ernestsewell asked: Hey - got a question. I'm writing a book on Anarchism. Surprise, I know. I'm looking for input on one thing. If you read Matthew 5:38-48, where it talks about giving your coat as wella s your shirt, turning the cheek, etc. Christ does mention carrying a soldier's gear. If Christ was truly anti-state, how does a Christian read that verse? I'm quoting that whole section, & don't want to blatantly skip over that verse.
Answer:
Do you mean that he mentions soldier’s gear in a separate passage? Maybe my translation is different. I believe in cases where he mentions soldier’s gear, it’s always metaphorical, and never actually translates to carrying out violence. I’d say anyone that tries to use Christ’s mentioning of soldier’s gear as an encouragement of physical war or even physical self-defense is making a very weak argument.
