Yet again, we witness a tragedy of gun violence. “How long, O Lord, How Long?”

A few people have written to ask me for my thoughts, a statement, a clarification of the ELCA Lutheran Church position on this matter.

The ELCA Lutheran Church has numerous social statements that relate to gun violence, and they can all be found here. ELCA Social Statements

In particular, I’d point you to the ones on Criminal Justice, the Church in Society, and the Death Penalty. But, it’s not that simple cause one could also digest the statements on economic justice, race & ethnicity, and peace. My point is that Gun Violence is a result of a wide variety of contributing factors.

We should also ask other questions about why humans desire to harm other humans, what is the core of our violent impulses, and seek to understand the nature of evil? All these questions probe an anthropology that questions our very core.

Erich Neumann wrote a little book years ago titled Depth Psychology and a New Ethic. It helped me grapple with our challenges. A summary: “The modern world has witnessed a dramatic breakthrough of the dark, negative forces of human nature. The "old ethic," which pursued an illusory perfection by repressing the dark side, has lost its power to deal with contemporary problems. Erich Neumann was convinced that the deadliest peril now confronting humanity lay in the "scapegoat" psychology associated with the old ethic. We are in the grip of this psychology when we project our own dark shadow onto an individual or group identified as our "enemy," failing to see it in ourselves. The only effective alternative to this dangerous shadow projection is shadow recognition, acknowledgment, and integration into the totality of the self. Wholeness, not perfection, is the goal of the new ethic.”

My own position on guns could quite simply be: I have no desire to own or operate one, but respect those who choose to for hunting and sports activities. Beyond that, owning guns, especially automatic weapons designed solely for use in warfare strikes me as irresponsible, dangerous for society, and wrong. Full Stop.

Neumann pushes the deeper question whereby we are invited to understand ourselves, our own shadows, and our own propensity to do violence. That’s the hard work both individuals and society are called to do.