Is self-defense biblical or not?

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1

10-22-27

Active member
#1
Dec 17, 2023
454
141
43
#1
Is self-defense biblical or not?

Luke 11:21, “When a strong man armed keeps his (estate), his goods are in peace.”

Exodus 22:2 says, “If a thief is found breaking (into your home) and he is smitten (killed) there shall no blood be shed for him (the homeowner.)”

Nehemiah 4:16-18: In Nehemiah’s day, the Jews had returned to Israel to rebuild. Their enemies were giving them a great deal of trouble, so it is written, “Half of my servants (worked on the construction), and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows,”

The following is a true story. My best friend’s grandmother, a Polish woman in her eighties and on her deathbed, told her grandson and myself a story. She told us her husband, three boys, and herself left Poland several days before Adolph Hitler’s armies invaded her country. Her last words to us were, “Never let anyone take your guns from you.” I was a teenager, and I never forgot the seriousness of her words.

Following is a history of governments that disarmed their citizens:

1911 – Turkey disarmed its citizens, and between 1915 – 1917 they murdered 1.5 million Armenians.

1929 – Russia disarmed its citizens, and between 1929 and 1953, they murdered 20 million Russians.

1935 – China disarmed its citizens, and between 1948 and 1952, they murdered 20 million Chinese.

1938 – Germany disarmed its citizens, and between 1939 and 1945, they murdered 16 million Jews.

1956 – Cambodia disarmed its citizens, and between 1975 and 1977, they murdered 1 million Educated people.

1964 – Guatamala disarmed its citizens, and between 1964 and 1981, they murdered 100,000 Mayan Indians.

1970 – Uganda disarmed its citizens, and between 1971 and 1979, they murdered 300,000 Christians.

We can debate the numbers, but the point is that disarmed citizens are vulnerable and that there are many historical examples of disarmed citizens being killed and oppressed by their government. The authorities claim they need to take guns away from citizens to lower crime rates. Even if a government does not turn on its citizens after disarming them, people are less safe – because unarmed citizens are easy targets for criminals. Over and over again, it has been clearly shown that taking guns away from citizens does not lead to a decrease in crime but rather a dramatic increase.]

Australia has disarmed its citizens, and a year later, the homicide rate in the largest province is up 300%, and burglaries of seniors have dramatically increased.

It appears the criminals had not turned in their weapons; only the innocent, law-abiding citizens turned in weapons.

In US cities with the highest crime rates, taking guns away from citizens has not lowered the homicide rate. All it has done is to make it easier for criminals to operate.

The 2nd amendment is not about duck or deer hunting; it’s about having the ability and the right to defend oneself and your family. It doesn’t matter if that threat is a burglar or the Federal Government. A disarmed population is fair game for any president who may be aspiring to become a dictator. Having its citizens armed was the plain and straightforward intent of the founding fathers of our country.

Your thoughts.
 
G

gb9

Senior Member
#2
Jan 18, 2011
12,301
6,676
113
#2
always take the path of peace first. and, we have a right to defend ourselves. Biblical example- after Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, and then told they were free to leave, Paul said- "let them come and take us out".
 
p_rehbein

p_rehbein

Senior Member
#4
Sep 4, 2013
30,687
6,873
113
#4
Luke 11:21 - When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

Exodus 22:2-3 - If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. (Read More...)

Luke 22:36 - Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Proverbs 25:26 - A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.

Psalms 144:1 - (A Psalm of David.) Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

Romans 12:19 - Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Nehemiah 4:17-18 - They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. (Read More...)

Romans 13:4 - For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Psalms 82:4 - Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

Mark 3:27 - No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Exodus 22:1-31 - If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. (Read More...)

Numbers 31:3 - And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

Romans 12:18 - If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Proverbs 20:22 - Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

Matthew 26:52-54 - Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Read More...)
 
S

SoldierofChrist

Member
#5
Jan 30, 2024
92
60
18
#5
My initial response is absolutely, emphatically, yes. But knowing myself a little, I know that I have a vindictive mean streak that likes to hunt. And by hunt I mean destroy those things that threaten me or mine.

So it comes down to intent. I believe there is a fine line between killing and murder. I may kill an intruder and be justified but if I have been longing for the day to come so I can it is actually murder. A heart condition.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#6
Aug 13, 2014
27,283
9,332
113
#6
10-22-27 said:
Is self-defense biblical or not?

Luke 11:21, “When a strong man armed keeps his (estate), his goods are in peace.”

Exodus 22:2 says, “If a thief is found breaking (into your home) and he is smitten (killed) there shall no blood be shed for him (the homeowner.)”

Nehemiah 4:16-18: In Nehemiah’s day, the Jews had returned to Israel to rebuild. Their enemies were giving them a great deal of trouble, so it is written, “Half of my servants (worked on the construction), and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows,”

The following is a true story. My best friend’s grandmother, a Polish woman in her eighties and on her deathbed, told her grandson and myself a story. She told us her husband, three boys, and herself left Poland several days before Adolph Hitler’s armies invaded her country. Her last words to us were, “Never let anyone take your guns from you.” I was a teenager, and I never forgot the seriousness of her words.

Following is a history of governments that disarmed their citizens:

1911 – Turkey disarmed its citizens, and between 1915 – 1917 they murdered 1.5 million Armenians.

1929 – Russia disarmed its citizens, and between 1929 and 1953, they murdered 20 million Russians.

1935 – China disarmed its citizens, and between 1948 and 1952, they murdered 20 million Chinese.

1938 – Germany disarmed its citizens, and between 1939 and 1945, they murdered 16 million Jews.

1956 – Cambodia disarmed its citizens, and between 1975 and 1977, they murdered 1 million Educated people.

1964 – Guatamala disarmed its citizens, and between 1964 and 1981, they murdered 100,000 Mayan Indians.

1970 – Uganda disarmed its citizens, and between 1971 and 1979, they murdered 300,000 Christians.

We can debate the numbers, but the point is that disarmed citizens are vulnerable and that there are many historical examples of disarmed citizens being killed and oppressed by their government. The authorities claim they need to take guns away from citizens to lower crime rates. Even if a government does not turn on its citizens after disarming them, people are less safe – because unarmed citizens are easy targets for criminals. Over and over again, it has been clearly shown that taking guns away from citizens does not lead to a decrease in crime but rather a dramatic increase.]

Australia has disarmed its citizens, and a year later, the homicide rate in the largest province is up 300%, and burglaries of seniors have dramatically increased.

It appears the criminals had not turned in their weapons; only the innocent, law-abiding citizens turned in weapons.

In US cities with the highest crime rates, taking guns away from citizens has not lowered the homicide rate. All it has done is to make it easier for criminals to operate.

The 2nd amendment is not about duck or deer hunting; it’s about having the ability and the right to defend oneself and your family. It doesn’t matter if that threat is a burglar or the Federal Government. A disarmed population is fair game for any president who may be aspiring to become a dictator. Having its citizens armed was the plain and straightforward intent of the founding fathers of our country.

Your thoughts.
Click to expand...
You ask a question that is not a question.

The thread title is a question, and you repeat that question at the start of the first post, but then you make a lot of statements that argue heavily in favor of one side of the question.

It is a question that has been asked many times here on this forum though, so it should be easy to find an answer in the archives.
 
S

Soyeong

Active member
#7
Oct 11, 2023
846
101
43
#7
10-22-27 said:
Is self-defense biblical or not?

Luke 11:21, “When a strong man armed keeps his (estate), his goods are in peace.”

Exodus 22:2 says, “If a thief is found breaking (into your home) and he is smitten (killed) there shall no blood be shed for him (the homeowner.)”

Nehemiah 4:16-18: In Nehemiah’s day, the Jews had returned to Israel to rebuild. Their enemies were giving them a great deal of trouble, so it is written, “Half of my servants (worked on the construction), and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows,”

The following is a true story. My best friend’s grandmother, a Polish woman in her eighties and on her deathbed, told her grandson and myself a story. She told us her husband, three boys, and herself left Poland several days before Adolph Hitler’s armies invaded her country. Her last words to us were, “Never let anyone take your guns from you.” I was a teenager, and I never forgot the seriousness of her words.

Following is a history of governments that disarmed their citizens:

1911 – Turkey disarmed its citizens, and between 1915 – 1917 they murdered 1.5 million Armenians.

1929 – Russia disarmed its citizens, and between 1929 and 1953, they murdered 20 million Russians.

1935 – China disarmed its citizens, and between 1948 and 1952, they murdered 20 million Chinese.

1938 – Germany disarmed its citizens, and between 1939 and 1945, they murdered 16 million Jews.

1956 – Cambodia disarmed its citizens, and between 1975 and 1977, they murdered 1 million Educated people.

1964 – Guatamala disarmed its citizens, and between 1964 and 1981, they murdered 100,000 Mayan Indians.

1970 – Uganda disarmed its citizens, and between 1971 and 1979, they murdered 300,000 Christians.

We can debate the numbers, but the point is that disarmed citizens are vulnerable and that there are many historical examples of disarmed citizens being killed and oppressed by their government. The authorities claim they need to take guns away from citizens to lower crime rates. Even if a government does not turn on its citizens after disarming them, people are less safe – because unarmed citizens are easy targets for criminals. Over and over again, it has been clearly shown that taking guns away from citizens does not lead to a decrease in crime but rather a dramatic increase.]

Australia has disarmed its citizens, and a year later, the homicide rate in the largest province is up 300%, and burglaries of seniors have dramatically increased.

It appears the criminals had not turned in their weapons; only the innocent, law-abiding citizens turned in weapons.

In US cities with the highest crime rates, taking guns away from citizens has not lowered the homicide rate. All it has done is to make it easier for criminals to operate.

The 2nd amendment is not about duck or deer hunting; it’s about having the ability and the right to defend oneself and your family. It doesn’t matter if that threat is a burglar or the Federal Government. A disarmed population is fair game for any president who may be aspiring to become a dictator. Having its citizens armed was the plain and straightforward intent of the founding fathers of our country.

Your thoughts.
Click to expand...
Self-defense is good. Killing in self-defense is another issue and Exodus 22 distinguishes between whether the thief was killed during the day or at night. The purpose of striking someone's cheek was to bring shame to them, not to physically attack them, so turning the other cheek is in regard to honor/shame challenges, not in regard to self-defense.
 
Eli1

Eli1

Well-known member
#9
Apr 5, 2022
4,718
2,029
113
46
#9
I always find these everyday-life questions interesting.

There are a million things about everyday life that are not specified in the Bible but i also realize that for a lot of people, the interpretation of the Bible is very different from mine.

Someone else posted a question about vacations or holidays or a few other topics which seemed very strange and interesting at the same time to see the responses.
 
HealthAndHappiness

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
#11
Jul 7, 2022
10,265
4,304
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#11
10-22-27 said:
Is self-defense biblical or not?

Luke 11:21, “When a strong man armed keeps his (estate), his goods are in peace.”

Exodus 22:2 says, “If a thief is found breaking (into your home) and he is smitten (killed) there shall no blood be shed for him (the homeowner.)”

Nehemiah 4:16-18: In Nehemiah’s day, the Jews had returned to Israel to rebuild. Their enemies were giving them a great deal of trouble, so it is written, “Half of my servants (worked on the construction), and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows,”

The following is a true story. My best friend’s grandmother, a Polish woman in her eighties and on her deathbed, told her grandson and myself a story. She told us her husband, three boys, and herself left Poland several days before Adolph Hitler’s armies invaded her country. Her last words to us were, “Never let anyone take your guns from you.” I was a teenager, and I never forgot the seriousness of her words.

Following is a history of governments that disarmed their citizens:

1911 – Turkey disarmed its citizens, and between 1915 – 1917 they murdered 1.5 million Armenians.

1929 – Russia disarmed its citizens, and between 1929 and 1953, they murdered 20 million Russians.

1935 – China disarmed its citizens, and between 1948 and 1952, they murdered 20 million Chinese.

1938 – Germany disarmed its citizens, and between 1939 and 1945, they murdered 16 million Jews.

1956 – Cambodia disarmed its citizens, and between 1975 and 1977, they murdered 1 million Educated people.

1964 – Guatamala disarmed its citizens, and between 1964 and 1981, they murdered 100,000 Mayan Indians.

1970 – Uganda disarmed its citizens, and between 1971 and 1979, they murdered 300,000 Christians.

We can debate the numbers, but the point is that disarmed citizens are vulnerable and that there are many historical examples of disarmed citizens being killed and oppressed by their government. The authorities claim they need to take guns away from citizens to lower crime rates. Even if a government does not turn on its citizens after disarming them, people are less safe – because unarmed citizens are easy targets for criminals. Over and over again, it has been clearly shown that taking guns away from citizens does not lead to a decrease in crime but rather a dramatic increase.]

Australia has disarmed its citizens, and a year later, the homicide rate in the largest province is up 300%, and burglaries of seniors have dramatically increased.

It appears the criminals had not turned in their weapons; only the innocent, law-abiding citizens turned in weapons.

In US cities with the highest crime rates, taking guns away from citizens has not lowered the homicide rate. All it has done is to make it easier for criminals to operate.

The 2nd amendment is not about duck or deer hunting; it’s about having the ability and the right to defend oneself and your family. It doesn’t matter if that threat is a burglar or the Federal Government. A disarmed population is fair game for any president who may be aspiring to become a dictator. Having its citizens armed was the plain and straightforward intent of the founding fathers of our country.

Your thoughts.
Click to expand...

I know that my brethren and other pacifist friends wonder how I survived so long if I obeyed their mandate to just "turn the other cheek."
I say "their mandate" because that seems to be like their favorite distinctive for some reason. However, anyone who has read the entire Bible finds out that Jesus is very clear how and what applies as well as His view on self defense vs wicked violence.
Funny thing is that they never had been persecuted or attacked. However, one obese brethren guy used to come out to our dinners and Bible studies until he, out of the blue jumped on this little Chinese gal's back from behind as he laughed thinking he was funny or something. Weird. Thankfully she was OK and that pacifist was promptly, yet gently shown the door and told to not return. That pastor and his wife were pretty angry. I suppose that THEY were the ones in sin because they should have not been angry since that's of the flesh, right? ( Sarc. Context people!)

Anyhow, Im writing a book on the subject, but have too many priorities to accomplish first.
It's full of over a dozen personal experiences and Biblical teachings on the subject since that's what counts.
 
K

Karlon

Well-known member
#12
Mar 8, 2023
2,554
1,146
113
#12
totally Biblical. my dad shot & killed about 70 men in the Korean war in the name of defense. he wounded 100's more. he was on the front lines. he was a mike tyson kind of guy. once he beat up 3 men simultaneously. there is a mean streak going way back in our generations. i was the 1st person to become born again in the families. some of the harsh behavior has been vanquished in family members. i'm still working on casting out the old in the family.
 
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