Should Christians Own Guns????

Just because he was a westerner from Britian.

 

Yep.

That depends much more on me than on my gun.

No, I sure don't. He didn't 'protect' me from a motorcycle wreck that broke a tibia and 4 ribs and punctured a lung. He didn't protect me from a nail gun that blew its back cover off, gashing my forehead. He hasn't protected me from pneumonia or bronchitis. So what reason is there to thilnk he will protect me from an intruder who would kill me just to get away with a little cash or a computer or a television? None. If you think there is, then don't lock your doors, don't have any burglar or smoke alarms or sensor-operated lights, and don't call the police if you do hear someone prowling around your home.

 

Well there you go... God did too protect you cause any one of those things could have took your life sorry to hear you went through it but even though you got some bumps and bruises it shows we are in Gods hand.

Back to the OP question...
Would I use a gun... I don't know if I would or not? But it is good to have some protection. Although a 2 edged sword works pretty good too. I remember a German Sheperd dog was about to jump on my daughter (teeth barred hair standing up on the back of its neck and just walking like it was sneeking up) when she was 3 yrs old and I screamed the name of Jesus at it and it tucked its tail and ran back to its yard. Something supernatural happened, there was no doubt in my mind! :flower:

 

God has protected me in all things and at all times . . .

I thank Him for it - and I thank Him that His protections means that I am not in a wheel chair - even though every day hurts like your nail gun did . . . just a guess that you were around a 5 - 6 level pain for most of it . . .

Thank God I can still enjoy the pain of walking . . .

 

Now about that gun . . . mmm . . . not sure if I would need to do much more than say something like, "Son . . . Dirty Harry once asked a man if he felt lucky . . . I really hope you don't feel lucky, because I really don't want to have to scrub you off of my floor and walls . . . "

Or, "If I miss once - you better get behind bars quick - 'cause I don't think I have ever missed twice at under 250 yards . . . "

 

That renders the word protect virtually meaningless. If you stood by and watched your own child being battered and broken, would you be protecting the kid as long as you didn't let him/her die?

There's plenty of doubt in mine. By your previous reasoning it was still protection as long she wasn't killed. And I doubt if it was what you screamed, just that you did scream and frightened that dog away.

 

Maybe you are not trusting the Lord.
I haven't had a motorccycle wreck.
I haven't broken a tibia and 4 ribs.
I haven't had a nail gun that blew its back cover offer gashing my forehead.
I haven't had pneumonia or even bronchitis.
I have never had an intruder that would threaten to kill me. Fact is I can't remember if I have ever had an intruder at all.
My house has been unlocked plenty of times and I live in a city of one million. Before this I lived in a city of ten million and often our house was unlocked. The Lord took care of us.
And I can pretty much guarantee you, that my years on this earth are much more than yours.
DHK

 

Well, then, just what have you had? Every day a pleasant stroll in the sun, or even days of wine and roses? You have absolutely never been sick? No one (except me) ever said anything that hurt your wittle feelins? If you're so old, have you not anyone croak on you-- parents, friends, siblings? Or did God refuse to protect them and let them die? And finally, if it's another hunderd years before Jesus comes back, or that oft-gabbed-about super meteor knocks us winding, are you still going to be here-- in perfect health, no busted bones, no clogged arteries, no intruders? i.e, is God going to keep 'protecting' you?

 

I have never met a person before that survived a mortorcylce wreck and did not believe that God had protected him from much worse harm . . . Makes me wonder if it was your bike or someone else's sled you were riding on. I guess it must be God's fault that He forced you to get on that motor.

What will God have to do for you to get your attention?

Put you in a lung machine? If you are not in a lung machine, I think you need to respect the God that has protected you from being in one.

IMHO

 

Why do you blame God?

 

Yep!

Yep!

Nope!
Fear not man who can destroy the body. Don't say to let him destroy the body if you can help it.

And I don't blame God whatsoever for that man coming into my house, I blame the devil.

I been cut over and over in surgery and still thank God for my life.

 

Owning a firearm that you plan to use for personal defense is a very serious decision. I believe Christians are permitted but not commanded to own firearms.

I have been asked many times by individuals if I thought they should purchase a gun. Because they know I have guns usually the question is more like, “Which gun should I buy for home defense?” Often my response has been none. If you are not trained or willing to be trained to use the firearm, and if you are not willing to take someone else’s life without hesitation or remorse, then you have no business owning a firearm for personal defense. You will not scare them away and you will become one of those statistics where the gun ends up being used on you. Gun ownership is not for everyone. Some people don’t have the mental ability to take another life and if they did would feel guilty about it later.

If your life, property, or family is threatened you don’t need to wave a gun around. You don’t need to threaten someone or give them a warning shot. You don’t need to tell them you have a gun and ask them to leave. You need to give them two to the chest and one to the head. If you can’t do that call 911, run away or hide, and pray. Many of my prayers have been answered, sometimes by extraordinary means, but not all of them.

Owning a firearm for personal protection is a protective measure just like putting on your seat belt or wearing a helmet when you get on a motorcycle. To say “God will protect me” is naive. Reminds me of the story of the guy on a roof during the flood, I am sure most here have heard that one, turned down the boat and helicopter because “God was protecting him.” Then when he died and got to heaven and asked God why he died God said, “I send a boat and a helicopter.” God gives us common sense and abilities and expects us to use them.

 

...is this tongue in cheek? If not, I have a lot of trouble with this post.

 

In my opinion, like the Bible, it is best read in context . . .

 

DHK;
Just give thanks and don't think you are immuned from such action because you are a Christian. Remember the Apostles and Jesus died terrible deaths. Christians have and still are slaughtered everyday. Even Jesus said, they shall kill you and think they do God a service. So, we are subject to the evil of the devil in others and I for one intend to protect my family with whatever means I have. No need to go to a butt kicking contest with just one leg.

 

Tali;
Tell you what, walk out in the middle of a major 4 lane and lay down or be smart enough to stay out of the way of traffic.
Have a gun to protect your family, or wait until your family has been molested and killed and then go get one. Got some friends who believe in absolute predestination and we live in coal fields. I can tell you of assurance that when the roof starts to fall they out run all the rest.

God never promised us in this life to not have to face the devil and his means of destroying us. He took a whip and ran them out of the synagogue Himself just for selling merchandise.

 

To all,

bmerr here. Been away for awhile, and thought I'd check in. I haven't read the whole thread, either, but I've got the "feel" of the discussion.

Seems pretty clear that it is biblically neither right nor wrong for a Christian to own and bear arms. While it is true that God takes care of His own, it is also true that people are to excercise good ol' common sense as they live on this planet. Either one without the other is foolishness.

Trusting in God's protection did not warrant Jesus throwing Himself off the pinnacle of the temple (Matt 4:5-7). It does not give one today the right to go around licking light sockets, "trusting in God" to protect him, either. We've got to use common sense.

Concerning guns and whether or not one ought to maintain them in their home, one might consider the town of Kennesaw, GA. You can type it in on your browser, and get more info, but the short version is that they enacted a mandatory gun law a while back, requiring every head of household to maintain at least one firearm with ammunition in the home. (There were provisions for those with strong objections).

Bottom line: the crime rate plummetted, even as the population grew.

The fact is, most criminals don't have a death-wish. They would much rather pick a "soft target" when choosing which house to rob or invade. The knowledge that a house is likely inhabited by a person who owns, and knows how to use a gun is often all the incentive a reprobate needs to look elsewhere for mischief.

Then there is the matter of doing "...good unto all men..." (Gal 6:10). A good guy with a gun is more convincing than one without a gun. I think part of the problem with crime in this country is the fact that a criminals' biggest fear is being arrested, and maybe doing some jail time. They don't fear that someone might interrupt their rape or robbery and shoot them dead on the spot. They don't fear that they might be out gunned by the "man on the street".

Perhaps behind that is the fact that the ACLU (American Communist Lawyer's Union) has succeeded in making law-abiding citizens afraid to help their fellow man, since many who have done so have faced law suits from the criminals they have protected their neighbors from.

It's not a sin to kill in defense of self or another. Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating one of the Hebrews (Ex 2:11-12), but God never once condemned him for it. In fact, it was God Who told Moses the "coast is clear", (Ex 4:19). A general departure from the Bible as the standard rule of life has resulted in the fact that killing in defense of self or another is often punishable by the law of the land. Pretty sad, huh?

If you want to own a gun, own a gun. Just make sure you know how to use it. Gun control is hitting your intended target.

In Christ,

bmerr