“Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness,” Ephesians 6:14.
I think as a Christian my call is to 'stand my ground' by seeking to follow Christ and respond to violence in a non-retaliatory way.
Holding my ground means sticking to my principles in the face of fear, fights and fanaticism in whatever form it emerges.
I believe people should be able to defend themselves and the laws should protect that right without providing unaccountable consequences for abusing that right.
I'm inspired by the time MLK Jr. was hit in the face by a violent, racist youth and said,“The system that we live under creates people such as this youth. I am not interested in pressing charges. I’m interested in changing the kind of system that produces this kind of man.”
In the end I think who you are on the inside, determines what you do outside. Let's work for commonsense laws that reflect a healthy and just community not a fearful and aggressive one.
