Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc.
P.O. Box 270143
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone (800) 869-1884
Fax (425) 451-3959
The Morally Bankrupt Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Wearing a mask of religious wisdom, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the "RAC") takes a position against firearms ownership that is morally despicable. The RAC's official position favoring "gun control" rests on this foundation:
"Jewish tradition emphasizes the sanctity and primary value of human life. The Bible commands us 'Thou shalt not murder.' The Talmud teaches us that 'he who takes one life it is as though he has destroyed the universe and he who saves one life it is as though he has saved the universe.' In an increasingly impersonal and alienating society, the dehumanizing of the human being and the carelessness with which human life is taken stand in direct violation of these affirmations of our tradition."
It's true, of course, that Judaism emphasizes the sanctity and primary value of human life, and the Sixth Commandment does prohibit murder. The RAC does not mention, however, that the Bible and the Talmud both condone and sometimes encourage killing—when the killing is in self-defense or to defend innocents.
If saving one life is the moral equivalent of saving the universe, then using a firearm to stop a killer is morally beautiful. Yet the RAC stands squarely against private ownership of lifesaving firearms.
The RAC Is Anti-Self Defense
The RAC fails to distinguish between using deadly force to take lives wrongfully, and using deadly force to save lives. Saving human life using deadly force is so important to Jewish tradition that the Talmud states: "he who comes to kill you, arise and kill him."
How can Jews, or anyone else, "arise and kill" an armed aggressor, if they don't have deadly weapons such as firearms? When the RAC calls for more laws to disarm potential victims, the RAC is running directly contrary to the Jewish tradition that demands that people use deadly force to stop death-dealing aggressors.
The RAC Ignores How "Gun Control" Made Genocide Possible
Equally bad or worse is the RAC's blindness to the recent history of victim disarmament policies applied around the world. Disarmed by laws and cultural pressures, Jews suffered six million killed in Europe at the hands of the Nazis. Those victims were not alone. In the 20th Century, 170,000,000 non-combatant men, women and children were murdered by their governments. In most cases, those victims had first been disarmed by their own governments who had implemented "gun control" laws that the RAC now cheers.
JPFO challenges the RAC leadership to view our documentary, Innocents Betrayed. We challenge the RAC to see the results of "gun control" in nearly a dozen genocides worldwide, and then explain why it so ardently wants to impose more "gun control" in America. If the RAC is committed to saving innocent human lives, then the RAC should explain why it favors policies that enable genocide.
JPFO challenges the RAC to watch Innocents Betrayed to see how "gun control" operated also to set up Americans for persecution and destruction. After the RAC's leaders see the evidence, we challenge them to explain why they want to restrict decent Americans from having defensive firearms.
Would the RAC Save a Universe?
To paraphrase the Talmudic proverb the RAC quotes: If gun ownership helps someone save a single life, then gun ownership has saved the universe. If gun ownership prevents a genocide, then gun ownership saves ... a million universes.
We challenge the RAC to show why the message of Innocents Betrayed—the message of self-defense—is somehow non-Jewish and wrong. We will supply a tape of Innocents Betrayed to the RAC if its leadership promises to view it and respond to our challenges above.
The Liberty Crew
Information source
Innocents Betrayed: documentary film showing link between civilian disarmament policies and slavery, persecution and genocide; includes a segment on the American Experience. www.jpfo.org/ib.htm
Article references
Religious Action Center's policy on "gun control": http://uahc.org/reform/rac/issues/issuesip2.html
Bible: Exodus 20:13, Exodus 22:1, Psalm 144:1, Proverbs 25:26, Ezekiel 33:6
Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin 72a, Tractate Berachos 58a, 62b; Tractate Gittin, 55b, 56a
Twentieth Century genocides: Zelman & Stevens, Death by "Gun Control": The Human Cost of Victim Disarmament (2001), chap. 6— 14. www.jpfo.org/deathgc.htm
Jewish & Christian religious views supporting self-defense: Death by "Gun Control", chap. 17-19; see also "Jews and Gun Control" (1997) www.jpfo.org/fear.htm
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