If Your Pastor Asked You Not to Carry In Church ?


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Treo

Treo

Bullet Proof
My question is simple, what would you do if your Pastor or (other religious leader)met you at the door next Sunday , pulled you to the side and said “Hey Chuck I really feel like God wants me to ask you not to carry your gun in service.” ? How would you handle it? Would you respect his authority over you?
Please explain your answer
 

I don't really look at pastors as "authority" figures but as teachers and guides. Now remember I speak hypothetically here because it is a misdemeanor in Georgia to carry into a place of worship. If my pastor said not to carry anymore I would have to look deep and ask for the true authorities guidance. If I felt the guidance being given by the church was not from above I would explain that to the pastor. If he pushed the issue and I sincerely felt after prayer that it was wrong I would probably seek another church.
 
To begin with, I know pastors who carry and I know some who are adamant about not having firearms anywhere. With that said--if my pastor said that to me I would simply and frankly with reverence ask him to show me in the Bible where a person should be disarmed inside a church building. If he could then I would just leave as I know Nehemiah and his builders kept swords/spears when working on the temple and walls. I am one of the deacons at our church and last month one of the delegates to the convention said the "laws" of the church had been changed. CCP holders can carry inside Southern Baptist churchs. I laughed and said that I had been carrying for 10-12 years and no one knew it. So---if it is a SBapt. church then one has the blessings of the convention to carry--if he has his permit. I would be one of the first to ask someone to leave if they started flashing their carry. After all, it is God's house where believers gather to worship and some are intimidated by firearms.
 
ronwill said:
I don't really look at pastors as "authority" figures but as teachers and guides. Now remember I speak hypothetically here because it is a misdemeanor in Georgia to carry into a place of worship. If my pastor said not to carry anymore I would have to look deep and ask for the true authorities guidance. If I felt the guidance being given by the church was not from above I would explain that to the pastor. If he pushed the issue and I sincerely felt after prayer that it was wrong I would probably seek another church.
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How do you know if the guidance is from above, below, or sideways? Does God speak to you? You hear voices from above? Get a text message?
Who is the true authority? The person in charge of the church, IMO, he/she is the authority. The one who dials 911 to report someone has a firearm? Then the "true authority arrives. The ones with badges, weapons, radios, and lots of friends.

I never quite understood how that all worked. The prayer, and god thing that is.

IMO, church services are nothing but shooting galleries. IMO, at least one armed security person should be present to protect the flock of sheep.
 
theicemanmpls said:
How do you know if the guidance is from above, below, or sideways? Does God speak to you? You hear voices from above? Get a text message?
Who is the true authority? The person in charge of the church, IMO, he/she is the authority. The one who dials 911 to report someone has a firearm? Then the "true authority arrives. The ones with badges, weapons, radios, and lots of friends.

I never quite understood how that all worked. The prayer, and god thing that is.

IMO, church services are nothing but shooting galleries. IMO, at least one armed security person should be present to protect the flock of sheep.
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Shooting galleries huh... do we need to notify homeland security of your intentions?
 
I have not had to worry about that for a long time, as my church attendence is not the best, that being said I would thank the paster/reverend/ preacher/ or whoever, and go have a early lunch, after all the bull crap thats happened, a church is one of the last places I would go unarmed, if the pastor did not like it, Oh Well...........
 
So, How would they know you are carrying in the 1st place.. The answer is, they shouldn't..

However, going with the question as stated, I would Skip church that day, then ask to meet with the pastor during the week (We do have a governing board, but I would start with him)..

I would make it simply a conversations, bring several articles about church shootings and robberies, and ask what HIS plan was to protect the people inside the church IF such a thing were to happen there..

IF he was still adamant about me not carrying, then HE is responsible for the church he pastors, and I would respect his wishes.. This means I would have little choice but to look elsewhere for my spiritual guidance and community. I would not defy his wishes..

Me leaving my gun at home or in the car is not an option for me... I don't want to see me in a video like the lady in Texas who lost her parents because her gun was in the car..

I would then pray for their safety on a fairly regular basis..
 
Remember guys, this had nothing to do W/ the news or church shootings. Let me restate it, You pastor has just told you that He honestly believes that God Himself has told him to ask you not to carry in church. Are you going to submit to his authority or not?
 
Treo said:
Remember guys, this had nothing to do W/ the news or church shootings. Let me restate it, You pastor has just told you that He honestly believes that God Himself has told him to ask you not to carry in church. Are you going to submit to his authority or not?
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No. God told me to carry.
 
I came up in a Pentecostal church and now attend a non denominational full gospel church.

I don't have Bible handy or I'd quote Scripture on this one but instead this is what I believe

I believe that I am in the church that God wants me in. I wouldn't leave my church W/ out a direct release from God.

I believe that God has placed the Pastor of my church in a position of spiritual authority over that church. As such he is accountable to God for what he teaches us and what he tells us.

I believe that my Pastor hears from God and if he came to me and said " Treo I believe that God has directed me to ask that you not carry in church" I would accept it as God's will unless I had a direct leading otherwise that I felt was from God

Biblically speaking the Pastor is placed in a position of authority over his congregation, I am one of the biggest advocates on this board of carrying everywhere I legally can and if I went to church Sunday and the pastor asked me not to carry, unless I got a no doubt check in my spirit that this isn’t right, I'd disarm. If I wasn't sure, I'd disarm & I believe God would honor it. (Now either you'll understand what I just said or you won't & if you don't me explaining it isn't going to help).

As an article of Faith I would rather be unarmed in church & in the will of God than armed and out of the will of God. I would trust God even looking down the barrel of a gun
 
I figure it this way.

The pastor of a church is the leader of the congregation. If anybody has the authority (for lack of a better term) in the church to make this request, it's him. That means you have two options.

1. Honor his request just as you would (hopefully) honor the request if you were visiting someone at their home.

2. Ignore the request and take your chances.

Personally, I'd honor his request by finding another congregation to worship with AND I'd make sure he understood why I was leaving. After all, doesn't it say in Luke that Jesus told his disciples to own a sword even if it meant to sell their coat. (The term in the KJV translated as 'coat' actually is the outer garment used at the time. To be without one in public was considered to be 'undressed' or the modern equivalent of running around in public in your underwear.)
 
Treo I understanding what you are saying and will just say that I disagree somewhat. My wife was Catholic growing up and there are many areas that her and I now disagree with the Catholic church. One is the Pope being infalable. I do not think any church leader is. I listen to my pastor and others and consider their advice but God also gave me the ability to read scripture for my self and I have to way what others say with what I feel scripture says. Our former pastor said one tiime that God answered 90% of our prayers when he gave us a brain. Each of us has to do what we think God would have us do. In my case if my pastor ask me not to carry then as stated I would pray for God to lead me to another church. As I said though thankfully that is a choice I will not have to make because my pastor is pro 2nd Amendment and in fact carries a firearm as well as most of the rest of the staff.
 
If you truly want to know then don't ask here. Cut your computer off and ask for real. There was a gent who really antagonized the church many years ago. He was a really smart guy, studied real hard, learned lots, and thought he had everything under his control. He was even given a very powerful position. One day he was walking with some buds and the Lord spoke to him in a way that he could not be mistaken about. Afterwards he was shown even more proof that God had indeed touched his life. He finally had a change of heart. Cut your machine off and really ask----from your heart. You are a good gent. Very mislead and I do not say that to antagonize you but to just state my observations. If you are as sincere as you seem then why not ask--from your heart. You may be really surprised at what you find.
 
theicemanmpls said:
How has God told you to Carry?
Called you on the phone? Email? Text Message? Snail mail? You heard a voice telling you to carry?

I really want to know.
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Suffice it to say that if you accept the premise of an all powerful creator the idea that He could communicate W/ His followers in such a way as to make His identity clear is a very small leap indeed
 
Treo said:
Suffice it to say that if you accept the premise of an all powerful creator the idea that He could communicate W/ His followers in such a way as to make His identity clear is a very small leap indeed
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Let me make this perfectly clear,,,,
I am not mocking anyone's faith.

I have heard this expression, or words to this effect several times;
"God told me to do this, or that" "I prayed to God, and he answered my prayer"
How does God, the supreme being, communicate with mortal man?

I gave several examples of modern communication in my past posting. That made someone so angry, he started a public letter demanding my head. Is this God's way of silencing me? Does God read USA CARRY?

Treo, you are saying if I become a beliver, then God will communicate with me? I am asking, how? In what form?
Voices in my head? A whisper behind my back? What?

I thought this forum allowed postings about God, and those with questions about God. I ask questions, and am labeled a troll.

Not very nice if you ask me.
 
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