Religious groups divided on gun control

After the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., and a deadly shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., Americans are divided on gun control, and within certain religious groups, attitudes are far from ambivalent.

But on the question of guns in churches, there is actual consensus: A strong majority of Americans don't want them in the pews, according to a new poll released Wednesday (Aug. 15) by the Public Religion Research Institute conducted in partnership with Religion News Service.

"Although the issue of gun control tends to divide Americans by party, gender, region and race, there is broad agreement among the public that there are some places where concealed weapons should be off limits," said Daniel Cox, PRRI's research director.

More than three-quarters of respondents (76 percent) said concealed weapons should not be allowed in houses of worship, compared to 20 percent who disagreed.

The poll, conducted in the wake of the Colorado and Wisconsin shootings, shows that a slim majority (52 percent) of Americans favors passing stricter laws, while 44 percent are opposed.

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EastonTexas

The devil does not know the church is a holy place, and the word of god my protect the soul and mind, but will not protect the flesh of the body.
- Chris
  
  So what DOES your god protect? Seems pretty worthless if he only protects your soul. Given that there is no such thing.
  - LibertysSon
    
    Chris, It is good that you are so angry towards God. It means your spirit is wrestling with God . Your name is a derivative of the word Christ as well. There is hope you will find the love of God in your lifetime. You are in my prayers,
mallen11

It might surprise some people to discover that our Savior was a proponent of self-defense:

Luke 11:21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed.

Luke 22:36 Then said he unto them … he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

NOTE: Jesus did not tell His disciples to register their swords with the government.

Matthew 24:43 …if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

Jesus commanded His disciples to purchase weapons:

1Timothy 5:8…if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
- Chris
  
  Wow – you can read any old crap into anything the bible says. One day there might actually be an inerrant translation of this wonderful tomb written by a wacko English King. Worse than the Koran for interpretations.
  - mallen11
    
    Have you just been let out of a nut house? You don't make sense at all.
  - LibertysSon
    
    Not to be disrespectful, but the Old testament, written in Hebrew, has remained unchanged for 3000 years. The New Testament exists in its original Greek text as well. All modern English bibles are translated only once from the original language. King James isn't involved…
http://www.missiontoisrael.org/ Ted R. Weiland

As a pastor, I side with the 76% who said concealed weapons should not be in houses of worship. They should instead be in full view of everyone in attendance, just like the sword was on the Apostle Peter's side and which was commanded by Christ. As such, they would be an even greater deterrent to anyone with malicious intent. I'm for the kind of worship services described in Psalm 149:

"Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye Yah." (Psalm 149:6-9)

For more, see "Firearms: Scripturally Defended" at http://www.missiontoisrael.org/firearm-right.php.
seektruth

A little known event occurred in Aurora, CO in April. A gun yielding thug killed and pastor's wife, but before he could kill anyone else, he was shot by a gun-yeilding patriot. We didn't hear about this on national news because it was a concealed carry that protected others from harm.
When churches become "gun free zones", they'll be targets for the crazed madmen that want to do harm to others. What better place to inflict massive harm than a full congregation of unprotected.
- petroskhan
  
  Not to criticize anything you've said, just pointing something out…
  
  The word you want is "wielding", not "yielding".
  
  wieldVerb:Hold and use (a weapon or tool).Have and be able to use (power or influence).
  yield
  verb
  1 archaic : recompense, reward
  2 : to give or render as fitting, rightfully owed, or required
  3: to give up possession of on claim or demand: as a : to give up (as one's breath) and so die b : to surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another : hand over possession of c : to surrender or submit (oneself) to another d : to give (oneself) up to an inclination, temptation, or habit e : to relinquish one's possession of (as a position of advantage or point of superiority)
  
  Other than that, I fully agree with what you've posted. There are many, many times each year (roughly 2 million) that someone uses a gun to defend himself, family, or property, but the leftist press will not cover that, since it doesn't fit their agenda. Have to make guns look bad, and make sure that people are afraid of them, after all.
  
  The best way to insure that more mass killings occur to create more "gun free zones", so that the crazies know just where to go to get a good body count.
Dionesius3

Any where guns are banned criminals know that is where to find their next victim.
- Chris
  
  Where guns are banned there are less deaths. Get with the facts oh NRA paranoid one.
WesTexan

A criminal regards a "gun-free zone" as a shooting gallery or killing field.

Laws do not prevent criminals; they only punish good men who observe the laws.

I wonder if these same religious respondents drive their automobiles to church? Do you think they know that automobiles kill far more people than firearms? Maybe they all should also walk, unarmed of course, to church rather than driving a killing machine.
- Chris
  
  So we should do away with laws. That's called anarchy. Even Christians are clueless and behave in anti-social ways so we have to write laws. I see plenty on the freeway totally distracted on their silly cell phones.
  - WesTexan
    
    You seem to have missed the point completely. The subject here is guns. I made an analogy using cars. Those who are addicted to cell phones and texting while driving caused 100,000 serious accidents last year (just heard that static yesterday). It is analogous to driving drunk. Strict laws and serious punishment should be applied in both cases, but we do not punish the greater majority—who do not drive drunk or while texting—by banning cars. While cars do not protect us from criminals, guns do. Therefore, my point: gun-free zones are opportunities for criminals who know they will not face deadly force. I didn't know I had to go into great detail, but I guess there's always one.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Burt-Fisher/100001081550703 Burt Fisher

When these people say that weapons "should not be allowed in houses of worship", what exactly are they saying? That people should not be allowed to mow down a bunch of innocent people? Of course this is a reasonable thing to say, in that context. But let's compare that to saying that "rain clouds should not be allowed to gather over the church picnic tomorrow!" The next thing a reasonable person would ask is "yes, but what do we do if it rains anyway?" Just like the sinful mass murderer, we need a plan, a rain date, a "what-if" scenario. By "rendering to Caesar" this includes acknowledgement of the USA Constitution 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights, not a church document, but Caesar's. By taking away that right from anyone in attendance of your services, you are going against Caesar's law and hence, God's. When the Scripture tells us to share and "come and drink life's water free" there is no provision to place arbitrary limits on the offer. "We trust God with our salvation, but we don't trust Him to allow lawful gun owners to protect us."

Rubbish.

I apologize for the seeming harsh language to the faithful here, and I do offer it with love and hope, and ask that the congregation hears what the spirit is saying. Revelation 3:22
LibertysSon

Well in that case the only armed person in the church will be the criminal shooter, much like the theater in Aurora, Colorado. Thank God there was an armed parishioner in that church shooting in Colorado a few years back. She stopped a mass killing that could have been worse that the theater shooting. I hope most Pastors see this for what it is.

As a famous American, Charleton Heston once said:

"There are no good guns. There are no bad guns. Any gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. Any gun in the hands of a decent person is no threat to anybody—-except bad people.
- Chris
  
  Yes but she was gay and got thrown out of the church. Haha.
  - LibertysSon
    
    She is a hero. If they threw her our they made a mistake. God loves everyone.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VBBCYNZUJPMNVGYK45HXRD7ZJ4 A Real American

I'd much rather have a concealed weapon on my person in church as my personal defense (Constitutional right) in case some crazed atheist, radical Muslim, or messed up homosexual storms into the church ans starts blasting away. My pastor even asked me to wear mine in church for this very reason… and yes, I am well trained in the handling and use of firearms.
- Chris
  
  Good thing I don't go to church. Apparently your God doesn't protect you too well.
  - http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark
    
    God doesn't call us to be vegetables and sit idle while evil persons destroy lives.
  - Winston
    
    You're playing with really intense fire of Hell when you say "your God"…
http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark

The only division there should be is whether they want a Smith & Wesson or a Glock.
- Chris
  
  You really feel that you are up to the job of judge jury and executioner? Personally I don't see the need to ever want to kill somebody. I don't hate my fellow citizens that much. You've watched too many movies and listened to the NRA, whose goal is to help sell more of their sponsors weapons – not make the place safer.
  - http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark
    
    No, what you mean is that you do not see the need to ever want to murder somebody, and I wholeheartedly agree. But I wasn't talking about murder, I was talking about self defense. The two are entirely different things. I would never shoot anyone unless they threatened my life or those of my family.
    
    You have to get over this liberal mentality that guns are bad and should be taken away from everyone, including law-abiding citizens who wish to defend themselves. Guns are not bad, but people who misuse them are bad. I think it is you who has been brainwashed by the liberal ideology that thinks government should control every aspect of our lives, and that citizens are incapable of making their own decisions or defending themselves against evil persons..
    - Mary Wood
      
      Key, you are fighting a losing battle if you think liberals will understand "
      law-abiding citizens who wish to defend themselves." I am convinced they are like children, not only do they not want to understand, they do not have the capability to understand. There little grey cells have never been developed. So please, continue to educate as you always do, but don't expect much.
      
      Just so you will know. I come from a family of hunters and learned at a very early age the purpose of guns for food and livelihood. Many people in our community were hunters. It is a natural state of affaires to feed ones' family. For some it is barbaric. I wonder where they think meat comes from.
Crashaxe

Now more that ever Christians need to protect themselves, and stand for God.
It would be nice of we as followers of the God of Israel could live in peace and worship our Lord.
However there is a game being played on this world it's called The Battle of Good and evil. And the prize is Your Soul.
The players in this game are Islam and all the cults, false religions (and this includes most so called "christian" religions) Deception and false teachings such as the deception of a "pre tribulation rapture" that has a lot of good Christian people sitting on there hands not voting and being involved in the government of this Nation and the world.
Sell your coat and buy a sword (gun) and pack it everywhere you go, if your place of worship is a "Gun Free Zone" than find a new place to worship. And most importantly do as Paul said and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so: they did
not dispute with, and cavil at the apostle, as the Thessalonian Jews
first did, Acts 17:2 nor did
they receive the word, right or wrong, or with an implicit faith; but
they immediately betook themselves to reading and searching the writings
of the Old Testament, to see whether the things which the apostle
preached, concerning the Messiah, his incarnation, obedience,
sufferings, death, and resurrection from the dead, were agreeable to
them, or no; determining, if they were not, to reject them, but if they
were, to embrace them, as they did; see John 5:39
and this they did continually day after day. They were neither backward
to hear and receive the word, nor slothful to examine it.
- Chris
  
  Wow – you have a god but propose violence as the potential solution. You people just keep reinforcing the idea that Christianity is nuts.
  - Crashaxe
    
    Well what would you have one do? Sit there and be violated or do as David and stand up and slay the Giant?
David S.

Yawn. Guns don't kill people – it takes a human hand to pull the trigger. Furthermore, rope, electrical cords, a bathtub filled with water, a pry bar or baseball bat can "take" lives too (all of them also require human hands), so are we going to outlaw all man-made objects? If man-made objects are to blame (yeah, right), then let's lock all of them up and let the people go free! Think before you type and stop blaming inanimate objects.