Regarding my last post, I received an e-mail from a reader suggesting I change my tone about Christians and materialism.

I would like to discuss that request. I don’t truly believe Christians are materialistic. Nor do I believe the stereotypes about rednecks, hipsters, or any other group.

But if I changed “Nativity” to “Santa” it wouldn’t be sarcastic anymore.

I was trying for a subtle rhetoric here; I was trying to critique the consequences of adhering to stories (lies) we tell ourselves that require us to act in a
prescribed way without thinking. It was litmus test about prejudice, and if I offended you or if you disagreed with me, you passed.

People who believe the stories they’re told without question are ignorant; people we live out a story simply to attain an image or ideal rather than to actually improve their lives are dangerous.

Someone like Lanza who believed the world had wronged him likely lied to himself to the point where it seemed the next logical thing to do was to copycat all those other monsters.

We can blame psychology, school security, gun control, or the media for the tragedy of Sandy Hook. Really though, misunderstanding the power of storytelling is the real problem.