Imagine the following scenario: At church this Sunday, while reviewing the list of announcements and upcoming events for your church, your pastor added, “Oh, and don’t forget: on Sundays we have our regular target practice. Make sure to bring your rifles. Make sure to bring your pieces to church.”
Absurd, right? Not so. It used to be the American way. For example, a 1631 law in Virginia required citizens to own firearms, to engage in practice with them, and to do so publicly on holy days. It demanded that the people “bring their pieces to the church.” Somewhere along the line we have lost this mindset. Today the ideas of church and arms are assumed to be at odds, as if loving your neighbor has nothing to do with the preservation and defense of life and property.
But the idea of Christian society and an armed, skilled populace actually have deep historical roots. Alfred the Great codified the laws of England in the 9th Century, often resorting to biblical law in order to do so (where he departed from biblical law, the integrity of his famous law code is quite poor). Alfred applied the Deuteronomic laws of kings that forbad a standing army (Deut. 17), and as a result developed a national defense based on militia:
By the Saxon laws, every freeman of an age capable of bearing arms, and not incapacitated by any bodily infirmity, was in case of a foreign invasion, internal insurrection, or other emergency, obliged to join the army.…[1]
This required and encouraged an armed citizenry:
Every landholder was obliged to keep armor and weapons according to his rank and possessions; these he might neither sell, lend, nor pledge, nor even alienate from his heirs. In order to instruct them in the use of arms, they had their stated times for performing their military exercise; and once in a year, usually in the spring, there was a general review of arms, throughout each county.[2]
Imagine! Imagine the government poking its nose in every year not to register and license weapons for possible future confiscation, but to ensure that each house indeed possessed weapons. Imagine that instead of imposing fees for licensing schemes, the government levied fines for not owning a firearm. This was the case in Massachusetts in 1644. The state required that “every freeman or other inhabitant of this colony provide for himself and each under him able bear arms a sufficient musket and other serviceable piece” as well as “two pounds of powder and ten pounds of bullets.”[3] Those who neglected this duty could receive fines up to ten shillings (for laborers, roughly a day’s wages).
In 1623, Virginia statute forbade anyone to travel unless they were “well armed,” and required that all men working in fields likewise be armed.[4] 1631 laws repeated the same requirements and added to them: all able men should bear arms and engage in practice with their arms. The law specifically required “All men that are fitting to bear arms,” and to “bring their pieces to the church upon pain of every offence.”[5] (Equally shocking to most modern evangelicals is the fine for not obeying these laws: landowners who did not so arm their laborers and workers were required “to pay 2 lbs. of tobacco,” and this fine in tobacco was “to be disposed by the church-wardens, who shall levy it by distress.…”[6]
Imagine that: the government desiring, commanding that every able citizen own weapons and be skilled in using them! And to do so on “holy days” and at Church.[7] (It’s even more unbelievable that the government assumed all men were going to church every Sunday. Perhaps we could increase their numbers if we could reinstate target practice fellowship.)
The legacy of arms and freedom as Christian virtues continued into American Revolution. The Lutheran pastor John Peter Muhlenberg is perhaps the most famous of the “fighting parsons.” He answered George Washington’s personal call to raise troops using his own pulpit and Ecclesiastes 3 to do so. Other ministers of the gospel were well known to preach with loaded guns in the pulpit with them. Pennsylvania preacher John Elder provides a great example: “Commissioned a captain by the Pennsylvania government, he led a company of rangers and was accustomed to preach with his loaded musket across the pulpit.”[8] Likewise, Rev. Thomas Allen, a later collaborator in writing the Massachusetts State Constitution, himself fired the first shot at the Battle of Bennington. In the context of the War for Independence, ministers saw guns as tools of liberty and defense against tyranny.
In a later context, some ministers saw the continued usefulness of firearms. A former cowboy and confederate soldier turned Methodist circuit rider, Rev. Andrew Jackson Potter, preached among tough neighborhoods in the old West. He would regularly walk up, lay his two colt revolvers across the pulpit, and begin to preach. He retained order and security, and encouraged an atmosphere of respect. In this scenario, arms served less as tools of national liberty and more as tools of preservation of life and individual liberty and property.
This same scenario goes on today, by the way. As recently as last fall, pastors in the Detroit area have begun to arms themselves in the pulpit and while on church property. Rises in Detroit crime in general as well as attacks in church buildings in particular have awakened the attention of many Christians. While it is illegal in most states to carry guns on church property, Michigan allows it for the pastor and those he approves.
Christians should be aware that the use of force in preservation of life is a biblical doctrine (Ex. 22:2–3; Prov. 24:10–12; Est. 8–9; Neh. 4; cp. John 15:13–14). Likewise, those who possessed weapons in Scripture are often said to be well skilled in the use of them (Judg. 20:15–16; 1 Chron. 12:1–2, 21–22). We can only surmise that 1) God gave them talent in this regard, and that 2) they engaged in target practice regularly. Further, under biblical law, to be disarmed was to be enslaved and led to a disruption of the economic order due to government regulations and monopolies (1 Sam 13:19–22). But the mere presence of a couple weapons had psychological effects that put criminals to flight (1 Sam 13). There is a reason why Scripture tells these stories: they illustrate the defense of life, liberty, and property in the midst of a fallen world (and fallen governments).
The American Second Amendment did not spring into existence from nowhere. It had a long pedigree. The Christian society emerging from the old laws of Alfred continued to include the ideal of an armed populace as a means of securing human liberties. The Founders, many of them lawyers, had studied that legal tradition and would have read William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765–1769). The first part of the first volume elaborates on the subject of our “principal absolute rights… of personal security, personal liberty, and private property [i.e. life, liberty, and property].” It then covers five means of securing and protecting these rights “inviolate”:
The fifth and last auxiliary right of the subject, that I shall at present mention, is that of having arms for their defence, suitable to their condition and degree, and such as are allowed by law. Which is also declared by the same statute I W. & M. st.2. c.2. and is indeed a public allowance, under due restrictions, of the natural right of resistance and self-preservation, when the sanctions of society and laws are found insufficient to restrain the violence of oppression.[9]
Within that same legal tradition, and more than a generation earlier, the English philosopher John Locke voiced the sanctity of life, liberty, and property as well as our duty even to use force to preserve it:
Every one, as he is bound to preserve himself… so by the like reason, when his own preservation comes not in competition, ought he, as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind, and may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another.
Locke elaborated these views within the context of belief in God’s ultimate sovereignty, ownership, and law-order over all of creation:
being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business; they are his property, whose workmanship they are, made to last during his, not one another’s pleasure…[10]
Thomas Jefferson clearly took his phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” from Locke, likely via Blackstone. It is no irony that Jefferson kept a portrait of Locke on his parlor wall. Both hated tyranny, and saw freedom as requiring the defense of person and property via use of force if necessary. Both derived this from the Christian legal tradition they inherited.
Today Christians are so brainwashed and affected by progressive propaganda that we have an uneasy feeling even broaching the subject of guns. Constant liberalism in the media and years of government-school indoctrination have eroded the foundations of liberty in this nation. Today Christians think themselves conservative when they back everything the military does. Conservatives think that to oppose the military is to be a leftist. They have no idea that 1) the tradition of imperialistic war grows out of liberal, not conservative, ideology, and 2) the Bible forbids nations to have standing armies or stockpile offensive weapons. The Bible calls for national defense through an armed populace and militia upon necessity. A standing army is an affront to God. But for some reason, alleged conservative politicians easily persuade Christian voters that the next military maneuver is of necessity an expression of conservative values, and the Christians cheer.
We are further brainwashed into thinking (and feeling) that guns are somehow dirty and evil, and that Christians should have nothing to do with them. In this view, we have departed from the Scriptures, Christian legal history, as well as America’s Christian history.
As a remedy for the situation, we should both learn and exercise our gun rights. This article provides merely a beginning of the necessary education. We need much more. Every Christian should read and understand the laws of their particular state. Good places to start are www.handgunlaw.us and opencarry.org (the former site includes coverage of concealed carry laws; the latter deals mainly with open carry). Not only should you know about laws pertaining directly to carrying, but also to those pertaining to the use of deadly force. These vary per state, and Christians should be aware.
But we should also begin to exercise our inviolable rights. Every able Christian should own a firearm, and each should seek instruction and training in how to use them. This includes handguns, shotguns, and rifles, each of which has a particular strength in self- and home-defense. Elders and pastors should teach on the topic and its history, and should help aid church members in obtaining fitting pieces and proper training in legal settings.
One great expression of both education and practice, I have recently learned, appears in the Appleseed Project. These yearly training camps are steeped in American history and wish to advance the forgotten legacy of the American rifleman. Using focused and professional training events across the country, this project teaches and hones shooting skills toward the goal of making you accurate at 500 yards.
In addition to that great project, I recommend taking classes in handgun defense. These are offered by small gun shops and firing ranges around the country. Make use of them.
In states that oppress the inviolable right to bear arms, the best we can do is to organize politically and locally to change the laws. This is not easy, of course, but Christian society demands it as a measure to stop the tyranny of governments and the advance of individual crime. To allow unjust gun laws to continue unchallenged is to fail in loving your neighbor and to vote in favor of Egyptian and Philistine-style servitude. This, of course, demands its own article, but deserves at least mentioning here.
Christians need to understand and act upon these biblical ideals. While this article hardly provides the last word on the subject, we ignore the lessons of the Bible and history to the peril of our freedoms. Evil ever advances upon our families, churches, and states. Evil seeks positions of power, such as government, and from there seeks to eliminate the avenues of power that threaten it (an armed people). Thus tyrannical government seek to pass gun control laws. Wise Christians see past the propaganda and stand for freedom.
With relentless expression of our rights through education, publication, exercising the right, and challenging unjust laws, Christians can at least create a society hungrier for freedom. At best we may roll back the various infringements upon those freedoms. If we change the laws well enough, we may indeed once again hear pastor say, “Oh, and don’t forget: on Sundays we have our regular target practice. Make sure to bring your pieces to church.”
Endnotes:- Francis Grose, Military Antiquities Respecting a History of the British Army, from the Conquest to the Present Time, 2 vol. (London: Egerton and Kearsley, 1801), 1:1. [↩]
- Francis Grose, Military Antiquities, 1:2. [↩]
- William Brigham, ed., The Compact with the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth (Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, 1836), 31. [↩]
- William Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia from the First Session of the Legislature in 1619, (New York, 1823), 173–174, http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol01-07.htm (accessed April 22, 2010); I have modernized the English taken from this work. [↩]
- William Hening, The Statutes at Large, 174, http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol01-07.htm (accessed April 22, 2010). [↩]
- William Hening, The Statutes at Large, 174, http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol01-07.htm (accessed April 22, 2010). [↩]
- William Hening, The Statutes at Large, 174–175, http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol01-07.htm (accessed April 22, 2010). [↩]
- Louis B. Wright, “The Westward Advance of the Atlantic Frontier,” The Huntingdon Library Quarterly 11/3 (May 1948): 271 [↩]
- William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, 4 vol., 1:139. [↩]
- Two Treatises on Civil Government, Book II, Chapter II, Sec. 6. [1689], http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/locke/loc-202.htm (accessed April 22, 2010). [↩]
Joel McDurmon, M.Div., Reformed Episcopal Theological Seminary, is the Director of Research for American Vision. He has authored four books and also serves as a lecturer and regular contributor to the American Vision website. He joined American Vision's staff in the June of 2008. Joel and his wife and three sons live in Dallas, Georgia. 
Bring your gun, but don't forget to practice.
Be prepared to stop the wicked from harming the innocent.
All I can say is my name is stanley lehigh from maine, and GOD BLESS AMERICA !! I have been carring a fear in my heart sence Obama got elected . I love my country and I intend to love it to my last breath. It is absolutely wonderful to hear and know that I am not alone. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absoutely. un quot. We don"t need a dictator in the white house we need a leader, with a honest forthright thought not hidden agendas , to protect our freedoms that has made this country one of the greatest in history . God bless our FLAG AND ABOVE ALL gOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
We surround one another. God bless us all and our beloved country!
Stanley: You've got the right attitude. Your fears of a dictator for president are not unfounded. Stay strong, pray and know that half of this country did not vote for the man. We love America, we know it was totally founded on Christianity, and we love God and his only son, Jesus Christ. America is (was) the greatest experiment in sovereignty based on real liberty and real freedom, endowed by her Creator that ever happened. Always stick up for America and seek God.
I think so many people do not understand 'the balance of power'. When citizens are not helpless, they keep their government in check. Sometimes I think the progressives still think like we did in kindergarden, everything is fair, ans we all get the same milk & two crackers. But as you grow up, and hopefully mature, you realize that equality is the ability to utilize your own potentional. Outcomes are not equal. You learn this in 4th grade, when you work hard on a project and desrve an A, and someone did nothing and deserved an F. The progressives want to give everyone a C. Great for the F student, not so good for the A student. Sadly, most of the progressives are F students, and couldn't stand on their own, many of them need a union or government job, they'd never make it in the real world. Even our current president, has never had a real job. And yet this is the type of person who is elected. We really can do better. We need to have regular people, and stop electing "politicians". So what if the average guy doesn't know everything……he probably has common sense, and that is something left out of politicians.
Every Sunday is "Bring your gun to Church day". To Gary and others worrying about people feeling a Glock if he hugs them, use an ankle holster.
Don, in some states, like Georgia where I live, it is illegal to bring a gun into a church even if you have a permit.
A gun or a rifle are not any more dangerous that people's hands. We can poke our finger's in someone's eye and blind him. We can shove our fist down someone's throat and choke him. Our limbs are the most dangerous weapons given to us by God. So are the democrats that want to disarm us going to crippol us all to keep us for hurting each other?
How far will this fulishness go? Let's all wake up and realize that all political issues are created to divide the people. Divide and conquer. By diving weakness is created and weakness is easier to conquer. UNITED WE STAND. GOD BLESS AMERICA
when i was in maine i carried my 357 and my rifel i do what iwant obama shut up go back to your real muslim country we americans will bear arms
I know some pastors who are still armed on Sunday mornings in their pulpits.
As I tell my Troops ( those who read my column, "Muster RIGHT Here, with Sgt Mack" at portervillepost.com) Be sure you are right & can justify your actions (in your own mind, objectively) then do what is needed to protect, whomever. Then be prepared to deal with the results.
I still like the old saw that it is better to be tried by 12 (even in our screwed-up society [my comment]) than to be carried by 6.
Great to find folks who have more than 2 wits to rub together. Carry on!!!
God bless y'all & God bless America!!!
You state that many states have laws against carrying firearms to church. Where can we find a list of states and where they stand on this? Very good article.
I'm not sure where there is a list of laws about carrying firearms in churches by state, but you can look at all the gun laws by state from the NRA's website (http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/).
Georgia does not allow you to carry a firearm, even with a permit, into a church, mall, sports stadium, or other places of gathering. I'm not sure on the specifics though.
I don't know about a list, but Ohio, you must have written permission from the church or it's pastor in order to carry a firearm.
Well, we must keep on keeping on until the time comes we win the day or we lose or way. As long as we have the U S Constitution, which is daily under attack by our elected leaders who swear to protect the U S Constitution, and constantly try to destroy it, it is, " The People ", who must hold their ground. And the apathy, the complacency, we have habitually adapted into our daily lives, must " NOW" make a stand or lose our freedom, for their are no more countries to relocate to and start over. We must protect this blessed freedom, the right to survive, or we lose it forever. And we must teach our children diligently, or in a near future, it will most definately forever be lost. Pack those guns to church, starbucks, and protect these rights, this U S Constitution now, not later, for there will be no later. History "always" repeats itself, which is happening " NOW".
What about people who made a mistake in their lives and are now forbidden by law to use a firearm to defend themselves and their families?
That's a good question. Here's the answer. The whole point of returning to God and restoring our gov't to a reduced form of gov't instead of the nanny state obamao is dragging us to is that under that type of gov't that is representing the people would by definition operate under the laws of the bible. There wouldn't be any murderers or pediphiles among us. You see we would trim the herd. I know 100's of people right now that need a bullet really badly.
This falls under the category of "cruel and unusual punishment" that is prohibited by our laws. Unless there is a good medical or psychological reason for denying a person the ability to defend their life with a firearm, then, why should a former criminal (non-violent, of course) be denied their "inalienable right" to self defense?
After all, once their sentence has been served, then, why not make that citizen a functioning member of society, like the rest of us? And, if all, or even, most of us are armed, then, the propensity for criminal behavior is greatly suppressed by the respect that even the prospective criminal has for the ability of the public to defend themselves and their property.
Gun ownership and proper training should be mandatory for one to be a citizen of this nation. It is in Switzerland. You haven't seen too many nations try to take on the Swiss army, now have you? That is because the citizenry IS THE ARMY. ALL OF THEM. The whole country.
Firearms are the most effective tool currently available for self defense. Until something much better comes along, then, you better have the best tools available and know how to use them.
Better get behind the one who is shooting back at the bad guy, or crawl under the seat
We walked into a new church, one Sunday, and the gentleman on the door (I believe I recognized him from a local gunshop) asked if I had my pistol. I guess I looked at him a bit strangely, because he said he had his right here, patting his pants pocket. We felt a lot safer & a definite sense of kinship, with Christians who understand that in order to do God's work, you have to be prepared to defend yourself, your immediate family & your community family, all of the time. Evil doesn't take Sunday off. If it did, there would NEVER be any incidents of evil-doers violating the sanctity of the church and harming innocents.
It is one thing to be prepared to sacrafice your life for innocents, and that is admirable. It is another thing, entirely, to make the conscious decision to be prepared to take affirmative action to safeguard them. If you (simply) lay down your life, you may take 1 (or more) bullet(s) but what happens after you are dead? You may have only delayed the inevitable that occurs when evil people do evil things. (More)
Amen!
A recent article in our local paper had city officials saying that the census questions were not intrusive. I took the article to Bible Study that Wed. night and asked people what was wrong with the statement (my civics lesson for the night). The question is not whether or not census question are intrusive but are they Constitutional? We've stopped asking the right questions here in America. And this article reminds me again that not only are we not even asking the right questions, but we don't even live in the same world today as our Founders. How many Christians today would be willing to give up their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for America? Not many.
This article needs to be seen by as many U.S. citizens as possible. There is widespread ignorance of not only the basics of arms possession, but also of constutional rights. We need to be more vocal and dogmatic in favor of the right to bear arms than the opposition. We need to wear them down and discourage the spread and application of their philosophy of cowardice and false Christianity.
I agree with that!
In the congregation of the LDS Church that I attend, periodically the leaders of the Young Men's organization will take the young men to have a Saturday outing under the auspices of their official responsibility and shoot shotguns at clay pigeons. Other times they will shoot rifles and pistols at targets. The neat thing is that the ammo is bought with funds from the Church budget for such activities.
Church funds to buy ammo? Bet ya gets a visit from the feds…….like an Amish farmer did for selling raw milk…at 5a.m. no less.
Obama needs to be impeached before he ruins the entire country.
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!
The LDS Church remains as always one of the great defenders of this nation. At least they have the tenacity to stand up the babbling idiots in Washington D.C. who are working so hard to destroy our freedom. May God bless every one of you.
This is the best reason I've ever heard to join LDS. I am going to find one in my community, and check them out.
I just started carrying my J-frame snub-nose Smith, in a ultra-concealable T-shirt holster. It just disappears under a dress shirt and tie, and blazer over it. And a couple of speed-loaders in the blazer pockets. After reading online the number of churches here in the U.S. have been attacked by lefty/commie nutjobs, and since I usher from time to time, I figured it might not be a bad idea to have at least something on me, just in case something horrible happened. I mean, think about it! Most folks are like what the article said, they don't believe in having guns anywhere near a church. What if radical muslims decide to get even bolder, or the hate-filled marxists decide to do something to try to intimidate the pro-life, anti-tyranny Christian church? Especially if they lose big-time in November, which will bring their agenda to a screeching halt! They will be mad as hell! And I for one would not put it past any of them to try something. I would love to pack my glock 23, but am afraid that if someone wanted to give me a hug,(which sometimes happens in church), I wouldn't want them to freak out if they happened to accidently felt it during the hug. Could be kinda embarrassing!
Here in Iowa, the governor has a "shall issue" bill on his desk awaiting his signature to become law. It's been a long, hard-fought battle to get it this far and no one is positive which way he'll lean. He did promise to sign such a bill if it made it to his desk but now is getting a lot of pressure from the anti-gun, brain-dead crowd. A staff member said he will wait until the last day (4/30) to decide.
I've been considering approaching our church session about security, urged on by he people at frontsight.com. Many of the concerns to which you have given voice are concerns of mine as well. There have been more than 26 shooting incidents at churches nationwide in the past year, ranging from domestic disputes and attacks on clergy to robberies and just plain crazies. It's definitely a place where defenseless sheep usually gather, and sickos love to exploit such situations. Our female minister is very liberal, thus my hesitancy. But the purpose for carrying a concealed weapon is to extend that protection to those around you, because the psychology is on the side of the carrying public: attackers don't know WHO IS carrying when everyone MAY carry.
That was one of the main findings of Professor John Lott, University of Chicago School of Law along with the assistance of Professor Dave Mustard. After studying the FBI's own crime statistics from ALL 3,056 U.S. counties covering 20 years, the former anti-gun professor was astounded. Crime was consistently — provable statistically — significantly lower in those states where people were allowed to carry weapons open or concealed. "An armed society is a polite society". One of the classes of people who benefited most was women. Even their unarmed sisters were safer, suffering fewer assaults, rapes and attacks because potential attackers didn't know who was carrying and who wasn't. It's probably the same reason anti-gun people don't hang doorknob hangers on their front door advertising "Gun Free Home".
Maybe the best approach is just to exercise our legal right to carry everywhere except in "Gun Free Zones" like schools (liberal stupidity on parade). No one can object to that of which they aren't aware, and their irrational fears / good intentions can't compromise the safety of others in the congregation.
Your church is very fortunate to have you thinking ahead and preparing. I often wonder what would happen if something terrible happened at my church. We can not get concealed carry permits in my county.
In this and age churches make easy targets.
God Bless you for your committment.
do you have your pastor's permission? you should always go through the proper channels. if he says no, then perhaps it is best you find a Church that follows ALL the Bible, instead of the parts the pastor chooses. gratefully, when i first started carrying, we were (and still are) going to a Church in which several of the elders, deacons, and other members carry, open and concealed, and with the pastors blessing.
I carry to church every Sunday… even as I am in the pulpit. Jesus told the disciples the time was here to "buy a sword". It's a pastor's job to make sure his flock is not harmed.
Carry!
I don't care if you carry open or carry concealed …. but CARRY.
All day, everyday ….. CARRY.
The reason a lot of people are 'afraid' of guns is that they have no idea what they are.
Guns are just tools … the result depends solely upon their use.
Working for a private enterprise defense contractor we are not allowed to carry to work. We are not even allowed to have a weapon in our vehicle, but outside of that, I carry.
Chainsaws are just tools too, but do you bring one to church? Bringing guns to church is a display that has nothing to do with spirituality. Do you really think the Prince of Peace wants to see guns in His church?
@ Robyn: do you think the Prince of Peace wants to see the bodies of innocent people littering the pews and floors of His Church?
READ THIS OBAMA–HOLDER AND THE REST.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE THIS WAY SO
MEMORIZE THIS AND –S H UT U P.
I'LL SECOND THAT!!!
I agree with both Fred & Gary.
I agree.
I Love It Fred,yea,SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!
I've said it once and I'll say it again.
If we, the voters, continue to vote for running candidates who won't support the Amendments of the Constitution then we must not allow these candidates to become a part of the political arena as our representatives. If they're not Christian, familiar with the laws of God found in the Bible, then we must be diligent to eliminate them from any prospective office. This is not discrimination but common sense. We must defend our nation, as a Christian Nation of believers in the God of the Bible and not the koan where murder is acceptable by extremism. Christianity is about following the laws of the Lord Jesus Christ; not the laws of a supposed religious figure and especially when prone to condone murder, if you don't agree or subscribe to their ideologies!
I am a woman—but my parents had a ranch and I was taught to shoot…and respect firearms. I learned to shoot when I was about 9 years and hunted with my dad.
I don't own a gun today, but have every intention to buy one and GOD help anyone who wants to remove it when I obtain it!
Agreed. Thank You!
"The Bible calls for national defense through an armed populace and militia upon necessity. A standing army is an affront to God. But for some reason, alleged conservative politicians easily persuade Christian voters that the next military maneuver is of necessity an expression of conservative values, and the Christians cheer." Right on.
This is why theology is so important to the Christian, the political predicament we are in right now is partly a result of improper hermeneutics I believe. We should be political for the cause of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness; most of all to preserve that liberty to preach Christ and him crucified. But the is just my humble opinion.
Govt is big because we Americans have taken for granted what this article portrays as a duty to be the fetter of Government. Great article, I will be talking to Elders about starting a "target shooting fellowship" to teach our children the proper perspective of an armed citizenry.
Ron Paul 2012!!! Defender of the Constitution.
Ditto.