Back home in the ‘ville, the trial of the century is ongoing. I have been following it on Twitter. It is interesting to read the perspective of the local and out-of-town reporters. One article made the ‘ville sound like a tiny burg with 40k people. UM, there are 20k students at UVa and 100k+ in Albemarle’s urban ring, HELLO! It’s not Gordonsville… but anyway… the trial has made the headlines and has even been heard of over here and people say: “that’s where you live?” … yup… wow, I can’t imagine what parking is like around downtown now… or the wait at Bizou or Christian’s…
This trial has also raised fresh questions about violence in America and why America is so much more violent than Europe (well, maybe England is catching up with USA in this respect) and other places… But this is an old question for me as I travel around outside the USA… indeed, I was asked yesterday why we are so much more violent? availability of weapons? media? history? what? what do you think?
kingdom travelin' 
I know some may feel this is too simple, and obviously there are subsequent issues that flow into this, but a very wise individual once said the answer to every question is: “The Fall.”
Luke, you are obviously correct in this answer as we think in the broadest of global and theological terms, but I wonder if we could explore the way that this is worked out in the day to day causes? What are those subsequent issues? What are the ways that we, as an American society need to think about those issues and how the Gospel could then impact those issues?
As an immigrant to the USA I could never figure out why people needed guns. I still don’t get the purpose of the right to bear arms in the 21st century, in the 1800s maybe, but now? While guns don’t kill people, it is sure a lot harder to commit violent crimes if weapons aren’t so easily accessible. Here in Hungary I wouldn’t even know where to go to buy a gun. Maybe Europe would have just as many violent crimes if people could so easily get the weapons to commit the crimes.
thanks for your input Norbert, but it just occurred to me that the trial that prompted this discussion is to decide the guilt or innocence of a man who stands accused of killing his girlfriend with his bare hands… no weapon at all… so weapons are not involved in this violence…
Maybe it has to do with the amount of freedom we have here in America. The quote, “with great power comes great responsibility” rings especially true here. We have a lot of power in America, but more often than not we don’t use our power responsibly. For example, we lack common sense (and the reason for that could be debated in another conversation) and even though we think we’re using that power to the best of our abilities, in reality we’re not being wise about how we use that power. I think also ignorance is related to that as well, but again, that’s another conversation. And obviously this is only one aspect of the argument.
I appreciate this take on “power”, thank you Laura
If I remember correctly, the documentary about the Waodani/Auca people (Beyond the Gates of Splendor) talked about why we are so violent. This culture placed a high value on justice and an high value on individualism. Therefore, every person was individually obligated to carry out justice, which they did with a vengeance (literally). I think the U.S. is like this, as are nationalism and militant religion. These people are often willing to use guns, if they’re available. But *all* humans, because of the Fall, seem to want to carry out justice individually. If you don’t have guns, you can use your hands, like George Huguely did, or words, like all of us do.
IMDB trivia for Beyond the Gates of Splendor says this:
“When the tribe was asked permission to film their story, they said no. Only after hearing about the school shootings happening in the US did they grant permission for their story to be told. They hoped their turn from violence to peace could be an example for others.”
well, there we have it… the summary statement… well said Lea
Tom, you raise an issue with so many dimensions impossible to compass in a comment. But, in my opinion, the short answer is “culture.” The Middle East is full of violence that makes America look tame. Far worse violence than any in America in almost 150 years broke out in Europe – the Balkan War of the ’90’s, a part of Europe where violence has been part of the culture for many centuries. The frontier violence of Kentucky was much diminished following the Christian revival’s of the early 1800’s. The Auca’s culture changed when they embraced full-blown biblical Christianity. It’s not enough for a people to call itself “Christian,” there must be a culture-wide change of mind (metanoia, repentence) for violence to be subdued. OR, there is the government solution. All power is in the hand of the ruler/the State which subdues violence by fear and force. John Adams said of America: “Our Constitution is made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” If culture-changing revival does not come, the government solution will. This requires at least an entire college course.