There is a difference between WANTING to kill and NOT wanting to kill. It's called defense. I WILL defend myself with the most efficient weapon.
Show me where self defense is in the Bible, for a person (not talking an army or the country) and I will agree with you. Actually, show me in the New Testament where Jesus said any where it is ok to take the life of another person. Even in self defense, or in defense of your family. (Yes, defending my family would be a hard one, but I would have to trust God, because there is never going to be a weapon like a gun in my house ever!) Trusting God, rather than chariots or horses is what it is all about. This is from Isaiah, and repeated in Psalms. Chariots and horses are weapons of war. Technically, even the people of Israel were not to trust in their weapons for self defense, but to trust in the Lord.
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7
This is also reiterated in Isaiah 31:1:
"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
And rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!"
Of course, the Israelites did this over and over and it was one of the reasons God punished Israel. Because they did not trust that God would take care of them!! As far as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:[SUP]2 [/SUP]a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
[SUP]3 [/SUP]a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
[SUP]4 [/SUP]a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
[SUP]5 [/SUP]a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
[SUP]6 [/SUP]a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
[SUP]7 [/SUP]a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
[SUP]8 [/SUP]a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace."
If you knew anything about the background of Eccl., you would not use it as "text" proof that killing is ok. For one thing, whoever wrote it, (Solomon or ??) was merely tossing ideas around and was probably depressed about the meaning of life when it was written. It is not the words of God to us, but the words of man to God. YES, they are inspired, but that does not mean that is God's plan.
The entire poem has to be see against a backdrop of contemplation of a life that has taken a wrong turn. Read the opening words of Ecclesiastes and you will find a very broken human being. That is why Solomon is thought to be the author, because he had everything going for him, and he trusted in himself and in peace treaties sealed with marriages to ruler's daughters who brought their gods to Israel and helped led the whole nation astray.
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.” Ecc. 1:2.
This is not a happy person. This is the topic literally for the whole book of Ecclesiastes - also known as "Vanity" or in the Hebrew - vapour. So I would not tend to use anything in this book of the Bible as a proof text for killing. Plus a really good doctrine needs to have many more texts that just one to prove it is absolutely from God.
As I rode my bike today, I was considering what God expects from us as far as toting guns. My thought was that word JOY!
J - Jesus first
O - Others second
Y - Yourself last.
This whole post is based on a wrong Biblical view. God is who we are always to put first. That means following the example Jesus set and his teachings.
"For whoever wishes to save hislife will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.'" Matt. 16:25, (Luke 17:33, Luke 9:24 have similar passages!)
I was thinking that I am saved, and if three giant, mean, men break into my house, with guns (very unlikely in my area of Canada!) they would likely be unsaved. Which would be more important to God? My life - I know where I am going, and who I believe has me in the palm of his hand. These very big, angry men do not. Perhaps my path in life is to witness to them with my final breath that Jesus is Lord? And then they get saved, perhaps in prison, and they lead other people to the Lord - all because I was willing to lay down my life for the sake of the Lord!
Each thing we do, every choice we make, has to be made in light of Christ and eternity. To preserve our lives at the expense of others, who will go to a Christless eternity has to be a sin!
The biggest mistake of this whole assumption of a "right to bear arms" is not based on Christian principles, but rather revolutionary principles. And perhaps at that time, it was necessary. Canada is totally independent of England. We never fought a war, in fact, the United Empire Loyalists were those loyal to England who left American in the war and came to Canada. My husband is descended from these people who would not take up arms against their mother country.
We have all the rights and freedoms, to say nothing of perks like universal health care, and yet, we never had to fight, or kill a single person to become a free country. Canada was birthed in Conferences of Leaders and the West gradually added as immigrants filled the country. Because there was no history of guns (except for hunting, which I think at that time was a proper use of guns), no one ever felt the need to base our entire society on guns.
As for the red herring that "only criminals will have guns!" it has a small element of truth. But the fact is, narrow access to weapons, cultivating a Christian mindset of loving others, and praying for revival, and you will have followed Jesus words:
"Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." Luke 17:33
This life is only a training ground for the next. We try and follow Christ. He did not defend himself, and even healed the soldier who had his ear cut off by Peter. He went to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. That is the model we need to keep in mind. Not nationalistic ties to the US, Canada, or any other country. The Bible is our guide.
PS. As far as needing assault weapons to turn on your own government, "Woe is me!!" May God open the eyes of the people who have been blinded by out-to-lunch radicals, instead of using the Bible and following Christ.