A Catholic priest in Michigan believes all of his God-fearing and sometimes hypocritical parishioners should exercise their Second Amendment Right by carrying a firearm.

Concerned about the increasing crime rate in the neighborhood, Reverend Edward Fride recently announced to his congregation that the Christ the King church in Ann Arbor would begin holding classes for them to earn a concealed carry permit. He hopes this will encourage them to start packing heat.

In a letter entitled “We’re Not in Mayberry Anymore, Toto!” which was sent to all parishioners of Christ the King, Fride wrote: "It is very common for Christians to simply assume that they live in Mayberry, trusting that because they know the Lord Jesus, everything will always be fine and nothing bad can happen to them and their families.”

"How to balance faith, reality, prudence, and trust is one of those critical questions that we struggle with all our lives. Pretending we are in Mayberry, while we are clearly not, can have very negative consequences for ourselves and those we love, especially those we have a responsibility to protect. If we are not in Mayberry, is there a real threat?"

Some people, however, do not stand behind the pistol packing philosophies of Reverend Fride, suggesting that Christianity is about turning the other cheek and not popping a cap in someone’s ass. Yet, that is exactly the point the priest is attempting to make – too many people are using their faith as a bulletproof vest or relying on the illusion of a police force to come to the rescue. Those ideas are dangerous in the real world.

Fride says he was raised a pacifist and was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. However, he strayed from his belief in pacifism while asking the question: “what would Jesus do?” in the event he stumbled upon his fellow man being threatened with violence.

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