Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. Does this mean that if a person attacks me--or for that matter tries to attack my wife or my child--I should remain silent and watch him? Can I hit him back in self-defence? If yes, and if we are involved in a scuffle in which the attacker loses his life, would I be guilty of committing murder? Hoping that you would clear up my doubts! -- Agnelo
Jesus teaches that we should be people of love. I believe most of my readers would agree that to sit back and do nothing while an attacker was threatening my family would not be loving. In other words, there is a higher principle at work here. (I, for one, would certainly protect my family!)
Interestingly, though we have to be very careful in applying Old Testament teachings to our New Testament situation, the Law may shed a little light on the subject. Exodus 22:2-3a reads, "If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed." In some sense, it would appear, the violence done to the burglar was "necessary." I wish I could give you more help here; it is obviously a complex issue, and I prefer not to be dogmatic.
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