Posted on 04/21/2015 1:28:06 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
An Ann Arbor Catholic priest announced that he will continue to hold concealed pistol license (CPL) classes at Christ the King parish and urged his parishioners to arm themselves, according to a letter he sent following the announcement of the lessons.
The Rev. Ed Fride conducts mass in April 2005 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor.
The Rev. Edward Fride, who sent the letter, called upon his parishioners to not allow themselves to "assume that they live in Mayberry [the fictional North Carolina home of Andy Griffith], trusting that because they know the Lord Jesus, everything will always be fine and nothing bad can happen to them and their families."
Fride first made the announcement about the classes at a Palm Sunday Mass, and the letter was sent to explain his reasoning for offering the CPL lessons. He said that some people expressed discomfort with the idea of guns in the church or the class being held on the church's property, 4000 Ave Maria Dr.
"Several people have said to me, I'm afraid of guns," he wrote. "My response to one woman was, 'well, how do you feel about rape?'"
The Detroit Free Press reported Monday that the Diocese of Lansing, which oversees the Ann Arbor parish, did not approve the content of the letter entitled "We're not in Mayberry Anymore, Toto." Lansing Catholic Bishop Earl Boyea said in a statement that guns and gun lessons do not belong in a Catholic Church.
The letter states that Fride converted to Catholicism as a senior in high school in 1971 and was a pacifist and a conscientious objector from the Vietnam War. Fride wrote that his views changed after study and prayer.
"I began to consider a set of moral scenarios, 'what would I do if' scenarios. I eventually concluded that I was certainly no longer a pacifist absolutist; there were situations in which I would actively intervene, even to a lethal level if necessary," he said.
"...The 'what would Jesus do' is often used as a defense for pacifism, but when you read what Jesus actually does, as Revelation describes as He leads His army to destroy those attacking Israel, to say it does not go well for the bad guys would be something of an understatement."
Fride wrote that the CPL classes will be offered on two more Saturdays and that it is his "fervent hope" that people will take advantage of it.
"I think it perfectly appropriate for the parish to offer this class because the protection of our families and our kids is of paramount importance to us," he said.
The Ann Arbor Public School Board recently passed a new policy that bans guns on school property.
Ben Freed is a general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2. He also answers the phone at 734-623-2528.
KABOOM.
I think I like this guy!
Exactly! Wow, this is some heavy duty stuff.
Very glad to see this.
Why do I think that some of our Calvinist friends won’t be posting here?! LOL!
What would you have us say?
This one looks like a very wealthy parish but a lot of the black Baptist churches in Detroit are doing the same.
We already started - and finished - one Presbyterian Rebellion. Maybe she wants us to start another?
We have had gun classes in our church, and women taught some of them.
TWB
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”
-Joel
It’s not always “my way or the highway.” You should hear what the priests at St. Agnes say at the Tridentine Masses on Sunday. Everything from death penalty support to gun rights to condemnation of homosexuals.
Several churches in our area sponsor/conduct CHL classes. There is also a Catholic church that has a prepping group with consultants brought in from outside.
Say what you think. Not that we’ve not heard it all before.
What if I want to carry a revolver? Does Michigan have special CRL classes and do the classes cover open and conceal carry?
I guess I shouldn’t be poking fun since I am here in Illinois where the laws are so convoluted we cannot carry on public transportation within 107.2 feet from a school or what ever might be considered school property perhaps even school bus stops.
I think this is a fine idea. Lot of nuts out there who might want to do harm to members of your particular faith group. Anyone who goes into a building where people may be armed just to cause trouble is not right in the head.
I knew it had to be Christ the King.
That is (or was) Tom Monaghan’s church.
I was looking at it on google earth. Looks like a very wealthy church with riding stables and condos.
Luke 22:35-38
It’s on Domino’s Farms. That’s all Monaghan’s property.
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