"Self-Defense" vs. Pacifism: Theory vs. Practice

I have met many a likable, patriotic Christian who, upon finding out that I am a "pacifist," immediately and in no uncertain terms told me that if his house were ever invaded by a robber who threatened his family, he would

"use self-defense"
"not hesitate to kill, if necessary"
"blow him away"
"splatter the wall with his brains"
and other more colorful phrases. (People trained in the American way of thinking love to try to shock us pacifists with tough-guy language.. Just the other day, on the local TV newscast, I heard the interview of a homeowner in a quiet neighborhood which had recently experienced unprecedented crime. He said he believed in self-defense, and in similar graphic and self-assured terms told the naive-looking female reporter he wouldn't hesitate to kill an intruder - "with remorse," he added slyly, as if to ameliorate his violent claim - "because," he went on after a well-timed pause, "I would have to get the carpet cleaned." The camera caught the face of a reporter visibly shocked at his "macho" attitude. Perhaps the interview was aired for its "freak value," but I think it also represents an attitude widely held but not frequently articulated.)

This is good American talk. This is John Wayne and James Cagney.

Unfortunately, it is also Samuel Adams and George Washington.

But is it Jesus? And when you live out this life God has given you, do you want a pat on the back and an "Attaboy!" from Sam Adams and John Wayne, or from some pacifistic wimp who got himself killed before He was 35?

And when you live out your life here in the 20th century, are you even going to get a pat on the back from Sam Adams and George Washington? When the British government began to seize the arms held by certain colonists, "Minutemen" from other colonies and other religious denominations rallied to their defense. When the U.S. government began to seize the arms held by a certain religious group in Waco, Texas, no one defended them. The government surrounded their church with tanks, pummeled them with psychological warfare techniques, and eventually burned them to the ground. Not a peep from America's tough-talkers. The taxes we pay today are ten times greater than the taxes against which Adams and Washington took up arms. The British government under George III did not legalize the killing of nearly 2 million unborn infants every year. They did not reach into the colonial schools and tell the principals that they could not have prayer, Bible reading, or even hang a copy of the Ten Commandments in the hallway. Jefferson believed that the "yeoman farmer" was the moral backbone of the New World. Our government swallows up family farms with inheritance and other taxes totaling near 90%. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson complained that the British government "has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance." If you were to personally escort Jefferson through the streets of Washington, D.C. and show him a copy of the government's budget, would he be proud of what Americans have done with what he risked his life for? Would you, who are not a "pacifist," have any kind of credible argument for why you have not taken up arms against such a Leviathan?

The whole purpose of the Second Amendment was to make sure that a government like the one we have now could never come into existence. The "right to bear arms" had nothing to do with hunters, or self-defense against robbers, muggers, and street gangs. It had to do with defense against the kind of government that creates robbers, muggers and street gangs.

What do modern patriots do? They insult pacifists, immigrants, and the "gooks" in Vietnam. They threaten violence against the innocent, and overlook all institutionalized evil that waves the red, white and blue. The Secular Humanist elite in Washington funnels billions and billions of dollars to pagan dictators across the globe; oppressive regimes that have nothing in common with the ideals of the Founding Fathers. Trillions of dollars have been spent developing ways to kill millions, most of them innocent. American tough-talkers do nothing. Especially if there's a high-paying job in it for them.

I am not advocating violent revolution, as in 1776. I am saying that violent revolution in 1776 led inevitably to violence in the streets in 1996. When you see this connection, then you become a pacifist.