Salty! Salty! The topic is carrying weapons into worship services, not national defense. Come on friend, I expect better understanding, not necessarily agreement, but understanding of the real topic from you.
I am not living by a sword. I am not anxious. Carrying a pistol, concealed, is not a sign that someone is afraid or violent. Just because someone is concealed carry does not make them a warmonger or take away from them being a peace maker. You are simply making false assumptions based on your erroneous interpretation of the scripture.
In the end we will have to see who is right because you and I will never see eye to eye on this issue. In the meantime, you go to your church and I will go to mine.
Thanks for a good honest answer. Now if that is the case and looking at the teachings and how Christ lived his life in relationship with with others which side of the question do you think he would come down on in the context of this discussion?
No, you don't get another question until you answer the question we have been asking. Where does it say we are heretics? Stop dithering and act like a man and answer.
So you would be saying that God has changed his mind regarding things such as Homeosexuality, and that He would advocate us being under no laws, so lets just have wide open borders, and have Government feed and cloth all people, and provide health care for all, regardless that the means to do that much better is through capitalism and free markets, and through Christians and those of concerned helping others apart from government?
Do you also see it no problem to have those who work hard and willing to help others, forced to "share their wealth?', instead of allowing to have the economy grow as it ahould be?
Did you know that Heaven once had a war and that Lucifer lost and was thrown out of Heaven?
To be really pure--as you suggest--the church would have to ask that the police never answer any calls from the church or arrest anyone who attacks a Christian.
In other words, the church should just let the wolves take down all the sheep at will, huh?
Maybe the church should just tell the jihadists in your town, Crabtown, that the best time to get even for the crusades that Obama mentioned would be on Sunday morning as the church does not believe in self-defense but does believe in suicide by criminal and jihadist, not to mention Hindu and Shinto.
To me carrying a weapon into a church service denies the following scripture:
Blessed are the peacemakers
Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Those who live by the sword die by the sword.
Do not be anxious for anything.
I will trust and not be afraid.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
To deny, that is to deny it by not living it is heresy. I use the meaning of heresy as a controversial or unorthodox opinion or doctrine. Defending carrying weapons to a service of worshiping Christ is, to me, controversial and unorthodox. I have never, until very recently, ever, anywhere in the world heard anyone suggest that carrying a weapon to a worship service is proper and within the teachings of Christ or in keeping with the way he treated others.
So, which side of this issue do you think Christ would come down on?
I think Jesus would ask to see my Glock. And compliment me on making a good choice of a self-defense weapon.
And I would say "thank you. I bought it with the money you gave me the energy to work hard for. It was bought to make sure that my family and friends were safe from the world the leftists have created by their stupidity."
1 Timothy 5:8 - Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
I think we can see which side He "comes down on" by looking at the past massacres!
Now just use a little common sense and decide why He allowed these to be killed!!!!
Would He have "disarmed" a carrier so the death toll could remain; or could (would?) He have used a carrier to immediately stop the slaughter?
Of course He could have stopped the slaughter anyway, BUT He didn't.
Seems to me that if you are going to put God on the spot to condemn those who would carry in the church, why not blame Him for not stopping the one(s) who DID carry into the church
Oh, and Crabby, don't ever lock your car, or home doors, or drive following the traffic signals, yada, yada, yada - IOW at least be consistent.
I respectfully disagree. Can you show me any examples from his teachings or life that support your belief?
A very liberal interpretation of that verse. There is nothing in that verse about a worship service.
Here is how a commentary described the meaning of that verse:
Putting 5:8 into context we can see it has nothing to do with carrying or now carrying weapons to worship services. Indeed, it has nothing to do with worship services at all.
Here is a description putting the verse in context:
These have nothing to do with protecting one self from muderers. The use of these for that ideology is to rip them out of context. Couldn't be more inappropriate.
Do the police protect your church, Crabtown?
If so, isn't that just as bad as carrying a gun to church (which might have saved a lot of lives in Charlotte, or would you have been against that, too?).
That's not the traditional definition of heresy. Heresy is an unorthodox CORE doctrine, not any unorthodox doctrine. Unless KJVO, not using musical instruments in worship, or women wearing slacks (just to name a few) is heresy in your book. Likewise, carrying weapons is hardly a core doctrine.