Should Christians Take Up Arms to Defend Themselves When Attacked? (1)
Did Jesus advocate that we purchase arms to defend ourselves, as some preachers teach?
Incidents and events are occurring at a fast pace these days. Before you can catch your breath or even blink your eyes, something else has happened that would capture your attention. And here, I am speaking of events that impact our understanding and practical living of the word of God.
Another Christian death at the hands of Muslims in Nigeria
In May 2022, reports filtered in from Sokoto State, Nigeria, that a female Christian student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, had been murdered and burnt by fellow students of the Islamic faith. It was claimed that the female student, Deborah Samuel, had blasphemed the prophet, Mohammed. Whether or not Deborah blasphemed the prophet of Islam remains debatable. Also, many Muslim scholars have stated that blasphemy does not attract the death penalty—one administered by individuals instead of the Islamic courts or the State. There have also been questions about the hierarchy of laws in Nigeria; does Islamic law trump the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
Some of the Muslim elite in Nigeria were openly, vociferously, and vehemently approving of Deborah's murder. However, it has to be said that the Governor of the State, Aminu Tambuwal, a Muslim, was able to douse the matter. The police arrested two suspects and declared others wanted—those who participated in the gruesome act captured on video. Muslim youth in Sokoto went on a rampage following the arrests, and destroyed churches, as has always been the case when incidents like this occur.
Despite these things, what has piqued my interest in this story, is the response of Christians in Nigeria following the incident. Naturally, there was anger and uproar among Christians who felt that this was one murder too many in the name of religion. It led to several comments about a Christian response. Some wondered why Christians do not retaliate against such murders. Indeed, some videos surfaced on some WhatsApp fora of pastors making a case for Christians to bear arms and defend themselves and others. Some of these videos were so emotionally charged that they can be best described as inciting violence! And this leads one to ask, "Should Christians take up arms to defend themselves when attacked?"
Should Christians retaliate against such deaths?
One of the videos widely circulated on some social media platforms was a 2018 video of a prominent Nigerian pastor espousing that Christians arm and defend themselves and others, to forestall or mitigate any recurrence of violence against Christians. This video was made after a farmer-herder clash in Northern Nigeria (predominantly Muslim). However, the locality where this particular farmer-herder conflict occurred was predominantly Christian.
A little background on the farmer-herder clash may be necessary at this point. Herders in Nigeria are usually nomadic Fulanis who have always had a free movement within the West and Central African regions. During their migratory movements with their herd, they enter farmlands, and their cattle destroy these farmlands, eating up crops and ruining harvests for the farmers. In such a situation, farmers get angry and engage the herders in conflict, sometimes resulting in deaths on both sides. Where, for example, a Fulani herdsman is killed, the survivors would go to their kith and kin who could be anywhere on the migratory route (not necessarily in the country where the incident occurred) and get them to avenge the death.
With such a dangerous situation, these farmer-herder clashes can consume whole villages. The herders ransack villages during the revenge missions, killing and maiming everyone in sight. Because the farmers are mostly not Muslims, it tends to be seen as an assault on Christians. It has to be said that many of these farmers cannot be definitively said to be Christians.
Such clashes take on a religious colouration and are seen as a Muslim-Christian clash. Sometimes, those in government do not have the political will to deal with the matter effectively. These clashes are centuries old but have taken on a political meaning, particularly with the present Government of Muhammadu Buhari, who is himself, a cattle owner, a Muslim, and a Hausa-Fulani.
Some preachers' response to such killings
These farmer-herder clashes have been seen as an assault against Christians and Christianity in Nigeria and, rightly or wrongly, viewed as the government being complicit. This allegation against the government remains speculative, as the government at either federal or state levels include people who are not entirely of one religious persuasion.
Following one of such clashes that left scores of villagers dead, the pastor in question stated in a video, justification for Christians to arm and defend themselves. Some of the Scripture verses quoted included those in which Jesus asked His disciples to sell their garments and arm themselves (Luke 22:35-36) and of the disciple, Peter (according to John 18:10), to sheath his sword after he had cut off the ear of one of the guards who had come to arrest Jesus (Matthew 26:51-52). As explained by the pastor in question, the implication of Jesus' statement to Peter to sheath his sword was that Jesus did not ask him to throw away the sword!
The interpretation given in the referenced video is that Jesus permits Christians to defend themselves, and, indeed, arm themselves. But is this interpretation correct? No! This was the emotional outburst of a man tired of seeing Christians (though not everyone killed on religious grounds are Christians) at the receiving end of the injustice spectrum. As seen in the video, he angrily asks Christians to do something about it themselves. One can see the apparent frustration of the pastor, albeit at God's silence, inaction, or docility despite the death of several people! I claim frustration at God because no Christian can be put to death without God's permission (Matthew 10:26-33)!
Interestingly, this pastor is not alone in this misinterpretation and misrepresentation of Scripture. Many other ministers of the gospel share a similar disposition about what Christians should do when attacked. Some preachers teach their congregations to not only pray vengeance prayers but also to take the law into their hands to avenge themselves, should the need arise! Some others place curses on those who burn down their churches during such communal or religious crises. One pastor once asked his congregants to kill any nomadic Fulani they saw coming near his church bearing arms.
But what is Jesus' position on this matter?
Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus taught His disciples and the people what is commonly referred to as "The Beatitudes". The last of the beatitudes referred to those who are persecuted for His sake, thus:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12, NKJV)
Jesus taught that Christians should rejoice and be exceedingly glad when attacked for their faith. On one occasion, after the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious Council) had ordered the beating of the apostles, they left
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. (Acts 5:41, NKJV)
Jesus went on to make a most outlandish pronouncement:
"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. (Matthew 5:38-39, NKJV)
These Scripture verses have been the subject of many statements attempting a symbolic representation of Jesus' words. But both of Jesus' comments in Matthew 5:10-12 and 38-39 above did not sanction retaliation in any shape or form! Besides, Jesus, during the same teaching, also spoke about how we are to treat our enemies, thus:
"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48, NKJV)
Again, we do not find the Lord asking Christians to hate anyone, not even their enemies, including those who persecute and kill them! Nowhere do we read Jesus advocating for Christians to defend themselves. Indeed, Paul, the apostle, quoted Psalm 44:22 when he referred to Christians as sheep to be slaughtered (Romans 8:36)!
Peter also noted that when Jesus was reviled, He did not revile back, thus setting an example that we ought to follow:
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:21-23, NKJV)
Peter notes that the Christian is called to suffer as Christ suffered in the above verses. After Jesus' ascension, neither Peter nor any other immediate disciples of Jesus taught that Christians should avenge themselves or arm and defend themselves. It is worthy to note that after the incident in which Peter cut off the ear of the Chief priest's guard, none of Jesus' disciples was ever recorded to have used the sword!
Nonetheless, we must note that there was a time in Europe when people who were not Christians were killed by people who claimed they were Christians. This was when we had the crusaders who attacked other nations and claimed that they were taking it by force for Jesus. This was clearly a false understanding and interpretation of evangelism, which is a proclamation of the word of God bringing gladness and life, not sorrow and death. When we do not subject and submit ourselves to Jesus' teachings, we will have a distorted view as the crusaders did.
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