During the first 3 centuries of the Christian Church, Christians did not carry arms, they died martyrs. Even Jesus told Peter to put his sword down.
So in turn, give me a break.
You cannot prove a negative. There is no proof that Christians did not carry arms or did carry arms for the first 300 years.
But we do know that some of the Emperors` guards and bodyguards were secret Christians and they WERE ARMED.
But we do have the account of what happened from history as thusly:
Jesus was ARRESTED in the garden by FORCE OF ARMS
Keep that in mind.
viz: Thus, from the year 112, the date of this document, perhaps even from the reign of Nero, a Christian was ipso facto an outlaw. Their only crime was that they were Christians, adherents of an illegal religion. Under this regime of proscription the Church existed from the year 112 to the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211). The position of the faithful was always one of grave danger, being as they were at the mercy of every malicious person who might, without a moment's warning, cite them before the nearest tribunal who would send troops to ARREST them.
However Jesus did not stand around for 3 years waiting to be ARRESTED.
Jesus never said fior us to stand around like idiots and be arrested and slaughtered.
NT ACCOUNTS:
When the townspeople tried to grab Jesus and throw him over the cliff, he escaped- he didn`t stand there like an idiot.
Luke 4 28-29
" All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.``
GIMME A BREAK: Jesus ran away from his enemies 3 TIMES:
1. Nazareth when the townspeople wanted to kill him by throwing him off a cliff.
[he didn`t kiss and hug them]
2. He Went to Galilee to get away from Jerusalem and the Pharisees, his ENEMIES, so he wouldn`t be ARRESTED.. [he didn`t kiss and hug them]
3. Went to the coast of Tyre and Sidon to get away from his ENEMIES so he wouldn`t be ARRESTED.. [he didn`t kiss and hug them]
4. Fled to Egypt via his parents to escape his enemy Herod- Mary and Joseph [they didn't want to be ARRESTED and killed], they didn`t hug n kiss Herod neither, did not return til he was cold n dead rotting in the ground..
5. He didn`t hug n kiss the Pharisees and their thugs on the Mount of Olives [but He was surrounded and ARRESTED by FORCE OF ARMS.
Gimme a break.
Actions are stronger than words. I`ll try to escape 3-4 times as Jesus did before I will let anyone kill me. Then if my back is against the wall I will defend myself to the death.
That is why there are refugees who flee from RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION. They just do not stand there and be ARRESTED.
They flee as Jesus did and as in the case of Indonesia villages who are attacked by moslems, they actually arm themselves with ak-47`s and fight back and destroy the moslem viiilages and mosques there in SELF_DEFENSE-
cf the Cristeros of Mexico who fought back under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe-
St. Michael the archangel defend us in the day of battle!
Gimme a break-
You actually want another Christian Halocaust? -
my god!'
Self-Defense - The right of a private person to employ force against any one who unjustly attacks his life or person, his property or good name-
Everyone has the right to defend his life against the attacks of an unjust aggressor. For this end he may employ whatever force is necessary and even take the life of an unjust assailant. As bodily integrity is included in the good of life, it may be defended in the same way as life itself.=
CATHOLIC TEACHING
At the Last Supper Jesus says:
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
—Luke 22:36, NIV
I`ll take Jesus` advice about buying a sword any day of the week.