Carrying a peace

Two Lutheran churches in the Twin Cities are suing the state of Minnesota for violating their religious freedom by passing the new conceal-and-carry gun bill. The law, which goes into effect next Wednesday, will allow places like churches to prohibit guns on premises, but forces them to allow guns in parking lots. This--argues Edina's Community Lutheran Church--goes against their Christian principles and the nonviolence they've been promoting since the Vietnam war. The church site also includes, adjacent the parking lot, a childcare center and playground.

It's nice to see the faithful weighing in on the antiviolence side of the debate. The Letters to the Editor section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has featured plenty of folks quoting the bible to support their right to lug a Luger (Christ said: "Let he who hath no sword, sell his cloak and buy one."). In this climate of fuzzy theology, I'm not sure how to take this letter-writer's screed:

Regarding the Legislature's recent "conceal and carry" decision, I've chosen to write a haiku poem:

If he had been armed

Jesus could have saved himself

from crucifixion.