Before I was a christian I was in the United States Air Force.

Then, the following enlistment document was obsolete in my depraved atheistic mind.

Some SI readers may be unaware of some of what this document states, and that you're bound to it by an oath. Here's some significant words which are stated therein.

ENLISTMENT/REENLISTMENT Document ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES

PARTIAL STATEMENT OF EXISTING UNITED STATES LAWS
DD FORM 4/1 (PAGE 2),

FOR ALL ENLISTEES OR REENLISTEES:

I understand that many laws, regulations, and military customs will govern my conduct and require me to do things under this agreement that a civilian does not have to do. I also understandthat various laws, some of which are listed in this agreement,
directly affect this enlistment/reenlistment agreement. Some examples of how existing laws may affect this agreement are explained in paragraphs 10 and 11. I understand that I cannot change these laws but that Congress may change these laws, or
pass new laws, at any time that may affect this agreement, and that I will be subject to those laws and any changes they make to thisagreement. I further understand that:

My enlistment/reenlistment agreement is more than an employment agreement. It effects a change in status from civilian to military member of the Armed Forces. As a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, I will be:

Required to obey all lawful orders and perform all assigned duties.

Subject to separation during or at the end of my enlistment.

Required upon order to serve in combat or other hazardous situations.

Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment/
reenlistment document.

CONFIRMATION OF ENLISTMENT OR REENLISTMENT

IN A REGULAR COMPONENT OF THE ARMED FORCES:

I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

SIGNATURE OF ENLISTEE/REENLISTEE
DATE SIGNED (YYYYMMDD)

ENLISTMENT OFFICER CERTIFICATION

The above oath was administered, subscribed, and duly sworn to (or affirmed) before me this date.



Frank stated,

"I am still strongly anti-war. I am a pacifist in the sense that I do not believe saints should be fighting wars on behalf of governments or countries."

What Frank stated is the reason I wrote the above.

I do hope it helps some others to realize that there are more reasons to not join the military than the non-resistance doctrine.

I myself have a CCW as well.

Thank you, marcmc for clarifying your position. I very much understand where you are coming from. There is a lot wrong with our country and some things deeply sadden me. There is an insatiable love for violence here in the states. It can quickly turn defending the innocent into rebelling against governing authorities or justifying selfish ambitions.

I appreciate the discussion but let's get down to something more basic. How can we as believers fulfill these verses. Let's discuss all the various situations in which we could fulfill these:


Psalm 82:3-4 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord: “‘Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds.’”


One way is that if we hear someone being maligned or slandered, then we can defend them. I have been in this situation many many times.

Several years ago there was an elderly woman whom lived at home alone, an intruder broke into her home through a window while she was in bed. As loud as she could scream, she yelled for her husband to grab the gun and get in there quickly.
After she screamed for her husband to grab the gun. The intruder quickly fled out of the house.

The woman had been a widow for 20 years.

Forgive this brief conclusion. I asked my 5 children what they thought about Christians carrying guns and was careful not to ask in a biased way. They are all on fire for Jesus.

After their shock that I was even asking them and realised i was asking them a real question ( they thought I was joking). The answers I got were.

Why?
What for?
What would you do with it?
Why would you need it? I said "for protection". They said "we already have the most powerful weapon, Jesus"

They are 16, 18, 20, 23 and (26 my daughter happens to be here with our grand daughter for a vist) and none of them have ever seen a real gun.

marcmc

Another reason not to join the armed forces is the huge amount of vaccines they give you when you join. Worse now than when I joined.

I hunt for food.

I practice shooting. I go to the range. I dry-fire and practice holster draws.

My wife goes to the range, too.

There are specific individuals that, when their prison sentences are through, I have very good reason to believe they will attempt to harm my family. So, yeah.

I'm 49 years old. For the first 48 years of my life I shot a gun less than, oh, 30 times including the VERY few hunting excursions I ever bothered to go on.

Now I am gaining proficiency in shooting technique.

When any one or more of these folks decide to take their anger out on my family because they did the time for their crime and they weren't nearly as smart as they thought they were when they broke the law, I'll be ready. When their family members lurk and gawk and sulk and threaten --- I'm doing my best to be ready.

The world's a mess, folks. The system is a mess. People who grew up believing the system provides justice and due process, and who probably banked on that a bit too much when they outsmarted themselves and committed crimes, ran into the cold hearted truth that justice is not blind and that the system is keenly in need of feeding people to prisons in one of the nation's largest jobs programs: law enforcement/corrections/criminal justice. Guilt or innocence means little to a man who spends years inside a hellhole. He just wants to get even.

Defense lawyers are the first to be blamed for their clients' woes. We spend as much time defending ourselves against our clients as we do defending our clients. We are nobody's friend. Society puts us in the same tier of worthlessness as they put our clients. So, yeah, we're targets. I'm a target.

But, I decided this year after a few cases in particular, almost 20 years into this career, that I'm not going to be just a target anymore. I'm at least going to try and make you have to duck and dodge the very thing you're firing at me before I let my family be taken by you.

I'm not making any apologies for that.

_________________
Tim

Well you know Mr. Bill, he always tries to brings a little humor around, so I guess I will comment on this thread. "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away". :-)

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Bill

Well this is awkward...I must confess I had no idea I was such a wretch for owning a firearm:-)

I have to agree with Mr Bill on this one, humor is needed on a thread like this or we are going to lose our minds:-) Its a personal choice just like everything else you can legally purchase. No different than owning a car or a generator or a satellite dish.

Now would anybody like to see my hand grenade collection? :-)

PS. I do not have a hand grenade collection:-)

But I do own guns because...because....um, just because.

Noone should ever feel guilty for this or be compelled to explain why they own a gun or have to lay out a theological dissertation and go into all the nuances for why they own a gun. Lol. Weird, just weird :-)

And to both of your posts Brother Mark, I say Amen and Amen.

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Bill