You can go into Mommy and Daddy's room and even jump on the bed if you want to; but to not touch that gun!"
The man then rushes out the door to work, leaving his son in the living room, staring at the weapon on the table.
It is not too long afterward that he gets a hysterical call from his wife telling him that when she arrived home she found their son lying in the floor, nearly dead from accidentally shooting himself in the stomach. The man rushes to the hospital were a doctor tells him and his wife that their son will live, but that the bullet from the gun ruptured a portion of the boy's spine. Not only would the boy be paralyzed for the rest of his life, but he would have to be kept on strict, daily medication, and if the dosage is not followed exactly to the letter every four hours; the body will suffer agonizing pain.
The wife looks over at the husband and cries out in hurt, fear, and rage "How could you! How could you leave a loaded gun out for our son to have easy access to? You are a logical man...WHAT did THINK would happen?!"
I TOLD him what would happen!" The man snapped back, shaking his fists...angry at the boy. I warned him what would happen if he touched the gun...I TOLD him! That boy chose to disobey me of his own free will. I told him he could play with anything else in the house...I didn't MAKE him pick up the gun and shoot it!"
The wife pounds her fists into the husband's chest, sobbing, "Are you SERIOUSLY going to blame our child for what happened?! YOU left him alone with a loaded gun! You KNOW how fascinated he gets by things! You know how curious he gets! And now, our son will have to suffer for the rest of his life! Why did you even put the gun there in the first place?! We Don't even NEED a gun!"
"I didn't MAKE him disobey me!" The man protested, "he CHOSE to go against what I told him. And now he has to suffer all his life...and that is HIS fault! I...am totally and completely blameless. Had he just done as I told him, he would not have gotten hurt!"
The doctor interrupts, "Sir. While it is true that the boy was shot because he disobeyed you; you took a gun that you did not HAVE to get, and placed it in an area where a curious, wides-eyed child has ridiculously easy access to it. I would dare to say that had the gun not been there, and had you not left your son alone with it; this whole ordeal would not exist. So you warned him not to touch it...but really! Seriously! You are a smart man...what do you THINK would happen?!
The father paused to think for a few moments before speaking again , "the boy should have just done what I told him. If he would have...this whole ordeal would not exist."
The mother and doctor's jaws drop as they stare at the husband; dumbfounded.
