tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post2305316581879814807..comments2024-01-11T21:24:44.379-07:00Comments on A Blog of Tom: Thoughts on a Violent DeathTom Cantinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234109728445439457noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-61636411240321314912015-07-02T04:29:17.729-06:002015-07-02T04:29:17.729-06:00There is a troll under every bridge you build.There is a troll under every bridge you build.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-20165556719184759712015-06-25T01:19:30.050-06:002015-06-25T01:19:30.050-06:00Bravo, Tom. You have been feeding this troll far ...Bravo, Tom. You have been feeding this troll far too long.Nikolaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05357434176004958554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-72483190627957814022015-06-24T10:03:20.112-06:002015-06-24T10:03:20.112-06:00That you do not see the point to any speculations ...That you do not see the point to any speculations that do not explicitly return to your notion of God does not mean there is no point. Similarly, the fact that I cannot, for all my trying, see the point to your preaching doesn't mean you don't have one. I remain open to seeing it, if you would but make the effort to explain instead of just continuing to assert.<br /><br />However, I would prefer not to hijack this thread away from discussion of our attitudes about violence, as so many other comment threads have been hijacked in the past. In the next few days I intend to write a new blog post about this question specifically, so please save your response for that.Tom Cantinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06234109728445439457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-64708033648645091522015-06-24T05:18:30.080-06:002015-06-24T05:18:30.080-06:00You both have interesting points. How different t...You both have interesting points. How different the conversation would be if you recognized a Sovereign God who directs the disaster as well as the bullet, stray or purpousful, to the end that men and women should come to salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ! You would have the same points to ponder, but you would be on the road to intellectual satisfaction and personal reassurance. You would open the door to comfort and help. You would end up praying for the masses in Bangladesh, that they might hear the Gospel, and praying for the bereaved that might seek the God of All comfort. Your speculations are pointless without Him. But keep thinking and sharing. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-43759284800562907822015-06-19T11:23:36.443-06:002015-06-19T11:23:36.443-06:00That's a very good point, Nikolai. I had not c...That's a very good point, Nikolai. I had not considered the significance of these displays from a tribal perspective, and of course they do perform that function. <br /><br />What troubles me about that, though, is that when we pretend this is about bereavement, we inadvertently are saying that we DON'T care about a worker killed in a trench collapse. (Incidentally, I STILL cannot find that guy's name in any news reports.)<br /><br />Again, I don't want to say we shouldn't be sad about the loss of Corporal Woodall. We SHOULD be. Maybe I'm concerned that we're really not, and are just pretending to be for completely unrelated reasons.Tom Cantinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06234109728445439457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-75399039466458220052015-06-18T11:47:26.539-06:002015-06-18T11:47:26.539-06:00We can have a conversation ABOUT accidental death....We can have a conversation ABOUT accidental death. But violence is the only form of death we can have a conversation WITH.Nikolaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05357434176004958554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-84257054194857368442015-06-18T11:35:31.941-06:002015-06-18T11:35:31.941-06:00The ribbons and parades are a public statement. T...The ribbons and parades are a public statement. The message seems to be, "We are strong. We are united. Our social order is built on the power of the majority."<br /><br />It might be productive to ask whom the audience for that message is. Is all of this city-wide show of mourning an attempt to comfort the bereaved family? Or are we also sending a message to each other? If we are, why do we feel the need to do that?<br /><br />Police are charged with upholding the rules of our social order. Perhaps our belief in the indomitable power of that social order has been damaged by this death. Shared rituals and public displays are the way humans reinforce communal ties.<br /><br />There might also be more to unpack in your statement that, “an accident doesn't care if it misses you, and won't keep trying.” Rituals send a message to outsiders as well as insiders. The message to other violent criminals is “Do not interpret this death as a crack in our defenses. We are strong. We are united. We still outnumber you.”<br />Nikolaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05357434176004958554noreply@blogger.com