Deacon Blues
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imported post
This sort of incident is a real lightning rod for me; fitting that this should be my first post.
Some of the most pacifistic religious leaders in history have supported the right to self-defense. Gandhi said that violence was necessary if you couldn't protect your family or community otherwise. Just a few years ago, I heard Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, say that if someone shoots at you, it is reasonable to shoot back. I'm not sure why some people think God must be opposed to self-defense, but in a world-conscious and historic persepective, it is an extreme view.
FWIW, if someone came into my church waving a gun and making threats, there would be a half dozen smoking guns and a very different headline. There would probably be a picture of our minister with his .357 on the front page.
BTW, "God helps those who help themselves" is not in the Bible; Ben Franklin penned that in Poor Richard's Almanac (just clearing up a common error).
This sort of incident is a real lightning rod for me; fitting that this should be my first post.
Some of the most pacifistic religious leaders in history have supported the right to self-defense. Gandhi said that violence was necessary if you couldn't protect your family or community otherwise. Just a few years ago, I heard Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, say that if someone shoots at you, it is reasonable to shoot back. I'm not sure why some people think God must be opposed to self-defense, but in a world-conscious and historic persepective, it is an extreme view.
FWIW, if someone came into my church waving a gun and making threats, there would be a half dozen smoking guns and a very different headline. There would probably be a picture of our minister with his .357 on the front page.
BTW, "God helps those who help themselves" is not in the Bible; Ben Franklin penned that in Poor Richard's Almanac (just clearing up a common error).
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