Death Penalty

Discussion for Christian perspectives on ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia, sexuality, and so forth.

Do you support the death penalty?

Yes
8
33%
No
12
50%
Unsure
4
17%
 
Total votes: 24

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AttentionKMartShoppers
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Post by AttentionKMartShoppers »

I wasn't saying he's less guilty, I was just saying this topic began on the death penalty due to domestic violence (you killing your neighbor), not what this variety-one guy from another country trying to kill off people in another country.
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ochotseat
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Bible backs death penalty

Post by ochotseat »

The Bible Speaks On The Death Penalty

1. First Mention

As early as the 9th chapter of Genesis, God said: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, BY MAN SHALL HIS BLOOD BE SHED: for in the image of God made he man." (9:6). Believe it or not, this was the first order God ever gave concerning the institution of human governments Think about that!

2. When God Gave The Law

The Lord really began to get specific concerning moral principles governed by law as he dealt with the nation of Israel through his man Moses. Here are a few examples of God's instruction to Israel through Moses: "He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die." Exodus 21:12,14.

According to my research of the first 5 books of the Bible (The Law), there are over 40 references to when the death penalty should be enforced, and various reasons for it including murder.

Numbers 35:16-18 says, "And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death." Numbers 35:30-31 says, "Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death" .

3. What About The 6th Commandment

Pacifies and "bleeding heart" liberals love to quote the 6th of the 10 Commandments, "Thou shalt not kill," to try and correlate their position with Christianity. Christianity, however, is NOT a mamby-pamby, lovey-dovey, you can do whatever you want, God will pat you on the head and say - "It's Okay" religion.

"Thou shalt not kill" means "Thou shalt do no murder." That is the way Jesus Christ interpreted it himself in Matthew 19:18. To say the 6th commandment applies to capital punishment is to load the Bible with contradictions! 40 of them at least! That's insensible hermeneutics. Jesus was speaking of premeditated, cold-blooded murder of an innocent victim.

4. The Purpose Of Government

The New Testament also addresses this subject. Romans 13:1-4 says, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil. Be afraid- for he beareth not the sword in vain: For he is the minister of god, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

5. A Great Deterrent To Crime

God's laws of justice require "diligent inquisition'' (Deuteronomy 19:18) to ensure that no one is punished unjustly. The guilty however must be punished, and the severity of capital punishment serves an important purpose for a society. What is that purpose? To deter future crimes. Proof of this, God's wisdom, is found in Deut. 19:20, "And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you."

There you have it! The death penalty does deter crime in two ways:

1. The criminal will never commit the crime again. (obviously.)
2. Those that hear of the sentence will fear to commit the same crime. The death penalty is a sensible path to insure peace and safety in a society, where criminals are punished, not innocent people and their families.

http://www.fbbc.com/messages/DeathPenalty.htm

First let me say that the death penalty is Debated by Man.

Liberals cite the "no cruel & unusual punishment" clause of the Constitution in reference to capital punishment and say that capital punishment is just that. But this is not a fair argument because the same Congress that put that in the Constitution also approved the "due process of law" whereby the state is authorized to deprive citizens of "LIFE, liberty, or property." They are the 8th and 5th amendments respectively.

Of the 10 commandments, the 6th commandment says, "Thou shalt not kill."And the liberals in religion and politics say that rules out capital punishment. But the Lord Jesus Christ interprets and defines that commandment for all. In Matthew 19:18, Christ quotes the 6th commandment and changes a word. He substitutes the word MURDER for KILL. He says "Thou shalt do no MURDER." So according to Jesus Christ the 6th commandment is not talking about self-defense or
combat, and most certainly not about capital punishment.

Another thing the liberal will say is that we are becoming the murderer when we carry out the death penalty, that society is just as guilty as the convicted killer, and that our culture is lowering itself to barbarism. But that is not so according to the Bible.

John Stuart Mill was a British liberal of the 18th century who was for the death penalty. In a speech he made in favor of capital punishment he said it would not deter the "hardened criminal," but it most certainly would deter the average criminal and the normal citizen.

Secondly the death penalty has been Decreed by God.

In Genesis 9:6 God instituted the death penalty for murderers.

According to the Bible:
1. Murder is an attack on God's creation - Gen.9:6.
2. Murder is a work of the devil - John 8:44.
3. Murder is a work of the flesh - Gal.5:21.
4. Murder originates in the heart of man - Matt.7:21.

In Numbers 35:16 - 21 the penalty for murder is death. It says the murderer shall be put to death.

In Numbers 35:30, and in Deuteronomy 19:15 and 17:6, a murderer's guilt is to determined by a court of law, and that "by the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses..." the murderer shall be put to death.

Let me say that there are exceptions: anything other than pre-meditated, 1st degree murder, does not merit the death penalty. Mitigating factors are considered: For example - was it intentional, done with "malice aforethought" (hatred), or accidental?

Another interesting fact is that no one did life in prison in the O.T. for murder. There was no alternative to the death penalty for a murderer according to Numbers 35:31,32.

There are four categories of punishment mentioned in Ezra 7:26 - confiscation of goods, imprisonment for a prescribed time, banishment from the nation, and death. The Bible is clear that the death penalty is decreed by God Almighty.

Number three, let me say that the death penalty is Deserved by the Murderer.

The Bible speaks of those who are worthy of death in Deut. 17:6 - it says "...he that is worthy of death [shall] be put to death."

In Acts 25:11 the Apostle Paul said, "If I have committed anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die" - the greatest Christian of the N.T. church said he would not object to being put to death if he had committed a crime deserving of capital punishment.

Fourthly, capital punishment is the Duty of Government.

According to the Bible in Romans 13:4 the rulers and state officials "beareth not the sword in vain: for he [the officer of the state] is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

Government is charged with the duty of carrying out God's decree. Government is to try them, convict them, and then execute them!

In the Bible and in the world there are various methods of capital punishment. There is hanging, the electric chair, the firing squad, the gas chamber, lethal injection, the guillotine, stoning, and the sword.

The word "capital" in capital punishment refers to the head of the executed criminal, the "cap." Just like in baseball "cap."

In the United States of America:
13,000 have been legally executed since colonial times.
up to 150 people were executed annually until the 1930's.
by 1967 the execution rate was down to zero.
capital punishment was banned by the US Supreme Court in 1972 (the same court that legalized the murder of babies by abortion also banned the execution of killers!)
in 1976, capital punishment was again legalized by the US Supreme Court and the states were allowed to decide.(At the end of 1997, 12 states still did not have the death penalty.)

Tennessee recently executed its first criminal since 1963. (There are still more than 90 on death row in Nashville.)

Ecclesiastes 8:11 is a Bible verse that gives a principle we all need to consider. It says: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."

Government is charged with the responsibility of carrying out the death penalty. And when the State doesn't fulfill its obligation under God and to man, it encourages the rampant crime and murder we see in our society today.

Lastly, capital punishment is Demanded by Justice.

The punishment must fit the crime; it must be equal to or greater than the offense, never less or none. According to Numbers 35:33 justice demands that the death penalty be enforced; justice demands that the murderer be punished with the ultimate penalty, in order to protect society, to prevent the murderer from any possibility of repeating his crime, and to cleanse the land that has been polluted by the act of murder.

We should say, "We're mad and we're not going to take it anymore! Let's CLEAN UP this country!!!" Let's do what the Bible says and "cleanse the land" by emptying death row in every state of the union.

As the blood of righteous Abel cried out from the ground for vengeance and justice, the blood of tens of thousands in America cries out from the ground for the same.

Man DEBATES it.
God DECREED it.
The Killer DESERVES it.
The Government is DUTY-BOUND to enforce it.
And Justice DEMANDS it.

http://www.solidrockbaptist.net/bimurdea.htm
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Forge
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Re: Bible backs death penalty

Post by Forge »

ochotseat wrote:The Bible Speaks On The Death Penalty
Yet, the Bible also stresses forgiveness and mercy.
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August
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Post by August »

Yet, the Bible also stresses forgiveness and mercy.
For individuals, yes. For governments, their task is different, and that is to uphold the proper running of society, according to the authority and instructions from God.

According to your logic, no law can ever be applied, not even for a traffic offense.
Acts 17:24-25 (NIV)
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. [25] And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else."

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Post by LittleShepherd »

I have no problem with the death penalty, as long as there are witnesses(like the Old Testament requirement). I couldn't support sentencing someone to death without witnesses, though. Material evidence, while better than it used to be, still isn't foolproof.

The passage in which Jesus saves the woman from the mob is just that -- Jesus saving her from vigilante justice(not a proper ruling from the authorities). As far as I remember, Jesus addressing of government never got into talks of the death penalty. John makes it clear that Jesus said many more things than were recorded, so nobody can say for sure the topic never came up. If it did, it never made it into the Bible.
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Post by Felgar »

You guys really have to stop squabbling.
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Post by M0le »

Isn't it ironic that most Christians oppose abortion on the grounds that "all life is sacred", yet at the same time usually demand capital punishment for murderers? :P
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Post by Kurieuo »

First I'd question whether it would be "most Christians," my wife for example is quite repulsed by capital punishment. Second, to make such a comparision makes the mistake of misunderstanding the issues involved within each.

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Post by AttentionKMartShoppers »

M0le wrote:Isn't it ironic that most Christians oppose abortion on the grounds that "all life is sacred", yet at the same time usually demand capital punishment for murderers? :P
It can be said it is because life is sacred that some of the more heinous crimes are punished with death. Life's a paradox. And you're lumping everyone together, as if they all believe the same thing. When you dod that based on race, that's racism...what is that when you lump together people and claim they believe the same thing based on religion...
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."

He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin

-Winston Churchill

An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.

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Post by BGoodForGoodSake »

AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:
M0le wrote:Isn't it ironic that most Christians oppose abortion on the grounds that "all life is sacred", yet at the same time usually demand capital punishment for murderers? :P
It can be said it is because life is sacred that some of the more heinous crimes are punished with death. Life's a paradox. And you're lumping everyone together, as if they all believe the same thing. When you dod that based on race, that's racism...what is that when you lump together people and claim they believe the same thing based on religion...
He did use the qualifier "most" which could taken as majority.

The surveys do show this. Those on the right tend to be pro-capital punishment, and anti-abortion.
It is not length of life, but depth of life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Post by AttentionKMartShoppers »

BGoodForGoodSake wrote:
AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:
M0le wrote:Isn't it ironic that most Christians oppose abortion on the grounds that "all life is sacred", yet at the same time usually demand capital punishment for murderers? :P
It can be said it is because life is sacred that some of the more heinous crimes are punished with death. Life's a paradox. And you're lumping everyone together, as if they all believe the same thing. When you dod that based on race, that's racism...what is that when you lump together people and claim they believe the same thing based on religion...
He did use the qualifier "most" which could taken as majority.

The surveys do show this. Those on the right tend to be pro-capital punishment, and anti-abortion.
There is no contradiction with holding those views if you're attempting to say that.

And "most" was referring to Christians I believed, not conservatives...so if I was wrong, oops.
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."

He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin

-Winston Churchill

An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.

You need to start asking out girls so that you can get used to the rejections.
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Post by BGoodForGoodSake »

AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:
BGoodForGoodSake wrote:
AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:
M0le wrote:Isn't it ironic that most Christians oppose abortion on the grounds that "all life is sacred", yet at the same time usually demand capital punishment for murderers? :P
It can be said it is because life is sacred that some of the more heinous crimes are punished with death. Life's a paradox. And you're lumping everyone together, as if they all believe the same thing. When you dod that based on race, that's racism...what is that when you lump together people and claim they believe the same thing based on religion...
He did use the qualifier "most" which could taken as majority.

The surveys do show this. Those on the right tend to be pro-capital punishment, and anti-abortion.
There is no contradiction with holding those views if you're attempting to say that.

And "most" was referring to Christians I believed, not conservatives...so if I was wrong, oops.
You're right there is no contradiction, they are separate issues. He was attempting to relate them because they both deal with human lives. However one is able to have both beleifs without conflict.

However I don't beleive he was commiting religious bigotry as you were claiming.
It is not length of life, but depth of life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Post by AttentionKMartShoppers »

I wasn't claiming religious bigotry..I was saying he sounded like he was assuming all Christians believe the exact same thing.
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."

He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin

-Winston Churchill

An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.

You need to start asking out girls so that you can get used to the rejections.
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Post by BGoodForGoodSake »

AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:I wasn't claiming religious bigotry..I was saying he sounded like he was assuming all Christians believe the exact same thing.
are you sure?
AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:When you dod that based on race, that's racism...what is that when you lump together people and claim they believe the same thing based on religion...
religious bigotry
It is not length of life, but depth of life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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AttentionKMartShoppers
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Post by AttentionKMartShoppers »

Are you sure? Not according to webster.
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."

He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin

-Winston Churchill

An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.

You need to start asking out girls so that you can get used to the rejections.
-Anonymous
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