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"Bring Your Pieces to Church"

RockyAcres

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Feb 5, 2009
Messages
35
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Tucson, Arizona, USA
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I thought I had posted this when it first came out...better late than never!

I'll not post the entire article - I copy/pasted it to a Word document and it filled 8 pages! But I'll put a few snippets here to give you the gist of it!

"Bring Your Pieces to Church" Sunday
By Joel McDurmon Published: April 23, 2010

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)...

...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).


Here's the link to the entire article:
http://patriotupdate.com/stories/read/3457...o-Church-Sunday
 

lostone1413

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Aug 21, 2006
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The last few years have shown that even being in church at time isn't that safe. I believe that anyplace you go you should be armed. I'm sure some places would be better to be concealed but be it concealed or OC just be armed!
 

March Hare

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Dec 31, 2009
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Arridzona - Flatlander
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I've always been armed at church, I just don't advertise that fact.
I've only been 'made' two times, both of those ended up with me teaching them how to shoot and be a responsible gun owner!

You just never know where the bad guys are anymore.

-MH
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
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Location
Prescott Valley, AZ
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Whether I'm participating in worship, leading singing, or preaching/teaching, I am always armed at church.

So are the other staff -- and I know a large number of Pastor's in our area that carry at church.

Large numbers of our members carry as well -- woe be unto any doofus that comes into one of our services thinking they can just "shoot up the place."

OC'ing in church often leads to great opportunities to teach people about the proper use and place of firearms.

*GRIN*
 

Dahwg

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Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
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Location
Tucson, Arizona, USA
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I know You take your piece to church Rocky. :cool:

RockyAcres.jpg
 
2

28kfps

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I always carry, open most of the time, and always concealed in my church. If I am in church, I have my firearm. Talked to the pastor because often getting hugs I know some fell something and I wanted him to know. He said not a problem. He being a retired Highway patrol. His wife told my wife he was glad to have the protection.
 

March Hare

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Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
351
Location
Arridzona - Flatlander
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28kfps wrote:
I always carry, open most of the time, and always concealed in my church. If I am in church, I have my firearm. Talked to the pastor because often getting hugs I know some fell something and I wanted him to know. He said not a problem. He being a retired Highway patrol. His wife told my wife he was glad to have the protection.

To avoid getting 'made' I keep my gun side arm low when giving a hug.
The two times I was busted, the person came up from behind and put their arm around me and gave me the look of 'what's that?'
Sometimes it's just unavoidable. :banghead:

Corneredcat.com has a good section on avoiding getting 'made'.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
200
Location
Prescott Valley, AZ
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March Hare wrote:

"To avoid getting 'made' I keep my gun side arm low when giving a hug.
The two times I was busted, the person came up from behind and put their arm around me and gave me the look of 'what's that?'"

That's funny. I have one couple who, if I'm CC'ing, always insist on giving me a good hug because they want to check and make sure that I didn't forget to carry...

*GRIN*
 
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