St. Augustine wrestled with the conflict between living as a devout Christian and surviving in a world where violence was an all-too-familiar reality. With stirring reasoning, scenarios, and facts, Rick Barrett will help you weigh the challenges and responsibilities regarding the morality of self-defense. From sixteenth-century England to present-day America, you will see what the law states regarding whether one is permitted to stand his ground or obligated to retreat.
Sure to spark debate, The Armed Catholic answers questions such as: Should only those with legitimate authority bear firearms, or are citizens morally permitted to as well? Did the Church ever endorse pacifism? Does the Catechism of the Catholic Church support the right to self-defense? What does the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops say about gun control?
In a post-modern Church that seems more concerned with modernity than eternity, Barrett breaks open what the Catholic Church and her popes have believed about self-defense since the 1500s and the continuity of her teaching. He further lays out St. Thomas Aquinas's thoughts on self-defense and the use of force. Moreover, he examines how these principles bear some similarities with the morality of Just War principles, according to St. Augustine, and explains the intention that should never drive an individual to either.