There appears to be one thing most faiths share in common: the failure to plan for self-defense within the house of worship. The synagogue attack in Pennsylvania, which claimed 11 innocent lives, is the most recent testament to that. My intention is not to blame the victims here; the fault lies only with the sicko who committed the crime. It is sad that one should need to be prepared for violence when worshiping in the house of their religious affiliation. However, we have inherited a sad world that is rife with violence and we need to accept it as it is instead of wish for what is not reality.
This particular incident is apparently the worst attack on American Jews in our history as a nation. Over 100 people were in this synagogue, but not one of them was armed and capable of fighting back. Some people locked themselves in closets and huddled, waiting for the horror to end. Does that sound like a good time to you? I, for one, will pass.
Are the Jews simply soft targets, victims waiting to happen? Hardly. I remind the reader of the Southerland Springs church attack, claiming over 20 lives. This happened in Texas, of all places. I remind you also of the church attack in Charleston, claiming 9 lives. Why, pray tell, do all communities of faith feel compelled to be unarmed and helpless while in the house of worship? This is not unique to America, either. In the Middle East and Asia, Mosques are often attacked. Buddhist temples have also been attacked. Sikh temples have been attacked, a notable occurrence of such happened in our own nation in 2012. It would appear that helplessness is the universal choice in religious establishments. Certainly, some states have legislation that forbids concealed carry in churches, but that has not been the case in all of these incidents.
I respect people of all faiths and I could care less what religion an individual practices. I am, however, an apostle of the American creed of self-defense and self-reliance; I promote the lifestyle of the armed citizen. Perhaps more churchgoers should emulate the lesson of Gideon’s 300 men. Per the Old Testament, in the book of Judges, verse 7:5 we read the following:
When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.”
The reason for the division of men was that the LORD wanted only those who lapped the water like dogs, because these men opted to keep their heads on a swivel while at the river bank, as opposed to the vast majority who drank from the water directly, their heads facing down into the water. Only those who stayed alert went with Gideon into the ensuing battle. When one reads any of the stories in the Old Testament it becomes quite apparent that the LORD was particularly fond of the warrior, since almost all of his chosen men were such. However, in our modern era of weakness in which most abdicate their own self-reliance to the state, there appears to be no place for the warrior in polite society, especially at church. Well, we see how that is working out for everyone.
Whether you go to church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or any other institution of faith, God bless you, we are a nation founded on freedom of religion. We are also a nation founded on self-reliance and bearing arms. Be one of Gideon’s 300 men. Keep your head on a swivel and your handgun on your hip, and guard the flock of good people around you in your house of worship. Should the next hate-filled psychopath come to your religious establishment, I hope to read a very different headline.
For more thoughts on this trend of self-imposed religious pacifism, read my post from last year:
https://reflexhandgun.com/2017/11/10/no-weapons-in-church-a-long-established-and-deadly-tradition/
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