NEW MEXICO, THE CONSTITUTION & GUN VIOLENCE

This is Brad Bright and the God is the Issue podcast where we show how God is the issue in every issue.

We can trace all our human problems to a broken view of God. And that’s why we say that the problem in America today is not that there it too much darkness, the problem is there is not enough light.

Today we are talking about what the Gov. of New Mexico did and said last week.

Politicians often say crazy things, but New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham recently crossed the line, from crazy to dangerous! 

Honestly, I don’t think she even realizes the implications of what she said and the devastating cultural implications. But by the end of this podcast, you will, and you will know what you can do! 

For those of you who have not been following the situation let me briefly recap:

Gov. Lujan Grisham issued an emergency public health order outlawing the right of American citizens in the Albuquerque area to carry guns. Her actions triggered a political and legal backlash of Godzilla-like proportions. When reporters asked her about the Constitutionality of such an order, she retorted,

“No constitutional right in my view, including my oath [of office], is intended to be absolute.”

The sheriff and Mayor of Albuquerque both said that in order to uphold their oaths of office to defend the Constitution they will not enforce it, and even her own Attorney General clearly stated it is unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable.

Many members of her own party were shocked by her overreach. A Biden appointed judge quickly put a temporary stay on her order.

That’s the context.

Now, let’s start by first unmasking the devastating Constitutional implications of her statement that “No constitutional right…is absolute.” 

Does she really mean that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery in the United States is not absolute?

Does she really mean that the 15th Amendment giving blacks the right to vote is not absolute?

Does she really mean that the 5th Amendment, which says that a person charged with a capital offense, cannot be deprived of his life without the due process of law, is not absolute?  

Does she really mean her oath of office is not absolute?

That’s specifically what she said and demonstrated by her actions. She clearly means that she may, at her own discretion, disregard her oath to defend and protect  any and all aspects of the Constitution of the United States, since no Constitutional right is absolute.

That’s absolutely terrifying— especially for blacks and ANYONE charged with a capital crime.

If she truly IMAGINES she has the authority to choose when and where to snub the Constitution, that means she believes she has greater authority than the Constitution itself.

In a Constitutional Republic where the Constitution is the highest authority in the land, that’s a real problem.

In America we replaced the King of England with a written Constitution. In other words, the Constitution became our king— our highest authority.

If you want to delve more deeply into this issue, please listen to my podcast

Christians, The Constitution and our Biggest Mistake.

May I be blunt?

It seems Lujan Grisham thinks that as a governor of New Mexico, she may, at her own discretion, USURP the authority of the Constitution.

Folks, this is the classic definition of insurrection. Websters Dictionary defines insurrection as:
“an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.”  

If her oath of office isn’t absolute. If the abolition of slavery is not absolute. If granting blacks the right to be fully participating and voting citizens is not absolute. If the right to life apart from due process is not absolute. If she believes that none of our Constitutional rights are absolute, apart from the processes set out by the Constitution itself, then let’s all pray she never becomes President.

However, the problem runs much deeper than just insurrection against the Constitution. Her statement is a clear reflection of how our society views absolutes. Let me unpack that.

Modern culture is far more concerned about what WORKS  than about what is true. Of course, when we say that, the unstated implication is “what works for ME.” And not only that, we usually mean, “what works for me TODAY.”

The statement that best sums up this view is, “I want, what I want, when I want it.”

We are far more concerned about short-term outcomes, than the process of getting there. Therefore, this view IMAGINES that the end somehow justifies the means. Therefore, you may disregard the Constitution if you are pursuing the “correct outcome.”

Think, Governor Lujan Grisham.

What I am about to say next is extremely blunt, but it is true.

That’s what Stalin believed.

That’s what Pol Pot believed.

That’s what Castro believed.

That what Mao believed.

That’s what Hitler believed.

They all believed that the end justified the means. The outcome was more important than the process of getting there. Absolutes were irrelevant.

If there are no absolutes, we are all in trouble. But the problem goes even deeper.

If I don’t believe God exists, or I don’t believe God is relevant, why would I embrace moral absolutes?

If God does not exist, moral absolutes cannot exist.

If God is irrelevant, then moral absolutes are also irrelevant. They are nothing more than fairytales.

Here is why.

If God is irrelevant, then all that’s left is “survival of the fittest.” You can’t get from “survival of the fittest,” where the strong survive and the weak die, to “Love your neighbor,” or any other related moral absolutes.

You see, it is our view of God as a culture and as individuals that is the problem. It is Gov Lujan Grisham’s view of God, not her view of the Constitution, that is the real problem.

Ideas have consequences. Our view of God has consequences.

I applaud the governor’s deep empathy for those families whose children were murdered by Godless thugs. But good intentions are not enough. She is profoundly confused. She thinks guns are killing children, when in reality it is people, who were taught in public school that God is irrelevant, that are killing children.

Do you think that it is mere coincidence that as our belief in God as a nation continues to devolve that simultaneously gun violence increases?  The problem of gun violence is a direct result of our broken view of God.

Again, if God is irrelevant, how do you start with “survival of the fittest” where the strong survive and the weak die, and end by saying that violence of any sort is wrong?

If you want little Johnny to behave as though God exists, then you must teach him that he does— and who God is. It you don’t teach Johnny that God is relevant then he won’t act like it.

That is simple CAUSE and EFFECT.

In public schools today we teach our kids that God is irrelevant— and then we’re shocked when they grow up and act like God is—IRRELEVANT.

Why are we shocked?

If we want to solve the problem of gun violence, we must teach our children who God is and why it matters. Until we do, gun violence will continue to get worse. Again, it is a simple case of Cause & Effect.

If you want to understand how this Cause & Effect process works, I suggest you go watch the movie ROPE, by Alfred Hitchcock.

In true Hitchcock form, it is a psychological thriller. It graphically plays out on your screen what happens when a student takes seriously what his professor taught him in class. Hitchcock reveals through story how ideas in the classroom can give birth to almost unthinkable consequences.

Every parent should be required to watch this film before sending their kids off to school, especially before they send them off to college.

But let me warn you, DO NOT watch it with your young kids in the room. It is extremely disturbing. I imagine many of you will not be able to watch it the whole way to the end.

However, if you want to understand what is going on in America today, it is a must watch. Hitchcock was virtually prophetic. He understood the power of ideas— for good or for horrendous evil.

If we continue to teach our children that God is irrelevant, we will never solve either of these problems— insurrection against the U.S. Constitution or gun violence.  

Governor Lujan Grisham brazenly crossed the Rubicon last week, shoving the Constitution out of her way.

She wasn’t the first, and she won’t be the last. But she was the most brash.

Until we put God back at the center of the conversation in the public square, the attacks on our children and on the Constitution will increase— both in frequency and intensity.

It’s a simple matter of Cause & Effect.

The choice is crystal clear.

What’s the solution? YOU are the solution. Only YOU can bring God back into the conversation 
in your home,
your neighborhood,
and your community.

The choice is simple. The choice is yours.

You can start this coming Halloween by giving the children who knock on your door, both what they want and what they need. Give them a piece of candy along with your favorite gospel tract for children.

If you don’t have a favorite, then go to BrightMedia.org and order a pack of the 4Keys4Kids in English or Cuatro LLaves Para Niños in Spanish.

Do it because you care about America.

Do it because you care about gun violence.

Do it because you care about children.

God is the issue—in every issue.

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