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Old 05-23-2008, 03:48 PM
 
Location: ARK-KIN-SAW
3,434 posts, read 9,723,462 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cg81 View Post
I want to say this in the very nicest and most inoffensive way possible, but just looking at most replies I kind of get the drift of "Absolutely!" "It's my stuff!" "It's my family!" "My right!"

Mine.

Not yours.

(But I thought it was God's?)

WWJD?
it is Gods but even sheepherders protected their sheep and flock from the ravenous animals..Sometimes being a steward means protecting your investments..
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Old 05-23-2008, 03:51 PM
 
3,086 posts, read 6,256,442 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arguy1973 View Post
it is Gods but even sheepherders protected their sheep and flock from the ravenous animals..
Right.. but surely our reaction to our fellow man is different than our reaction to an animal..

I'm not trying to say that if you defend yourself, you're not a Christian. I'm just trying to open our minds abit. Where is our love, our Home?
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Old 05-23-2008, 03:56 PM
 
Location: ARK-KIN-SAW
3,434 posts, read 9,723,462 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cg81 View Post
Right.. but surely our reaction to our fellow man is different than our reaction to an animal..

I'm not trying to say that if you defend yourself, you're not a Christian. I'm just trying to open our minds abit. Where is our love, our Home?
thats true..almost..for me if someone is breaking into my home..its aint the stuff im worried about or the home..its the people inside it..if someone is gonna break in, I have no idea what their intentions are...one for sure is they arent afraid to break the law.
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Old 05-23-2008, 04:04 PM
 
3,086 posts, read 6,256,442 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arguy1973 View Post
Sometimes being a steward means protecting your investments..
Isn't being a good steward how we use our possessions, not how well we can hoard them?

I know what you mean tho, about it being mostly about the people inside, not the stuff to be worried about. We need to take care of our families (and take care of our stuff in a reasonable way).

...jis sum thots..
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Old 05-23-2008, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Seward, Alaska
2,741 posts, read 8,860,296 times
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I agree with most replies. Judging from the comments, it appears most of you were thinking about the "two-legged" variety of intruder.
Where I live it is the four-legged kind that is most likely to happen. I happen to have a 12-ga pump shotgun leaning in the corner of the bedroom....and the magazine is loaded with SLUGS. Why? Well....about a month ago, very early one morning, a huge brown bear (grizzly bear) wandered through our yard, some 60' or so, from our front door. Here in Alaska, it is very common for them to tear the door completely off of cabins (locking a door is no hindrance to them), then help themselves to whatever is inside. In the process, they chew, claw up, and destroy everything, causing thousands of dollars in property damage. You would not believe the shambles and destruction they leave behind.
At the time, I wasn't prepared for, nor had I expected, one of these creatures to be in the yard. I mean, this only happens like maybe once every 7-8 years or so. Had he a mind to enter the house, there would have been nothing I could do about it, nor could I have protected my family. My wife had her "38" service revolver, from when she was a cop, but that popgun wouldn't have done anything to a grizzly. Luckily it wasn't interested in us...it ambled off into the nearby woods and has not returned.
I think it's true that having loaded guns in the house, with kids around, is asking for trouble sooner or later, but we don't have any kids...it's just my wife and I. And, the chamber is empty, and the action cannot be cycled unless you know where the action release is....and on top of that there is the safety which is "on"....it's not as though it's going to fire if it should topple over onto the floor. It would only take me a second or two to have it ready, which hopefully never will happen.
I think the question of whether to arm oneself is best answered by the individual themself...that there is no definitive answer. It all depends on each individuals situation: where they live, how well they know guns, and what the potential threat might be. There are so many variables....(I bet NONE of you thought about grizzly bears!)

Bud
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Old 05-23-2008, 04:16 PM
 
3,086 posts, read 6,256,442 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BudinAk View Post
I think the question of whether to arm oneself is best answered by the individual themself...that there is no definitive answer. It all depends on each individuals situation: where they live, how well they know guns, and what the potential threat might be. There are so many variables....(I bet NONE of you thought about grizzly bears!)

Bud
LOL, Bud.. I'm sure if I lived there I'd have one too! (Somewhere, anyway, if not in the house because of the kids!)

Makes a little dif to me, depending on how many legs the intruder has!

(hmmmm... now if the grizzly walked in on two legs...)
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Old 05-23-2008, 06:00 PM
 
Location: vagabond
2,631 posts, read 5,441,291 times
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i think that a lot of the ethical dilemma is taken care of by using the continuum of force (the idea that you use a level of force that corresponds to the force applied against you, while maintaining control of the situation.

therefore, if you woke up to find two teenagers ransacking your garage, and when you flip the lights on they run away, you don't need to apply deadly force. your awareness and presence were enough to control the situation.

some forces require a higher level of reactive force, however, and i do not think it unethical or unwise to up the level of defense when called for. it takes quick thinking, preplanned strategies and moral codes, and a willingness to enact whatever it is that is needed as far as a reaction goes.

aaron out.
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Old 05-23-2008, 06:58 PM
 
Location: Pinal County, Arizona
25,100 posts, read 39,149,134 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TKramar View Post
Guarding your house can stop short of killing the intruder.
If they enter my home - they are dead.
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Old 05-23-2008, 07:58 PM
 
5,715 posts, read 15,013,559 times
Reputation: 2949
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg81 View Post
I want to say this in the very nicest and most inoffensive way possible, but just looking at most replies I kind of get the drift of "Absolutely!" "It's my stuff!" "It's my family!" "My right!"

Mine.

Not yours.

(But I thought it was God's?)

WWJD?
cg,

Let's really think about what Jesus had at his command... and what He would do if someone was threatening to kill his mother... or rape his sister... ? (He could even calm the sea)

and, I just HAVE to ask you... and, I don't want to offend, either!....

Do you live in a city or in a town or rural community??? How close to a city are you?

In the case of a home invasion... do you think one should defend themselves or should they just let the criminals do whatever they choose? (after all, it's better to be with the Lord than to be here, right?)



God bless!

Last edited by World Citizen; 05-23-2008 at 08:15 PM..
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Old 05-24-2008, 01:26 AM
 
Location: The Netherlands
8,568 posts, read 16,191,193 times
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Jesus is a pacifist; why else turn the other cheek?
So the question than is should Christians also be pacifists?
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