Why Some Americans See Self-Defense as Sacred Duty

A Look Inside Primitive Baptist Culture

June 28, 2025 : 1930 EDT

In a time when debates over violence, firearms, and safety often dominate headlines, it can be easy to miss the quieter, deeper frameworks that shape how different American communities think about these issues. Among Primitive Baptists—a conservative Christian tradition with roots in the early 19th-century South—the right to self-defense isn’t just a political stance. It’s understood as a moral responsibility, bound up in their ideas of family, faith, and stewardship.

For many within this tradition, defending one’s home and family isn’t about paranoia or machismo. It’s about care. It’s about being entrusted with something precious—your children, your community, your own life—and having the duty to protect it. To outsiders, this may look like an endorsement of armed resistance or a rejection of peaceful values. But within the culture, it’s often more nuanced than that.

Primitive Baptists see themselves as stewards—caretakers of what they believe God has entrusted to them. In that view, self-defense isn’t just allowed; it’s part of a larger ethical framework. You are not acting out of rage, but out of duty. This isn’t vigilante justice. It’s preparedness, in case justice fails.

Many cite biblical metaphors that speak to this tension—“wise as serpents, innocent as doves.” In practice, this means cultivating a peaceful demeanor, but not a passive one. It means hoping never to need a weapon, but being ready if it comes to that. Historically, this community has viewed peace as ideal—but not at the cost of being defenseless in the face of real danger.

This belief is shaped by centuries of rural living, isolation, and an ethic of self-reliance. Government help has not always been quick to arrive in the hollers of Appalachia or the backroads of the Deep South. So, local defense—whether from wild animals, criminals, or perceived threats—has long been viewed as a community matter, not something to outsource. And in that context, being able to protect one’s family is seen as both noble and necessary.

It’s also important to understand that this isn’t about “gun culture” as it’s often portrayed in the media. While many Primitive Baptists do own firearms, their views are shaped far more by their theology and lifestyle than by slogans or lobby groups. There’s very little “Rambo” in their thinking—far more of a quiet, rural practicality.

Of course, this worldview can come into tension with modern debates about gun control and public safety. But understanding where it comes from—what historical, religious, and emotional roots it grows out of—helps shift the conversation. This isn’t about glorifying violence. It’s about a community trying to live by values that feel deeply responsible and profoundly human to them.

So before writing these people off as “gun nuts” or “reactionaries,” it’s worth taking a closer look. What may seem strange or threatening at first glance often turns out to be a form of cultural logic—a code of honor shaped by hardship, tradition, and a deeply embedded sense of duty.

We don’t have to agree with everyone’s practices to understand where they’re coming from. Sometimes, understanding is enough to change the tone of the conversation—and that’s where real progress starts.

WPS.News – Reporting with Faith and Integrity