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THE QUESTION
Weapons in Worship
Some New York-area rabbis are planning to bring weapons to High Holy Day services this month to guard against terrorist threats. In June, a Kentucky pastor invited his congregation members to bring their firearms to church to celebrate the Second Amendment.
Do weapons belong in worship? Should clergy be armed? Do the Ten Commandments trump the Second Amendment?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on September 9, 2009 12:36 PM
FROM THE PANEL
When God Tells You to Hate
The rise of incivility in this country is a symptom of mass psychopathology. Groups of people see other groups of people behaving badly, and this gives them permission to behave badly themselves. The same thing happens in families.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on September 15, 2009 6:32 PM
Religion is Risky Business
Despite the temptation some might feel to arm themselves with ammunition in defense, I firmly believe guns have no place in our churches, synagogues or mosques. This does not mean we are called to be defenseless victims. But it means that, as faith leaders, we are called to change the story.
Posted by Katharine Henderson, on September 11, 2009 5:25 PM
This Issue Needs Serious Discussion
If we live in times when a person in the house of prayer is prone to be killed, the right to be defended grows from deep roots.
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on September 11, 2009 10:30 AM
Weapons in the Circle?
Guns do not belong at church, at synagogue, in the Mosque or in the Pagan grove. Nor, for that matter, do they belong in town hall meetings or political forums, in rock concerts or High Schools or on our city streets.
Posted by Starhawk, on September 10, 2009 6:35 PM
Defend the Innocent
Church is not generally the right place to celebrate our civil rights, though we may thank God for them, but it might be the right place to urge citizens to exercise them to protect the innocent.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on September 10, 2009 1:55 PM
Only the Gods Should be Armed
When priests arm themselves as soldiers, vulgarity and farce share a sad stage and minimize real threats of terror that require entire societies to mobilize.
Posted by Aseem Shukla, on September 10, 2009 9:20 AM
A Deeper Question
There is a deeper question for America than the carrying of weapons into a religious service. The deeper question involves the extent to which a sense of order and community has been lost in America.
Posted by Gardner Calvin Taylor, on September 9, 2009 7:36 PM
Fear-Mongering Not the Answer to Fear
While religious authorities have to deal with threats to their congregation in a serious and conscientious manner, they also need to be careful that they do not engage in fear-mongering.
Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on September 9, 2009 3:05 PM
Support Your Local Religious Gun Nut
This country is currently in the grip of a powerful anti-rationalism that, while it is the work of a minority, is nevertheless seeping like poison into the body politic. That some anti-rational members of the clergy are spreading this same sickness, this paranoia, this exaltation of weapons, is hardly surprising.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on September 9, 2009 1:49 PM
Guns or God? You Can't Worship Both
Bring guns to worship and you're likely to shoot yourself, both spiritually and literally.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on September 9, 2009 11:51 AM
Violence in God's Name
The more pivotal question that arises from the situations mentioned seems to be "Why would individuals, and especially clergy, ever think they need a gun in a house of worship?"
Posted by Ramdas Lamb, on September 9, 2009 3:55 AM
Faith In Weapons!
With the inexplicable love for weapons in this country, it was just a matter of time before men of faith shifted their faith from God to Guns.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on September 8, 2009 9:11 PM
Plowshares Into Swords
I thought it crass that members of my childhood congregation had to pay for better seats on the high holidays. I hope they are not now paying for better guns. I never expected an atheist like me would say, "Give me that old time religion."
Posted by Herb Silverman, on September 8, 2009 8:47 PM
Leave Security to the Professionals
It's both empowering and healing for people who are threatened to take some control over a situation that threatens them. But a bunch of guys playing soldier are more like to get an innocent person killed than anything else.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on September 8, 2009 3:56 PM
Why Not Rocket Launchers?
The day that terrorism produces an armed American clergy, a sort of swaggering pistol-pulpit, won't even be the day terrorists win. It will be the day we admit not believing in the power of our message to begin with.
Posted by David Wolpe, on September 8, 2009 2:07 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
BlueDogma: I don't see the problem regarding arms and religion, in particular your reference to the Second Amendment vs the Ten Commandments. The Sixt...
lepidopteryx: The day my church allows guns on the campus is the day I will resign my membership....
