It is essential for the Christian Martialist to understand and practice ruthlessness in combat from a Biblical perspective. First, let's consider what ruthlessness does not mean.
From the perspective of God's Law, ruthlessness does not and cannot mean that we forsake Biblical ethical standards. I fully understand that there are a lot of teachers out there -- many with combat experience -- who say that everything you learned in Church goes out the window when you're fighting for your life.
I know I'm bucking the crowd here, but my answer to that assertion is: Not if you've gone to the right kind of church.
Not the tiniest particle of dust, not a single atom in the vastness of the cosmos exists apart from the rule of God in Christ. Further, there is no circumstance of human existence that does not come under His Law, including mortal combat.
In What Does the Bible Say about Self Defense, I have shown that defense of life and property are protected rights under God's Law, up to and including taking the life of the intruder. But this is not the same as saying "anything goes." For example, the context of the passage that protects a householder who, in protecting his home, kills a thief (Exodus 22:2 ff) also says that he may not hunt the thief down and kill him.
Before going any further, I'd like you to take a look at Merriam-Webster's definition of ruthless:
ruthless
Pronunciation: \ˈrüth-ləs also ˈru̇th-\ Function: adjective Date: 14th century
: having no pity
Having no pity. It's short and anything but sweet, but ruthlessness is pitilessness. Does the Bible address pitilessness? Take a look at the mental attitude God requires of His people when they execute someone found guilty of murder:
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. (Deu 19:13)
Pity involves "sharing the painful feelings of another" (Merriam-Webster), and the Lord does not want His people identifying with violent predators. This applies to those duly convicted of murder, and -- by extension, in light of Exodus 22 -- to those who assault you or who attack those under your care.
Once the imminent threat is past, however, you are not allowed to kill, torture, maim or disfigure your attacker. If you have gained control over him, you may turn him over to authorities, but you may not exact revenge upon him.
Furthermore, even if you rightfully shoot an attacker, you are not allowed to wantonly spray bystanders with bullets. You are responsible for every projectile that leaves the muzzle of your weapon. That's in harmony with Jeff Cooper's rules of safety as well as with God's Law:
4) Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.
So, you see that while Biblical self defense can involve the extreme of ruthlessly taking human life, it does NOT condone the anything-goes mindset. Observing God's Law is what sets Christian Martialists apart from the orcs.
(By the way, Jeff Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense is the self defense book I recommend if you can have only one (assuming you already have a Bible). It does not include techniques or drills. And although it was written by the premier firearms specialist, the principles apply to unarmed defense, as well.)
4 comments:
The way I see it, any means necessary is acceptable in defending yourself or others. Once you've removed/neutralized the immediate threat, it's no longer defense.
Also on the subject of self-defense, I recently joined a taekwondo club at my university. I'll be testing for yellow belt next week.
WW:
Best wishes for your yellow-belt test to go well.
I 'm not sure, when you say "any means necessary" that you really mean "anything goes".
For example, I hope you wouldn't use a hand grenade (if you had one) to defend yourself on a crowded subway.
My point is that no situation, regardless of how bad, excuses lawless behavior.
For example, I hope you wouldn't use a hand grenade (if you had one) to defend yourself on a crowded subway.
My point is that no situation, regardless of how bad, excuses lawless behavior.
Absolutely, I agree. I see what you mean, and I think we have the same perspective here, I'm just having a hard time putting it into a concise statement- which I tend to try with everything.
Using a grenade to defend yourself in a crowd would obviously not be defending others, as you would become an attacker (from their perspective) as well. So "any means necessary" is a bad choice of words, because it implies that you take the "anything goes" mentality for your own survival without regard to others. Maybe a better way of putting it is this: Do what you must to remove the threat, while trying to minimize the harm done. That would ideally mean incapacitating the attacker as quickly as possible, while also taking care not to inflict undue harm on anyone. If somehow you find yourself in a situation where protecting yourself comes at the expense of others, then the true sheepdog should take the fall. Correct?
Right. I think you & I are on the same wavelength here. Many thanks for taking the time & effort to comment.
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