If Your Pastor Asked You Not to Carry In Church ?

[Treo]

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

[ronwill]

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.

[-06]

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.

[HK4U]

That is not going to happen but if it did I most likely would find another church.

[theicemanmpls]

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.

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.

[UncleHulka]

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.

Shooting galleries huh... do we need to notify homeland security of your intentions?

[Rocketgeezer]

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...........

[Ringo]

That is not going to happen but if it did I most likely would find another church.

That makes two of us HK.

[HootmonSccy]

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..

[Treo]

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?