Why do some Christians support the Death Penalty?

Question

Capital Punishment or the Death Penalty is wrong and not justified. All life is sacred. Life must be protected from conception until natural death. Jesus's death on the cross taught us about love. Revenge is never justified. Jesus showed us a different way. He came and replaced the death penalty law found in the Old Testament. We now have a way to protect society with life imprisonment.
How come mercy is a dirty word for some Christians?
JESUS IS MERCY!

JBW & CWW: you're right, he did not abolish, but he did change some of it that wasn't correct like divorce. He also corrected the error of the death penalty.

Tommyboy 33:

Matthew 5:38-39
You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
39
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.

ALL LIFE IS SACRED, even evil people.
There are a lot of Christians who believe in revenge and hate. I am not excusing evil, let God Judge at the end of natural life.

Justwondering: if someone killedd my mom or wife, I would be angry and very sad. I would not support the death penalty for the killer. I would remember my Christian faith and pray for the soul of the killer. He would die in Jail.

Ben S: good pionts. I didn't say the O.T. is abolished, it is fulfilled, but Jesus changed some things. If you put them to death, they don't get a chance at repentance. Life Imprisonment gives them a chance at repentance before they naturally die.

Answer 1

WELL.. FIRST OF ALL.. JESUS SAID.. I COME NOT TO ABOLISH THE OLD TESTAMENT, BUT TO FULFILL IT.
HE MAINLY ADDED TO IT.. HE DIDN'T ABOLISH IT..

Answer 2

Your question is a good one, and I hope you're open enough to reason to seriously consider my response.

There are many reasons some Christians support the death penalty. As for your comment that all life is sacred, I agree. Life must be protected, as you say, from conception until natural death. But what of those people who deliberately choose to destroy the lives of others through violent crime?

Jesus death and resurrection was not a replacement of Old Testament law, it is the fulfillment of that law. Specifically, the Bible says that the penalty for sin is death. Jesus died so that those who love God, but who screwed up, can acknowledge their errors and have their penalty paid by perfect blood. The penalty didn't go away, it was paid by Jesus. But that payment is specifically for those who acknowledge thier own guilt, and who acknowledge the worthiness and sovereignty of Jesus as God.

Jesus death did not, however pay the sentence of earthly law. The bible says specifically, that those who break the laws of the land will pay their full sentence, and will not receive a pardon just because they're saved.

If Jesus death and resurrection replaced all old testament law, then there is also no basis for any other legal punishment, to include imprisonment. Old testament law is the basis of our modern "secular" law, and our whole social system.

You are, of course, correct; revenge is never justified. The death penalty must never be about revenge. It is, however, about an appropriate punishment for the crime. It is about preventing repetition of violence and protecting society. And, although it may seem calous, it is about not pouring society's resources into feeding and caring for the lives of those who have taken an oath of violence, murder and hatred. Why should society feed, clothe, and provide medical benefits for criminals who, by choice, will never put anything back into society?

As for mercy, everyone is entitled to mercy at judgement, if they call on the name of Jesus. But earthly wisdom lacks the ability to discern the difference between a statement of repentence that is true, and a bold-faced lie. For this reason, spiritual salvation cannot be the basis for legal reprieve.

Additionally, Christian mercy must be applied for people who sin. There's no question. But the death sentance is reserved for those who have established themselves, by their actions, as blatant enemies of goodness. It is for people who will not do right because they hate goodness. People who openly commit murders and try to justify them, rather than change.

I will never stand in front of anyone with a picture of a helpless murder victem in an attempt to incite revenge. But I will always stand on the side of right, and that means doing what needs to be done to protect that which is good.

P.S., if the old testament is no longer valid, what of Psalms and Proverbs? Is the advice of Proverbs now all wrong, or is it still sound advice?

Answer 3

It is not revenge.If the person has no conscience and kills or rapes repeatedly or heinously it is for the protection of society that they be put to death.Life imprisonment does not do the job they are just as likely to do the same thing there or have to be kept in an eight by ten foot cell for the remainder of their days.God says we should show mercy the death penalty for a person like that is mercy.

Answer 4

It has nothing to do with faith. It's kind of a way of revenge. This has been around since the days of Hammurabis Code. "An eye for an eye". I am Christian and believe in capitol punishment, if it is justified and proven. with todays DNA tests and other scientific break throughs, its more and more accurate. I mean, I'm sure some convicts would rather die than spend their lives in a jail.

Answer 5

Well, it's usually only the hard-core extremists that start rallies and the like for weird things in the name of God. And that pretty much sums it up right there. In order to be an extremist you have to believe something to its full extremity. There is no haze in these people's eyes. They live in a happy little duo-tone world of black and white. To them some sins are punishable by death. You act this way, you die. Simple as that. Black and white. What they fail to see is all the red in between.

I'm not going to reveal my religious feelings on this subject simply because I'm afraid that might skew people's interpretations of my answer. Let's just say I believe in what makes sense to me and I'm not above listening.

Answer 6

I think you might be confusing Jesus with Budda. Do you really believe that life imprisonment is more merciful than the death penalty? Spend a weekend in jail, and decide if you'd rather spend the rest of your life there, or die.

Answer 7

What if a person was in a state of terminal pain? Which is worth more, ending the pain or keeping the person alive as long as possible?

Everyone dies, it's inevitable. Some people, regardless of christian faith, just acknowledge that judging when people need to die can give better results than leaving it to chance.

Answer 8

Where did the term "an eye for an eye" come from? was it not the bible? not sure. Some people just need to be killed. Are you saying that no matter what a person does or how many people they have killed without remorse that there is never a time when they deserve to be faced with death themselves.

Answer 9

I'M A CHRISTIAN AND I SUPPORT THE DEATH PENALTY!
Heres why: you need to obey the laws of the land and as such if you don't you get whats coming to you. Do you think that just because you are a Christian you have to be a treehugger?
NOPE NO WAY!!!!!
the BIBLE does NOT say obey the laws of the land EXCEPT when it comes to the death penalty. -If what you are suggesting were so GREAT then there wouldn't be any reprecussions to begin with.

Answer 10

Conservatism is part of being a fundamentalist. Also, it pays to fry people ON EARTH just in case - just on the off chance - we could be wrong about hell. I realize the chances are slim, but if there's no hell, that means that they'll NEVER fry.

We CAN'T have that! Why do you think people went to all that trouble of burning people at the stake during the inquisition.

Answer 11

Let this "sacred life" murder a few of your friends and family members and torture them not face death. I'm sure Jesus taught us not to give revenge since Jesus killed many people (that was sarcasm).