Pagan gun owners

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my circle of friends and extended family pretty much run the gamut of faiths to include several varieties of non Christians [pagans included] and i am an ordained minister myself. i go armed everyday and so do many of my friends. i have seen many examples of religious intolerance and always remain vigilant to stand with my fellows against such.
pat
 
O'k I'm done walking the line between here and there. I am a Pagan/Wiccan, with Strong tendencies toward Roman/Etruscan mythos. That being said I also have a little experience with Anashinabe and some Lakota teachings. I also count as freinds Norse/Teutonic practitioners. What does that have to do with Owning Guns? Nothing really with the exception that they are personal liberties,
The reason I can and do readily admit this is that the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights allows and encourages it. It oddly enough also protects and encourages a number of other things the Right to Keep and Bear Arms among them.
What Constitutional Liberty is more valuable than another?
Do my expressions of these Liberties make my actions value one over the others?
Civil Rights are just that, they require that I be Civil in my enaction of them. All of my Civil Liberties are as precious and as Important as the Blood that was shed and Lives lost for them. Am I less enlightened than another since I too am and have always been willing to defend them with my blood and my life?
We as I see it are not talking about freedom of religion and its affect on my other Civil Liberties, We are talking about the Value of all Civil Liberties, the fact that diminishing one diminishes them all. If my excercise of my rights inherently diminishes the rights of another then I am in violation of the priciples our Constitution and the Bill of Rights are meant to Protect.
 
My mothers catholic (convert to Judaism), father was Orthodox Jewish (I think sephardic) and I have a really common Jewish last name (Cohen). I guess you could say my faith played a role in getting a gun. I just remember back to the holocaust and figure thats a good enough reason to own a firearm. Despite the fact I don't practice Judaism, that doesn't matter to the enemy,
 
Irregardless of our faith (I'm a practicing Christian), all of us, while we are living in flesh and blood bodies, need arms for protection.

I disagree with anyone who tries to force their beliefs on others; The God I worship doesn't want me being an arm twister in order to spread the Bible Gospel. Its unfortunate that there has been "peer pressure" to convert others; and I'm sorry that Pagan, Wiccan, or other faiths, Agnostic members of the high road have faced this pressure. Peer pressure is only to be used (gently that is) in managing weak, or drifting but already committed Christians.

That is my belief system that I state, but don't force on anyone.:)

Unfortunately, there are those who do, and will force their ideology; Religious or Political on others. I call it Ethnic Cleansing (as the extreme example).
 
Wow, really? I didn't know that. I have never felt that way, or recieved any flak for my religon (or lack thereof) on any level, save one occasion.
Click to expand...

Most people I deal with on a normal basis don't know or care I'm agnostic so I was amazed by what I saw also. Here's links to some polls:

http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=26611
Shows that 53% of people would not vote for a well qualified candidate from their party if they were an atheist. That's the highest unfavorable rating of any group, which included: Jewish, Catholic, Mormon, an atheist, a woman, black, Hispanic, homosexual, 72 years of age, and someone married for the third time.

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=252
A study showing atheists have a 35% favorable and 50% unfavorable rating among Americans, the lowest rating of any "religious" group. Muslims were the next lowest with a rating of 57% favorable, 22% unfavorable.
 
I'm very openly atheist and despite polling as the most distrusted group in the US, I've never been threatened because of it, especially to the point of needing arms. About the worst I ever get is a condescending and dismissive "I feel sorry for you." While I've never been threatened, history has shown that persecution because of religion can lead to the need for arms. So while my religion (or lack of it) hasn't played a role in my ownership or firearms, I could certainly understand why it might for others.
 
I CCW because of the persecution I felt towards guns, not towards my faith. Fear of losing the right drove me to claim the right.

I wont go into detail about my religious leanings, but I will say that I believe peace on earth to be a myth. Another reason to arm myself and those I care about.
 
I am a Christian.

I beleive that Christ himself did tell us that while we were not to draw swords over insults, we were required by God to protect and nurture the precious gift he has given us... LIFE. Do I think that Christians and Jews should be push overs? Oh goodness no. I think that we should be prepared to fight to the death for our lives. Turning the other cheek refers to epithets hurled against us, not stones.

I feel that Pagans should follow the same line of reasoniong, but insert their relevant belief system in place of mine. :)
 
After the Holocaust , I think its imperative for ANY religious /ethnic group to be prepared to defend itself against a hate group (be it nazi's, extremist christians, jihadists, KKK, etc). Even "mainstream" moderate christian whites can be targeted given the "right" circumstances.

Additionally, we all need to be prepared to defend a targeted minority if the situation requires it. I don't think any of you want to see a Holocaust in this country during our life time.
 
glockamolee said:
I disagree with anyone who tries to force their beliefs on others; The God I worship doesn't want me being an arm twister in order to spread the Bible Gospel. Its unfortunate that there has been "peer pressure" to convert others; and I'm sorry that Pagan, Wiccan, or other faiths, Agnostic members of the high road have faced this pressure.
Click to expand...

You are a credit to the Christian faith. I have immense respect for you and your reasoning.

If everyone had this kind of outlook with their respective religons, how many wars would have gone unfought in history?

I sincerely wish that we could live in a world where when this question would be asked, people would reply, "What are you talking about? Why would someone think any different about you because of your looks or religon? That just doesn't make sense!"
 
I'd think the threats don't come so much from those trying to convert you to their religion (unless maybe you somehow wound up on the wrong end of the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition), but more from stupid people who are just looking for a reason to hate something they don't understand.

I'm guessing the people who burned down Whitewolf's friend's house weren't high ranking members in the local Baptist church. Probably more like local idiots who knew she was diffenent than the rest of the locals.

After 9/11, people weren't targeting Muslims because they wanted them to become Christians, they just hated Muslims because they were Muslims. And as much as I have issue with some of the tenets of Islam, I still firmly believe that any law-abiding Muslim has the right to buy a gun to defend themself from the threat of harm, whether that threat comes from religious persecution or living in bad part of town.
 
Best policy is " don't ask, don't tell." otherwise, somebody is sure to fly off the handle. A fight errupted on another board over whether the mastodon ivory on a set of grips was 20,000 years old or dated from on or after October 15, 4004 BC. (or B.C.E, if you prefer)
 
"Wait, what?
Mastodon grips?"

It happens. come unfroze from glasiers or something. some grip makers stabilize them with rezin to prevent the ivory from cracking.
 
Well, guys, I tried.

It has always seemed to me that the interface between morality/ethics/religious thought and self defense was a vital one, one worth exploring with other like-minded folks -- if only to tamp down your personal resolve. That is a worthwhile endeavor.

Thank you to those who successfully managed to contain yourselves.

pax
 
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