Arkansas churches finally have something in common with bars: Church goers cannot carry concealed weapons into their places of worship.

While the State House approved a measure allowing concealed weapons to be taken to church, the bill died when the Arkansas state judiciary committee stalled its passage.

The issue raises some interesting church-state questions.The First Amendment secures the right to free religious expression, the Second Amendment the right to bear arms. Should 1 meet 2?

“It’s not the role of the state to preserve the sanctity of the church, and it’s not the role of the state to impose religious judgment calls on churches,” said Nathan Petty, a pastor at Beech Grove Baptist Church in Fordyce.

The issue also raises questions about the relation of the appropriateness of guns to church doctrine.

“I don’t know of any church where the carrying of guns is a sacred belief intrinsic to the doctrine of that church, like the holding of communion might be,” said State Senator Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville.

Blog post by Christopher Guzman.

Photo Credit: KATV 7 Arkansas