re: #207 zombie

No it’s not. I don’t care what later theologians came up with to justify their violence. Did Jesus speak of a “just war”? No. The rest is all garbage.

Using the Catholic Church’s medieval and Renaissance’s doctrines to justify violence is ridiculous — because those doctrines have nothing to do with Christianity, really. The church back then routinely tortured heretics and witches and schimatics. They were power-hungry madmen, not Christians, despite what they called themselves.

So (judging from this and your comments upthread) you believe Christians are commanded not to exercise physical self-defense? If someone attempts to rape me, I should allow my attacker to continue without resistance, otherwise I am not a real Christian? Do I understand you correctly?

You did say this:

Not only should you not defend your countrymen by using violence yourself, you aren’t supposed to defend yourself from violence by using violence in return. That’s what “turn the other cheek” is all about.

If you can’t cope with the passive non-violence that is part of the message of Christianity, then stop calling yourself a Christian.