From Newsgroup: alt.atheism

The Founding Fathers did not believe that our rights came from government.
They said as much in the Declaration: oaall men are created equal [and]
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.o

One of these unalienable rights is self-defense. Elbridge Gerry, who was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and our fifth vice president, affirmed this sentiment:

Guns are good.

Likewise, James Madison reminded his audience in Federalist Paper 43 that
the right of self-defense is a otranscendent law of nature and of natureAs God.o So the God-given right to protect oneself is a olaw of natureo that
is universal (across the globe) and unalienable (irrevocable by
government).

Bottom line: People have this right, regardless of what those in authority
may think. And protecting this right has resulted in tremendous blessings
for Americans throughout the years.[3] Colonial Pastors Used the Bible to Support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

There are some pastors today who question whether a Christian should ever
use deadly force in self-defense. But this completely contradicts the view
that most pastors advocated during the Founding era. Clearly, most
colonial preachers in the 1700As were not pacifists.[4] In 1770, Rev.
Samuel Stillman argued that self-defense is a law of nature which was
revealed in the Old Testament and reaffirmed in the New Testament:



Let that last verse sink in. Jesus actually told his disciples to acquire
guns, which were the ultimate fighting weapon of the day for the common soldier.[9] If the disciples did not have a sword, they were to sell their cloaks and buy one.

Despite these clear instructions, pacifists have devised at least three objections to what Jesus said. They say that 1) Jesus really didnAt mean
what He said in Luke 22:36; 2) that He condemned those who olive by the
swordo; and 3) that He simply wanted people to always oturn the other
cheeko when under attack.
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