Texas church to host concealed handgun training class

Matthew 5:39

But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Who says this atheist does not remember his bible? I digress.

Nothing says Christian values like a gun.

It appears one Texas church has forgotten quite a bit of the New Testament, the part about forgiveness, meekness, and turning the other cheek and is hosting classes that will allow it's members to, amongst other things, kill others.

I find it odd, for lack of a more elaborate term. Odd that a house of worship built, allegedly, on the values and teachings of Jesus would participate in such a thing. The two seem diametrically opposed. How do you say that you are a Christian when the place where you worship trains people or supports training people to carry weapons that can kill?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/1...ncealed-handgun-training-class/#ixzz2KYP96T81

A Baptist church in the Texas Panhandle plans to host concealed handgun training, saying it's offering the class as a community service because there is so much interest in the area.

People wanting to get a concealed handgun license in Texas must take the class. The Rev. Brad Foster of Calvary Baptist Church in Dumas told the Amarillo Globe-News for a story in Saturday's editions that a state-certified instructor will teach the first 10-hour class in the fellowship hall March 2. It covers how to safely handle firearms.

"We've always attempted to think outside the box as far as what the needs of the community are, and I think this melds well with that philosophy," he said.

Two more classes are planned and the church will offer more if there's still interest. Foster said people from across the region, not just church members, have expressed interest in the training. More than half of those enrolled are women and some are teachers.

Jim Edlin, the church's Sunday school director and an organizer of the class, said he looks forward to sharing his experience in the class with others in the community.

"It'll make people feel more secure about where they are, and hopefully the more people get the license the safer we'll all be," he said.

Foster said there has been little negative feedback about the church hosting the class.

"One concern was expressed that this is a political hot-button, especially in our nation, and I certainly am sensitive to that reality," he said. "However, we're not making a political statement, except we don't mind being associated with being in support of the Second Amendment."

 

the bible says nothing against self defense dude.

 

so they are putting there faith in Gun... under Gun they trust


.

 

Actually it does, and I quoted the verse. It is in the OP.

Now I realize that Matthew, like much of the New Testament, was probably written well after the allege death of Jesus, but it does quote him as saying that if you are slapped, you shall offer the other cheek. That soupcons to me exactly like do not resist.

Now if you can find another teaching of Jesus where he says, "Dude, I was only kidding about the slap thing" then I will review it with an open mind.

 

so you consider a slap as the same as someone threatening your life??? are christians just supposed to stand there if someone is shooting a gun at them???

 

Where's the verse that says, "If a burglar is in thy dwelling, raping and murdering your wife or daughter, do not defend them or thine self."?

 

Well, was the passage allegorical or literal? I am pretty sure it is meant to be allegorical, and not just meaning you should offer the other cheek if slapped, but not if you are given and atomic wedgie, a swift kick in the ass, or a spitball flung in their direction.

If Christians claim to follow the teachings of Christ then they should follow the teachings of Christ and not be hypocritical about it. Weapons training in churches strikes me as the antitheses if the love and forgiveness message of Jesus.

 

Come on TFM, nobody expects Christians to actually follow their own religion.
/sarcasm

 

Once again, it is the first verse quoted in the OP. It is readily available for your perusal.

 

self defense is not a sin. get over it.

 

Are you saying you expect Christians to do nothing to defend themselves or others? That's not even expected of Buddhist in the literal sense.

 

In all seriousness, a very good friend of mine has a degree from Lee Bible college and he says Jesus was a pacifist and there is no exceptions to that rule.

If you are to be a Christian, you must be a pacifist.

 

Yes, I expect Christians to stick to their claimed beliefs and not be hypocritical. I thought I had made that explicitly clear in my OP. Don't call yourself a Christian if you are going to sit in your house of worship and play with guns.

 

so a real christian is supposed to stand there and die by the hands of a murderer, watch his/her child get raped, and just let people do whatever they want to them in general???

- - - Updated - - -

um a weapon is church is not a sin either.

 

I'm sure someone could argue that there's an exception, and provide a quote as a basis.... which shouldn't be a problem with you since you don't actually believe in the Christian faith.

 

If you want to be "Christ-like", then yes. Did Jesus fight back when the Romans were torturing him?

 

nope he sure didnt. but it still wouldnt have been a sin if he did defend himself. please, show me the scripture where its all out sin to defend yourself from an attacker.

 

course we know what it says about rapists...

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy 22:28-29&version=NIV

 

Does this sound like a good policy to you? Should we allow Christians and Jews to practice this so that they're able to avoid being hypocritical?

 

From the Old Testament...

"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." - Exodus 21 (KJV)

 

They're being trained to fire a gun not pistol whip.

Meek means "humble" - it doesn't have anything to do with self-defense.

"Sinning" against you isn't the issue - people don't defend themselves for 'revenge' - they do it for their and their families survival. And when it comes down to 'survival', it has nothing to do with forgiveness.

Not at all. Killing is perfectly fine, and never condemned in the Bible (only murder - wrongful killing).

Kind of ironic though coming from a guy who says that he hunts ducks for sport, then whines about self-defense training, calling it 'murder'.

As usual your threads are all snark and fluff, no substance.

 

I just sent my friend a message.

In the meantime, I have another question for you. Why would a Christian bother fighting back anyway? Dying in a way that pleases God should be a goal for a Christian, should it not?

 

A 'slap' isn't life threatening, so reacting to a slap would not be for the purpose of survival, it would be for the purpose of 'revenge'.

Unless you're saying you literally believe the Bible says a person should stand by and watch their wife or child be raped or killed and not defend themselves, because that wouldn't be 'turning the other cheek'.

But you probably knew that already and are just trolling.

 

Is the Old Testament what modern Christianity goes by?

I was under the impression, correctly, that the Old Testament, though gory and fairly nasty, was nothing more than history (yes, I did chuckle when typing that) and that the lessons of the church are what was taught by Jesus.

Unless of course your god gave you his only son who died for your sins but nothing that he said was actually what Christians (and Jews, technically Christ never intended to form a new religion) were supposed to go by.

Now is it your argument that Christians should go by the Old Testament? Because if so I know some adulterers you folks could go stone.

 

what way of dying is to please God???