{"id":744,"date":"2014-05-03T09:21:34","date_gmt":"2014-05-03T14:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/?p=744"},"modified":"2015-08-11T18:28:42","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T23:28:42","slug":"guns-in-church-the-divide-boils-down-to-subsidiarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/2014\/05\/guns-in-church-the-divide-boils-down-to-subsidiarity\/","title":{"rendered":"Guns in Church: The Divide Boils Down to Subsidiarity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"File:Emanuel<\/a><\/p>\n

This week Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta announced that there\u2019d be no concealed carry in his parishes<\/a>. The context was a recently passed Georgia law that gave the pastors of churches the discretion to decide whether their facilities were or were not legal concealed carry locations.\u00a0 It is unclear whether the Archbishop\u2019s decision applies to the other dioceses in the province<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n

\u2013> A quick Google indicates that while the state laws vary, pastors do have the power to prohibit firearms onsite in all three states.\u00a0 What is new in Georgia is that pastors (the bishop, in the Catholic case) now have the ability to permit civilians to carry weapons in their churches if the pastor so desires<\/a>.\u00a0 So essentially what has happened here is that Georgia said, \u201cBishop, if you want some guy to carry, you can,\u201d and the bishop said, \u201cNo thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fair enough.<\/p>\n

For my very firm opinion on what catechists should tell their students when the question comes up in religious education class<\/strong>, take a look at my piece at AmazingCatechists.com<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Summary: Just the facts, no editorial.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

This is not your child\u2019s catechism class, this is my blog.\u00a0 You, my reader, are a grown-up, or you are here with your parent\u2019s permission.\u00a0 Go ask your mom right now if you\u2019re allowed to keep reading.<\/p>\n

Yes?<\/p>\n

Great.\u00a0 So today we\u2019re going to look a the great gun debate divide, and I\u2019m going to explain why gun-lovin\u2019 Catholics think Archbishop Gregory is nuts, and why that thinking is grounded in Catholic social teaching.<\/p>\n

Quick Review: What is Legitimate Self-Defense?<\/h3>\n

There is a pacifist charism within the broad and diverse spectrum of Catholic spirituality, but Catholic moral teaching by no means requires pacifism, and sometimes prescribes a grave duty to defend those in our care.\u00a0 The money quotes:<\/p>\n

2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one\u2019s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:<\/p>\n

If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful\u2026. Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one\u2019s own life than of another\u2019s.<\/p>\n

2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another\u2019s life. Preserving the common good requires rendering the unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm. To this end, those holding legitimate authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their charge.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read the whole thing here<\/a>.\u00a0 For an explanation of the principle of double-effect, on which this concept of legitimate self-defense is grounded, see my post here<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0 For a quick knock in the head to remind you what it\u2019s all about, see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do Most Opponents of Concealed Carry Decline the Right to Self-Defense?<\/h3>\n

In conversation following the archbishop\u2019s announcement, it quickly became apparent that those who agreed with the decision were not, generally speaking, doing so on the grounds of a personal pacifist-spirituality. Some even cited the happiness with which, say, a local police officer (armed) was present at Mass as a parishioner, and how good it was to have that protection.<\/p>\n

There did not<\/strong> seem to be a sentiment along the lines of, \u201cIf a madman entered my church and started shooting people, we\u2019d never dial 911. We\u2019d assume it was our chance to give our lives gloriously for the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 Such thinking does not<\/strong> seem to be the underlying logic of those who don\u2019t want armed civilians in church.<\/p>\n

The overwhelming sentiment seems to be quite the opposite: We don\u2019t want violence, but if trouble comes, we\u2019ll ring the guys with the guns, yes.<\/p>\n

Subsidiarity: Who is that Guy with a Gun?<\/h3>\n

Thus the source of the divide comes down to an essential agreement: When trouble comes, we want a guy with a gun on our side.\u00a0 The disagreement is in the question: But which guy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Subsidiarity<\/a> is the principle of Catholic social teaching that says, \u201ca matter ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized authority capable of addressing that matter effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gun-lovin\u2019 Catholics take legitimate self-defense and combine it with subsidiarity, and conclude: I am that person.\u00a0 I could defend myself.\u00a0 I\u2019m an upright citizen, authorized by the laws of my state to carry a weapon for self-defense . . . shouldn\u2019t I do that?<\/p>\n

Now We Make Atlanta Jokes<\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t live in Atlanta.\u00a0 I live in that vast swath of the South that makes fun of Atlanta.\u00a0 We avoid the place as much as possible, but can tell you where in the Atlanta airport to get the best sandwich.\u00a0 We secretly suspect that maybe the archbishop is right, perhaps the people of that fair city shouldn\u2019t be trusted with weapons. They certainly shouldn\u2019t be trusted with highways.<\/p>\n

But if gun-lovin\u2019 southerners (and other Catholics) think the archbishop is mistaken in his decision, it\u2019s not because anyone thinks that southerners are the picture of caution and careful thinking.\u00a0 Quite the opposite: When you know all the bazillions of people who own and regularly use guns, legally, and you realize that they mostly don\u2019t end up shooting each other . . . you begin to think maybe the lowest authority capable of defending innocent civilians is . . . innocent civilians.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all.\u00a0 Bubba hasn\u2019t shot anyone, ever, even though he carries a gun regularly, and uses one to shoot dinner (or sit in a tree thinkin\u2019 about it) every weekend State U isn\u2019t playing State Ag College.\u00a0 He\u2019s been thoroughly background-checked, and since he attends your parish every Sunday, you actually know the man.<\/p>\n

Georgia just made it legal for pastors, at their discretion, to allow trusted parishioners, who\u2019ve been background checked and authorized per Georgia law, to do what the catechism and subsidiarity suggest they might ought to do.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all.\u00a0 That\u2019s the other side of the story.<\/p>\n

Artwork: Washington Crossing the Delaware\u00a0by Emanuel Leutze [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta announced that there\u2019d be no concealed carry in his parishes. The context was a recently passed Georgia law that gave the pastors of churches the discretion to decide whether their facilities were or were not legal concealed carry locations.\u00a0 It is unclear whether the Archbishop\u2019s decision applies to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,13,162],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catechesis-2","category-catholic-qa","category-human-rights"],"yoast_head":"\nGuns in Church: The Divide Boils Down to Subsidiarity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This week Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta announced that there'd be no concealed carry in his parishes. 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