Jesus says pack heat: Joseph Farah on what Bible instructs about self-defense

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Monday, November 26, 2001 | Joseph Farah

[JohnHuang2]

After my plea to Americans last week to buy firearms as a first step to fighting terrorism, a number of Christians wrote challenging my prescription as unbiblical, unscriptural and ungodly.

Wrong.

The Bible couldn't be clearer on the right – even the duty – we have as believers to self-defense.

Let's start in the Old Testament.

"If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him," we are told in Exodus 22:2. The next verse says, "If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft."

In other words, it was perfectly OK to kill a thief breaking into your house. That's the ultimate expression of self-defense. It doesn't matter whether the thief is threatening your life or not. You have the right to protect your home, your family and your property, the Bible says.

The Israelites were expected to have their own personal weapons. Every man would be summoned to arms when the nation confronted an enemy. They didn't send in the Marines. The people defended themselves.

In 1 Samuel 25:13, we read: "And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff."

Every man had a sword and every man picked it up when it was required.

Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm: "They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?"

The answer to the rhetorical question is clear: No. The people had rebelled against God and put away their weapons of self-defense.

"Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight," David writes in Psalms 144:1.

Clearly, this is not a pacifist God we serve. It's God who teaches our hands to war and our fingers to fight. Over and over again throughout the Old Testament, His people are commanded to fight with the best weapons available to them at that time.

And what were those weapons? Swords.

They didn't have firearms, but they had sidearms. In fact, in the New Testament, Jesus commanded His disciples to buy them and strap them on. Don't believe me? Check it out.

Luke 22:36: "Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."

I know. I know. You biblically literate skeptics are going to cite Matthew 26:52-54 – how Jesus responded when Peter used his sword to cut off the ear of a Roman guard: "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"

Read those verses in context and they support my position. Jesus told Peter he would be committing suicide to choose a fight in this situation – as well as undermining God's plan to allow Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection.

Jesus told Peter to put his sword in its place – at his side. He didn't say throw it away. After all, He had just ordered the disciples to arm themselves. The reason for the arms was obviously to protect the lives of the disciples, not the life of the Son of God. What Jesus was saying was: "Peter, this is not the right time for a fight."

In the context of America's current battle – as we make plans to rebuild after the devastation of Sept. 11 and defend ourselves at the same time – we should recall Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.

"They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon," we're told in Nehemiah 4:17-18. "For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded."

Any more questions, skeptics?

[JohnHuang2]

Quote of the Day by Jaidyn

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Farah is correct.

Recently I taught the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church dealing with the Fifth Commandment to my high school CCD class. After reading the sections highlighted below, I felt I had a moral obligation to exercise my Second Amendment rights and arm myself:

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

ARTICLE 5 - THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not kill.[54]

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment."

But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.[55]

2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."[56]

I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE

2261 Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not slay the innocent and the righteous."[61] The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere.

2262 In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not kill,"[62] and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies.[63] He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath.[64]

Legitimate defense

2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the killing of the aggressor.... The one is intended, the other is not."[65]

2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful.... Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.[65]

2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life. Preserving the common good requires rendering the unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm. To this end, those holding legitimate authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the civil community [the family is the most basic unit of civil community]entrusted to their charge.[66]

My final choice to fulfill my obligations delineated under # 2265 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and to exercise my Second Amendment rights [duties!]:

Heckler & Kock USP .45 Stainless

Worth repeating:

Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.[65] 2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty

[2sheep]

bang bump

[Psalm 73]

Christian "fish" on one side of my bumper, NRA sticker on the other - perfectly compatible.
(Although I think it drives some of my liberal relatives a little nuts!)

[Marauder]

Although I think it drives some of my liberal relatives a little nuts!

Anything that drives a liberal nuts only has to be capable of running a short time. I not only dislike liberals, I've lost all respect for them.

When I read something said by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Patrick Leahy, Joe Biden, Ted "Jabba The Hut" Kennedy, the former First Penis and his dirtbag wife, ad nauseum, I ignore it. Forget gravitas; they have long since used up or overextended whatever credibility they had.

[JeepInMazar]

bump

[stevio]

And here is a Biblical example of weapon control.

1 Samuel 13:19-22

19: Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears"; 20: but every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle; 21: and the charge was a pim for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22: So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.

[stainlessbanner]

bump!

[Spottys Spurs]

There was a great article written a number of years ago (A Nation of Cowards written by Jeffrey R. Snyder,published in "The Public Interest," Number 113, Fall 1993) which I recommend to our readers. In part, it said that "..the law enforcement establishment continually advise us that, when confronted with the threat of lethal violence, we should not resist, but simply give the attacker what he wants." It continued with: "How can a person who values himself so highly, so calmly accept the indignity of a criminal assault?" And, perhaps, my favorite quote from that article: "A sermon given in Philadelphia in 1747 unequivocally equated the failure to defend oneself with suicide: 'He that suffers his life to be taken from him by one that hath no authority for that purpose, when he might preserve it by defense, incurs the Guilt of self murder since God hath enjoined him to seek the continuance of his life, and Nature itself teached every creature to defend itself.'" Our "polite society" and its politically-correct notions do not work. If we, as individuals, do not take responsibility for combatting crime or terrorism, who will? Take back the night! Take back your right to live as free Americans.

[IW]

Any home that does not have a weapon in it, has a fool living under that roof.

[flamefront]

Interestingly the Colt .45 came into wide use solely because of Muslim fighters.

one reference:

America’s first encounter with suicidal Muslim zealots occurred 100 years ago when American troops were dispatched to Jolo to pacify the Mindanao Muslims opposed to the U.S. colonization of the entire Philippines.
What Spain could not do in 300 years, America believed it could do.
In 1901 in Jolo, American soldiers for the first time came face-to-face with the Islamic holy warrior called “Juramentado.”
In fact, the word “amuck” came from the local word amok which is what a “Juramentado” would run and do. This is one U.S. soldier’s account of such an encounter:
“A Moro had worked himself up to religious fanaticism and goes forth to kill all unbelievers in Mohammedanism until he himself is killed. It took some killing.
“(Captain) Wood watched as a Moro rushed out of the tall grass and made a beeline for our flankers.
“The man emptied his rifle into the Moro but he came bounding on and did not stop.
“He was finally felled by a .45 slug through both ears. He had 32 Krag (a repeating rifle) balls through him and was only stopped by a Colt .45, the 33rd bullet.”
As a result of its experience in dealing with the Moros of Mindanao, the U.S. Army made the Colt .45 the standard issue sidearm in place of the .38 automatic.

[DC Packfan]

I believe those men had wet leather wrapped around their genitals so that when it dried, death was a welcome alternative.

[lavaroise]

bump.

[Sir Gawain]

What does the Bible say about Gun Control?

[VRWC_Member428]

A couple months ago, I embarked on searching for another church to be a member of for several reasons. One was a prohibition of guns at any church sponsored function. (I found out about this when an Elder told me about it after somebody found out I had a gun with me at during a camping trip for college age people. And yes, I do have a concealed pistol license) I presented him with the paper on the Bible and Guns found at gunowners.org, but the elder, an ex cop, no less, was adamant that guns had no place at church or church functions. (Tell that to the people in that Christian church in Pakistan that got shot up)

And so, I'm looking for a church that isn't run by bleeding heart liberals like the one I used to go to.


Kimber Compact CDP

My choice for concealed carry.

[stainlessbanner]

Tell your elder about the church in TX that was shot up a few years ago - during the sermon. If you ain't safe at church or school, where can you be safe?