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Mojo84 wrote:

I also believe the turn the other cheek verse was referring to revenge, retribution and retaliation, not self defense.

^^^^^^^^

My belief as well.

It does not speak to self defense, but rather admonishes us NOT to seek revenge for common slights, slanders or affronts to our dignity.

Nehemiah 4:9
"But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."
I tend to believe the guard had some form of a weapon.

My pastor carries, as do most of our deacons and many others in the congregation. On any given Sunday, about 8-10% of the congregation is armed. The pastor's attitude is that if you are being persecuted for the sake of Christ, then you should not resist. Scripture teaches us you should count it joy when you receive persecution for Christ's sake, even unto death. However, the reasons we would have to defend ourselves in this country are usually not religious persecution. Even the terrorist threats to our safety have more to do with political motivation than religious. If you are still unsure about what scripture says on the subject, speak to your pastor about self defense and scripture. You don't even need to mention guns if you're not sure how he feels about them. Hope this helps.