The arguments you have put forth for defense are what we often hear used to shame young men into the military. If someone were going to rape your sister or mother what would you do--just watch?
At a huge Baptist church near where I live there was a pastor that reigned for 30 years, a retired Air Force General/chaplain. His was a special brand of Christianity.
Jesus was no physical coward, when the soldiers arrived to arrest him he asked that his friends be let go. Jesus didn't fight for them.
I have never seen a whole Christian sign in for combat and I never see even half a Christian come out. That goes for chaplains too.
I would never simply watch my daughter get raped. But neither do I keep a sawed-off shot gun.
No blueprint but no license to kill either.
The Just War teachings that began its early development during the same time as the council at Nicea was hammering out the Trinity teaching destroyed the central axis of Jesus teaching: You no longer needed faith because you were supplied a catechism. You were not allowed to hate your enemies but now you could kill them.
As for loving your enemies, Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, learned that it was often the case that we let long, critcal moments pass watching "our enemy" suffer need or the want of a kindness until the tipping point arrives and they explode--and then we feel justified to attack him. This is not to say that kindness is merely enlightened self interest but it is in keeping with Jesus' spirit of recognizing another's value, viewing them as your neighbor, rather than as a nobody.
I think this is somehow part of your other post, Terry: Why believe in the Supernatural?
