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Self-Defense is a Religious Obligation
American Thinker ^ | August 22, 2014 | Rabbi Aryeh Spero

Posted on 08/22/2014 3:56:34 PM PDT by right-wing agnostic

“Children are being beheaded, mothers are being raped and killed, and fathers are being hung and crucified. Entire Christian and non-Muslim communities are being decimated by the radical Muslim group, ISIS.” These are the words from reporters out of Iraq. What is our obligation to those under fire from Islamic terrorists? Prayer is good, but not enough. Words of support are welcome, but not enough. What can one do when terrorists are not moved by our prayers or words of support for the hunted? Our religious obligation is to fight.

We fight because self-defense is a mandate from the Bible -- the Torah, called by many the Old Testament. We fight to defend life. Because life is precious, the ultimate, we must defend it. The very definition of self-defense is permission to kill the one who is coming toward you to kill you. Self-defense is not simply our right to pray or support with words, but do whatever is needed to stay alive and protect our families.

Those pacifists who are willing to personally die and would rather be butchered so as not to kill their butchers are free to so choose. But no one is allowed to demand or suggest that someone else allow himself to be killed so as to spare the life of the one presently doing murder.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: moralobligation; selfdefense
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Before reading this article I was unfamiliar with the author. But, I concur wholeheartedly what he says. Self defense is indeed a religious--not just a moral--obligation. Furthermore, Dennis Prager often makes the point that religious people who advocate "turning the other cheek" are indeed enabling evil. Mr. Prager also says that there are distinct words in Hebrew for "kill" and "murder". And that the Commandment is should rightfully translated "Thou shall not MURDER" and not "Thou shall not kill." We need to actively fight evil wherever possible. That is why as a nonreligious person, I fight liberalism with every fiber of my being. Liberalism is indeed evil./rwa
1 posted on 08/22/2014 3:56:34 PM PDT by right-wing agnostic
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To: right-wing agnostic

I agree,especially with the foolish notion of turning the other cheek.


2 posted on 08/22/2014 4:04:09 PM PDT by POWERSBOOTHEFAN (IT'S GREAT TO BE STRAIGHT!)
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To: POWERSBOOTHEFAN; All; narses; Nachum; SunkenCiv; MHGinTN; xsmommy; SoothingDave
Technically, the relevant (and most reverent!) quote should be "Greater love hath no man, that he lays down his life for his friends ...."

Thus, self-defense is made less important than defense of others (any who cannot defend themselves)!

3 posted on 08/22/2014 4:14:06 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: POWERSBOOTHEFAN
I realize I may be wrong, but my understanding of ‘turning the other cheek’ applies specifically when preaching the Gospel only.

Neither the spirit or the letter of the Bible compels one to be somebody’s door mat, endure abuse, fail to take precautions in the face of danger, or defend yourself when threatened.

4 posted on 08/22/2014 4:14:55 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: MichaelCorleone

that is, FAIL to defend yourself when threatened.


5 posted on 08/22/2014 4:16:59 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: right-wing agnostic

Yes, it was a good article.

There was one particular quote which was very scary and very revealing.

“We should not want a victor and a vanquished.”- Obama on the subject of bombing ISIS.


6 posted on 08/22/2014 4:22:23 PM PDT by drbuzzard (All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others.)
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To: appalachian_dweller; OldPossum; DuncanWaring; VirginiaMom; CodeToad; goosie; kalee; ...

Preppers’ PING!!

The Biblical View of Self-Defense

http://www.biblicalselfdefense.com/


7 posted on 08/22/2014 4:24:06 PM PDT by Kartographer ("We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.")
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To: Kartographer

Another article that I included in my Preparedness Manual:

The Biblical Case for Self-Defense

http://learntheology.com/biblical-case-for-self-defense.html

Just look at Ferguson there are plenty of people just looking for the slightest excuse to start trouble so it doesn’t take much, look what happen when the EBT Cards stopped working not long ago. Think about what happens after severe thunderstorms, winter snow storms, hurricanes roll though. Heck look at what happens on Black Friday and that just for stuff you can live without not like food and water.

Here’s a good tale that shows it can happen anywhere and with little provocation:

http://sgtreport.com/2012/06/an-event-at-my-grocery-store/

It is your choice you can prep or you can stand around on a bridge waiting for FEMA to bring you a bottle of water, a MRE, a warm blanket and a kiss for your boo-boo and maybe you can even get your picture as you stand there on the national news.

The world is dry tinder just awaiting the right spark.

So listen to what the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. NIV Proverbs 22:3

Selco covers this in this article many times people just can not except that a breakdown is occurring even as they watch it happening before their eyes. Why don’t they realize it? It’s caused by a condition called ‘Normalcy Bias’ a mental state people enter when facing a disaster.

It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.

A good article on ‘Normalcy Bias’ is on our own ChocChipCookies Blog The Survival Mom:

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/12/29/normalcy-bias/

You either prepare and stand on your own beholden to no one or you become dependent on others to provide your basic needs and become their ‘serf’. Me I don’t want to be beholden to anyone for providing what is needed for me and mine. I certainly don’t want to have to kiss some ‘gubberment’ third class bureaucratic to try and coax some help from them, I don’t want some ‘jack booted’ thug herding me in line and telling me where to stand, sit, eat or sleep. And last but not least I don’t want to be shut up in with a bunch of ‘zombies’ and have to worry about not only trying to get basic necessities but having to fight to keep what I manage to get.

Just getting started or an old hand you might find my Preparedness Manual helpful. You can download the manual at:

http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!

For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, cash (I myself have been putting up change for the past few years both for the metal content and the fact that using change places to make what purchases you can will move you down the the list of possible marks during shtf), tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.

As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”

Again I like to recomend FReeper’s ChocoChipCookie Blog The Survival Mom (Please Blog Police let this one slide!) Where you can get lots of useful information like:

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2011/11/20/8-morale-boosters-for-any-worst-case-scenario/

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/02/02/survival-priorities-the-rule-of-three/

And More

Also there is Ferfal’s Blog a survivor of Argentina’s first collapse:

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/

And there is Selco’s Blog a Bosnian War survivor at:

http://shtfschool.com/

“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger. Underestimation can be fatal.”


8 posted on 08/22/2014 4:33:45 PM PDT by Kartographer ("We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.")
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To: POWERSBOOTHEFAN

> I agree,especially with the foolish notion of turning the other cheek.

That cheek might get sliced off in this scenario though. Jesus also said to sell your cloak to buy a sword and in Lukee 22:36


9 posted on 08/22/2014 4:43:26 PM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: jsanders2001

> I agree,especially with the foolish notion of turning the other cheek.

That cheek might get sliced off in this scenario though. Jesus also said to sell your cloak to buy a sword in Luke 22:36


10 posted on 08/22/2014 4:45:08 PM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: right-wing agnostic

The Jews fought almost continuously for hundreds of years to secure the “Promised Land” They are still at it in case no one has noticed.


11 posted on 08/22/2014 4:54:25 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: right-wing agnostic

Turn the other cheek misses the message entirely. Romans frequently cuffed slaves with an open palm. As almost all are right handed a right to the left cheek is a message to a slave. By turning the other cheek and offering it you are forcing him to deal with you as an equal without violence.


12 posted on 08/22/2014 5:48:58 PM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: right-wing agnostic

Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. He did NOT say to stand there and be slapped silly. We in the Western world have been slapped silly for way too long. Fight back, die or live in chains.


15 posted on 08/22/2014 7:26:35 PM PDT by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners. And to the NSA trolls, FU)
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To: right-wing agnostic

I agree with you on this.

The turning the other cheek has more to do with personal insults, than actual physical attack.


16 posted on 08/22/2014 8:50:39 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: right-wing agnostic; wagglebee; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; caww; ...

Interesting thread, ping


17 posted on 08/22/2014 8:52:00 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: right-wing agnostic
Golly, Rabbi, you make a purty good point; but America ALLOWS, and FIGHTS for the 'right' of choosy 'mothers' and serial killers to slay the unborn in THIS country at the rate of about 3,300 Every workday; and now we are supposed to be concerned about a few terrorists killing folks?

Gimme a BREAK!


18 posted on 08/23/2014 4:57:11 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: metmom

My ‘elephant in the room’ comment will probably nget ignored yet again.

It’s kinda hard to walk straight when this whirlwind is so strong...


19 posted on 08/23/2014 5:00:24 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: jsanders2001
That cheek might get sliced off in this scenario though. Jesus also said to sell your cloak to buy a sword in Luke 22:36

That is exactly the thought that hit me as well. Political correctness is the reason this administration is giving the muslimes a pass, other than the person on top and Val Jarrett being affectionate to that religion.

20 posted on 08/23/2014 5:49:47 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Guns are like parachutes. If you need one and don't have one, you'll probably never need one again.)
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