Hi y'all, this is my first post so please bear with me as I just dive in. After a (relatively short) lifetime of searching, it is becoming more and more clear to me that the Anabaptist school of thought is the Church (or loose collection of Churches) that is the closest to the original teachings of Christ. I am from a part of the USA that does not have a strong Anabaptist community, and my only real exposure to said community is a handful of Friends meetings that I have attended. There are literally two Friends in my relatively large town. I'd say that their theology is overwhelmingly Universalist and Humanist, so not really what I'm looking for. I guess all that's to say that I don't really have the resources to learn what Anabaptists are all about. Luckily this forum exists!
Anyway, here's my specific question: What would be the general consensus of Anabaptists on the topic of self-defence? I'm talking about this on a personal level, not large-scale pacifism. I know that Jesus was non-violent for the most part, and if I am not mistaken Anabapitsts tend to be exceptionally non-violent and tend to shun weapons. However, what about someone who keeps a gun on them to protect their family for example? I could understand dying as an example of a Christ-like commitment to non-violence, but don't I have a moral obligation to protect my wife and especially my children that I brought into this world?
Thanks for considering all of this, and hopefully my neophyte understanding of theology isn't too terribly painful to read. On a related note, I would really appreciate any free resources that one may have regarding Anabaptist theology and specifically Plain Christianity. Thanks again!
Anyway, here's my specific question: What would be the general consensus of Anabaptists on the topic of self-defence? I'm talking about this on a personal level, not large-scale pacifism. I know that Jesus was non-violent for the most part, and if I am not mistaken Anabapitsts tend to be exceptionally non-violent and tend to shun weapons. However, what about someone who keeps a gun on them to protect their family for example? I could understand dying as an example of a Christ-like commitment to non-violence, but don't I have a moral obligation to protect my wife and especially my children that I brought into this world?
Thanks for considering all of this, and hopefully my neophyte understanding of theology isn't too terribly painful to read. On a related note, I would really appreciate any free resources that one may have regarding Anabaptist theology and specifically Plain Christianity. Thanks again!
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