A pretty good essay I found on line:
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That’s what my pastor would probably say if someone walked into one of his sermons and started shooting people in the congregation. Several people in our Safe team are armed and our pastor is ok with it. There are some pastors that even conceal carry also.
In reality, while inviting people to love and mercy, Jesus never said that individuals have no right to defend themselves.
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From the teachings of the Catholic Church found in the Catechism:
"The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of the aggressor. . . . The one is intended, the other is not."
"Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. . . . Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s."
"Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility."
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Well, tho’ I agree with defense of ones self and other innocents-- as a Christian… but, boy, have you open a can of worms that will degenerate quickly.
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I didn’t open the can, I’m just reading the contents. St. Thomas Aquinas opened it in the 13th Century 
Stay safe out there.
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“He has the right, and before it the duty”
Nuff said.
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I have read this book and given it as a gift. It’s an excellent take on the subject.
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Turning the other cheek has to be one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted phrases in the Bible.
*As we see it, Jesus’ teaching in this passage has a very narrow application. It’s mainly concerned with the issue of personal revenge or retaliation , not self-defense. Christ is telling His followers that they need to let go of the desire to “get back” at others who have wronged them in some way. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other great thinkers in the history of Christian theology have explained this verse as follows. Disciples of Jesus should be willing to suffer personal injustices (see 1 Corinthians 6:6, 7). But they should also realize that loving one’s neighbor sometimes implies a willingness to use force. In other words, we should always be prepared to defend others who are being abused and mistreated in some way. Complete non-resistance , then, is not necessarily an absolute standard for the Christian life.
How does this apply to kids? We don’t believe that children should be expected to stand back passively while other youngsters attack them. Instead, they should be equipped with a plan of action. They should be trained to respond , not simply react”*
-Focus on the Family
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Yes, indeed. We all need to train to respond and not just react.
Jesus, after all, was not in favor of complete non-resistance (Luke 22:36, for example).
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God help those who help themselves. If a fool come with guns trying to get in my house I will shoot and ask for forgiveness. It also says thou shalt not steal so, he who commeth will own the bullet.
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That’s not found in the Bible.
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How about a similar idea?
If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
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God helps those who cannot help themselves. Others are expected to use the tools He supplied.
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For the record, your first sentence is not found anywhere in the Bible.
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Romans 5:8 says: “While we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us.” When it comes to the saying “God helps those who help themselves,” we should recognize our own inconsistency. Sometimes, we ask God for help, but then we become passive and we expect God to do everything.May 25, 2021
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At the Last Supper, Jesus tells his disciples, “if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
I love dinner quotes 
And in today’s vernacular a sword is a firearm.
If it just opened, please close the can of worms.
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One day, a man was caught in a flash flood and, as the water rose, he climbed up on his roof. He prayed “The Lord will provide and I will be safe.” A man came by in a boat and the man on the roof refused aid saying “The Lord will provide and I will be safe.” The water rose and was lapping at the edge of the roof when a helicopter came, The man again refused saying “The Lord will provide and I will be safe”. The water rose and the man was washed from the roof and drowned. When he faced the Lord, he asked “Lord, why did you forsake me?” And The Lord said “I sent you a boat and I sent you a helicopter…”
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God doesn’t care about guns, He just sorts it all out after the fight is over. He gave us free will and the Ten Commandments. The rest is up to us to decide on what to do. Christians have been killing christians, muslims killing muslims and people generally killing each other for centuries. To gain the promises land Jews killed anyone and destroyed anything in their way, the Romans threw Christians to the Lions, the Inquisition tortured and murdered both Christians and Jews just because, The Knights
temple were massacred, WW I, WW II, the Army of God, the Ku Klux Klan, sectarion wars, the Iron Guard (Europe), the Christian Nationalist Crusade, on and on and on. For whatever reason, justified or unjustified we kill each other. Religions are run by leaders who should espouse the precepts of their religion. As most religions preach of peace and love they, naturally, teach those concepts. The commandment “Thou shalt no kill” is one of those concepts. But, what about war, capital punishment, self defense? They exist, they have for centuries. They continue through the ages. We hear the cry “God is on our side”! During WW II Pope Pius the XII never spoke out against Adolph Hitler. During the Crusades the Popes blessed the Crusaders as they travelled into battle. God told Joshua how to destroy the walls of Jericho. In the old Testament God told us “Thou shalt not kill”! and then destroyed Sodham and Gomorra. God even, in defense of Moses and the Israelites, destroyed Pharoa’s army. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek and love one another (New Testament) and then told us to put out our eye other than use it to commit sin. Religion and History are not clear on the matter of self defense. Should the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto not have fought, IN SELF DEFENSE, against the Nazis rather than submit to genocide? What do we do, who do we follow? For me, if someone is threatening my life I have to assume he is aware that he could lose his in the effort. I would rather he lose his life than I lose mine. My choice is to defend myself. If I have to follow a commandment regarding this I believe it would be, “do unto others as they would do unto you, only do it first”! Amen!
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