Does a Christian
Shoot to Kill?
By William
B. Rogers, M.D.
Why does a believing Christian,
who attempts to follow the Master in His
Grace and Forgiveness carry a gun and a combat knife and take shooting lessons?
The object certainly is not to kill. The object is
to deny the other guy the opportunity to
kill me or my loved ones. We don't shoot to
kill; we shoot to save.
Early Christians didn't kill. In fact, they let
themselves be killed to spread the Word of
Christ. Personally, I don't care to be a
martyr just now, thank you. But it has occurred to me that one
cannot be a martyr if it is not by choice. That is the difference
between being a martyr and being a victim. Martyrs are
not victims. They choose their way. That means, one cannot refuse
to kill someone -- even if it means giving one's own life away
in the process -- unless one knows how to kill the other and elects
not to. The key concepts are: Choice and Freedom.
I'm not saying it would BE my choice, but
because of training I at least have the
option.
Do I offend a bad guy by shooting him to stop
him from killing or maiming again? On the
contrary, I do him a favor. I prevent his further
descent into malevolence.
William B. Rogers, MD
Tyler, TX
[email protected]
