Lawrence Helm wrote: "And I've studied the matters we have been discussing albeit not recently. Nevertheless, I made the statement that a majority of Christians were not pacifistic. The fact that someone in the church demands that they be doesn't change the fact that they are not." That would be the ad populum thing again. Lawrence continues: "Human nature is the given. There is no scripture countering it insofar as self-defense is concerned. Human nature isn't something that needs to be authenticated by scripture. Sinful nature is countermanded, but it is not sinful to defend yourself." Your 'defend yourself' needs to be qualified by 'Love your neighbour as yourself'. I have yet to see anything in your comments on your enemy that would qualify as love, and in particular the self-sacrificing love of Christ. And before you jump to all sorts of conclusions, I am not saying that we should let 'the enemy' have its way. That is not love either. There are ways of responding to the enemy that address issues of justice while demonstrating love. Sincerely, Phil Enns Glen Haven, NS ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html