A question re: the death penalty and religion...?

Question

I'm not trying to be inflammatory here, nor have I fully determined my opinion on the death penalty. But, I did want to ask...

The bible states thou shalt not kill...the bible also talks of forgiveness for those who sin against us...and the bible also seems to indicate "and eye for an eye..."

There are people in this world who commit murder. No one will deny that most murderers have some sort of problem, but some are just more evil and definately meaner than others. We are so angry at the murderers that we declare out loud that we want them to go to Hell.

Some of these murderers are sentenced to death. By administering the dealth penalty, have we basically saved that person? Because now we have done to him/her what God has apparently said we should not do...will God absolive this murderer of his or her sins and accept him into His kingdom because we sinned against the murderer?

Or does and eye to an eye apply here?

Answer 1

An eye for an eye would soon have the whole world blind.

If I pluck your eye out for putting someone else's eye out then someone should pluck mine out too right? Revenge is a vicious cycle in and unto itself.

Likewise a life for a life would soon find the world devoid of mankind wouldn't it?

The amazing part to me is that Christians will get all up in a person's face about how precious every life is to God no matter how insignificant it might be to someone else while they are bullying young women at an abotion clinics but when it comes to an axe murderer, then it's all about Oh noooooo! God said an eye for an eye. The differance? What they are willing to have living next door. Doesn't seem to have much to do with the bible, huh.

Answer 2

To be honest, what was written in the bible is mans interpretation of what they believe God has said or would want. I personally believe the death penaly is wrong however, we are only human and I believe that if someone murders another, they should pay according to their crime; e.g: death. By a government or individual murdering a murderer, so to speak, I do not think it will absolve an individuals sin, I believe that what it will mean is that more people will be questioned about their worthiness for entering the kingdom of heaven. Just look at Moses as an example..., he was denied because of commiting murder despite all the good he had done. It's a hard one, I think there are definitely times where every individual believes they could kill another and sometimes with very good reasons but ultimately, I believe that the only real being who has the right to decid who lives and who dies, is the being who created life in the first place..., GOD.

Answer 3

The Old Testament is full of "an eye for an eye" punishments. As a Christian (assuming that you are) then Matthew chapter 7 is very important.

Judge not, that thou not be judge, for however ye shall judge, so shall ye be judged.

Essentially judges, juries and executioners will be judged as harshly as they have applied judgement to others.

The main problem is that there are too many flaws in the system. How does the system absolutely know that the person accused is truly guilty? Untrustworthy witnesses, prejudice, slipshod investigations, incompetent defense lawyers can singly or together send an innocent person to the gas chamber. Yes, there are appeals, but the appeals process is under pressure to limit the number and duration of appeals so that "justice" can be done.

As for saving a person by executing them, no. Only Jesus saves. Executing someone before they have had the time to truly understand what they have done and can ask for forgiveness does not save them.

Answer 4

Maybe, if you really stretch the point, you can say that capitol punishment jibes with "an eye for an eye." But, the truth is that it's truly about retribution and deterrence, and was originally intended to be public. Why the legal system began hiding it indoors, I don't know. Perhaps it still serves it's purpose as retribution. It may make the family of a victim feel they got justice. It does not, however, serve as a deterrent. There are sociological studies waist deep proving the point. In my opinion, it's a barbaric form of punishment held over from a far less civilized time, and has no place in the 21st century.

Answer 5

They committed a crime that is punishable by death, why not? Eye for an eye applied to the Old Testament. Forgive others that you may be forgiven.... or do unto others as you would want done unto you... but I didn't read anywhere where it said that a murderer couldn't be punished for their crime. I just see it as karma. In the Bible it also says that some men will pay in this lifetime and some will pay in the next one. Either or they're going to get what they rightfully deserve.

Answer 6

I struggled with this issue for years. Then I remembered what Christ said: Love your enemies. Do good those who hate you. Pray for those that persecute you. He also said his greatest commandment is to love one another . And in the book of Philippians, Paul says we are not to repay evil with evil. Some people richly deserve the death penalty. But God loves those people too.
As to the issue of the death penalty saving someone: only if you believe in the doctrine of blood atonement. That means only the shedding of your own blood can atone for your sinful acts. This doctrine implies that what Christ did on the cross was not enough. Nothing biblical there. We can't save ourselves. That goes for murderers as well. But Christ died for them too. They too can receive redemption. And should the state really have the right to say who lives and who dies? Like Nazi Germany? Something to think about. Don't worry about being inflammatory. You asked some good questions.

Answer 7

The actual commandment was "Thou shall not commit murder" not thou shall not kill. So it was never against the commandment to execute a murderer. Also we do not live under the Old Testament law. We live under the New Testament.
Most importantly, the bible does not say that we get to heaven by being a victim. So even if a murderer was himself murdered, that would not get him into heaven. He could get into heaven by repenting (before he dies) and being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Answer 8

The murderer will and must pay for the wrong-doing he/she committed. As too, the people who condemned the murder will/must pay for the life they took in sentencing him/her to death.

Yes, we did do something wrong in not allowing the murderer to live out his/her life on earth. We grant them escape from this world when we kill them. In actuality, we grant them possibly more influence to act upon us outside of this world, than they would have if they still lived. Plus, we are shortening their life here, thier time to evolve. Maybe, if they were allowed to live thier lives, even in prison, they would seek to evolve, an be a better person.

Once people become evolve enough, the issue of killing other people will become trivial. As when you ask a reasonable person, would they jump off a tall building without a parachute. They would turn to you and think you just asked the most irrational question.

All killing must be repaid, no matter what circumstance it involves, there always is a measure of liability in the one who kills.
That measure of liability is weighed by Providence/God.

Answer 9

Is killing terror leaders wrong?

The Detroit Free Press

A very, very good question found there. Let's see what is again happening: “Suicide attacks push limits when the bombers are kids” – [Michael Matza – Knight Ridder newspapers]. We were all shocked at what happened there. “Palestinian youth believe that if killed fighting for Islam, they will go to heaven and delight in the company of beautiful virgins” – [World Magazine]. And here you see Hussam Abdu, a 16-year-old boy who had that bomb strapped to his body and he gave up. He did not want to die. Well, “The U.S. blocks U.N. Security Council rebuke of Israel. [USA Today, Bill Nichols & Barbara Slavin]. you know, i am absolutely shocked that they're using children to commit suicide in order to promote their terrorism.

A sheik, Ahmed Yassin, trained these children and they put him to death and everyone is complaining now. Wait a minute! Don't you believe the Bible? The Bible says in the Noahic Covenant, “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by him shall man's blood be shed”, Genesis 9:5,6. Under the Mosiac Covenant, Exodus 20 verse 13, “Thou shall not kill”. The Hebrew there is murder. Turn the page. “He that smites a man so that he dies shall be put to death", Leviticus 24:17.

This man was training these little children to put bombs in their body and this kid says, “They gave me $25 and told me I'd have 72 virgins”. What would a 16-year-old do with them? He probably wouldn't know what to do. How sad. Yet this man who was killed was behind all of this. What did you say, Jesus? In Mark 9:42, “Whosoever shall offend one of these little children that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast into the sea.”

Now, that sounds like capital punishment to me. You drop a guy into the sea and he's gone. And the policemen and military men are ministers of God and they bear not the sword in vain, Romans 13:14. That's not for peeling potatoes. I say murderers should be put to death. Even some of these juveniles who are killing everyone around this country.

Answer 10

I believe that you should practice what you preach. If you told your children not to take drugs, the rule should go for the parents as well. The death penalty is nothing but an easy, cost effective way out. If you ask me, the idea of life in prison, might be alot worse.
The bible has been re-written so many times to suit the needs of whom ever may have been in power, that it no longer makes sense. We all know in our hearts that killing is bad, no one has to tell us that.