They are tired of being pushed around and are taking their security in their own hands:
In the five years since the Anglo-American invasion of 2003, murders and abductions have driven about half of the 800,000 Christians who once lived in Iraq to flee the country.Now, my question to those of you who don't think American Christians should keep a handgun for protection, should Iraqi Christians be forming militias or should they have this attitude:Checkpoints manned by civilians armed with heavy machine guns and assault rifles have received official backing in Christian villages on the Ninevah plain in northern Iraq, where their presence dates back to the missions of St Thomas the apostle.
Father Yusuf Yohannes combines the duties of parish priest with overseeing security from a converted post office in the village of Karamlis, 10 miles east of the local capital, Mosul. Informal patrols by his parishioners started last year but the effort is now a fully-fledged operation, with 250 employees and official approval from the US army base in Mosul.
"We are facing the threat of wipe-out," he said. "I have not left this town in three years because of the danger. The situation here was like a bowl without a base for Christians, we were just tossed around. By establishing our own security we have the chance to stand steady again."
"What do the supreme court ruling on guns and the martyrdom of missionaries have to do with each other?That's a quote from John Piper left by a commenter on my post on Christianity and Guns. So, I guess the question is: should Christians be able to protect themselves?Noël and I watched Beyond Gates of Splendor, the documentary version of End of the Spear, the story of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Nate Saint in Ecuador in 1956. That same day we heard that the Supreme Court decided in favor of the right of Americans to keep firearms at home for self-defense.
Here's the connection. The missionaries had guns when they were speared to death. One of them shot the gun into the air, it appears, as he was killed, rather than shooting the natives. They had agreed to do this. The reason was simple and staggeringly Christlike:
The natives are not ready for heaven. We are.
I suspect the same could be said for almost anyone who breaks into my house. There are other reasons why I have never owned a firearm and do not have one in my house. But that reason moves me deeply. I hope you don't use your economic stimulus check to buy a gun. Better to find some missionaries like this and support them."
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i know a couple families that go to a uu church, but not in tennessee, but they're shaken up over this.
the irony is that his personal situation was worsening because his "liberal" provided programs were running out. what a kook. i wonder if (after cooling off) he will support the more conservative capital punishment?
then, i wonder if we'll notice anyone missing from this blog?
-- Here is what God has to say through his servant Nehemiah:
Nehemiah Chapter 4 (New International Reader's Version)
12. Then the Jews who lived near our enemies came to us. They told us ten times, "No matter where you are, they'll attack us."
13. So I stationed some people behind the lowest parts of the wall. That's where our enemies could easily attack us. I stationed the people family by family. They had their swords, spears and bows with them.
14. I looked things over. Then I stood up and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people. I said, "Don't be afraid of your enemies. Remember the Lord. He is great and powerful. So fight for your brothers and sisters. Fight for your sons and daughters. Fight for your wives and homes."
15. Our enemies heard that we knew what they were trying to do. They heard that God had blocked their evil plans. So all of us returned to the wall. Each of us did our own work.
16. From that day on, half of my men did the work. The other half were given spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all of the people of Judah. 17. The people continued to build the wall. Those who carried supplies did their work with one hand. They held a weapon in the other hand. 18. Each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who blew the trumpet stayed with me.
19. Then I spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people. I said, "This is a big job. It covers a lot of territory. We're separated too far from one another along the wall. 20. When you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us at that location. Our God will fight for us!"
21. So we continued the work. Half of the men held spears. We worked from the first light of sunrise until the stars came out at night. 22. At that time I also spoke to the people. I told them, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night. Then they can guard us at night. And they can work during the day."
23. My relatives and I didn't take our clothes off. My men and the guards didn't take theirs off either. Each man kept his weapon with him, even when he went to get water.
he will support the more conservative capital punishment?
Oh, how awful ... but he might, he just might. Some people can be curiously consistent.
they're shaken up over this.
When I'm at a weekday service, the prospect flits through my mind but never on a Sunday.
I heard about this crazy man shooting up a liberal church in Knoxville, TN on the Today Show this morning. He was stopped by brave people at the church who got in front of those he was aiming at and who tackled him.
Interestingly enough, I just saw a one man play on Friday evening by a guy named Mike Daisey.
It was about the Department of Homeland Security, the Atom bomb and Los Alamos, and it was called "If You See Something Say Something." He said he thought the best response to terrorism was Flight 93 on 9-11.
For him the response of the people on Flight 93, all ordinary people, who decided on the spur of the moment to fight back against the terrorists who took over the plane, was much preferable to the creation of a massive new government institution such as Homeland Security that would not have any ability to be "nimble" in response to terrorist threats.
It's very important to uphold the rule of law, but when the law breaks down or bogs down in bureaucracy, sometimes the only choice is direct action. That's why a movie like "Die Hard" has so much mass appeal.
"Oh, how awful ... but he might, he just might. Some people can be curiously consistent."
i think that you're right. i read later that he fully expected to be shot by police while blasting away at unarmed churchgoers.
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