Is an eye for an eye biblical?

Question

A lot of Christians believe it is okay to go to war against a country with terrorism. Aren't we to follow the example of Christ?

If so, how does going to war against terrorism in line with scriptures?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=5&version=31

When you consider the children in another country that are injured is this okay

Okay fellow Christians. I see a lot of Old testament verses or logic used here. But as a Christian, we are to follow what God says to do. The question here is: as Christians who follow the teachings of CHRIST. Where in the New Testament does it support killing another person???? As Christians, we follow Christ's teachings, not Old testament Law.

I'm sorry, I should have given the chapter I'm citing for those of you uncomfortable with going to a link. The chapter I'm citing (not just a verse) is Matthew Chapter 5 in the New International Version.

I just don't see that killing anyone follows God's commandments to love one another or turn the other cheek.

Answer 1

the bible does say in the old testament "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth". but in the new testament jesus taught love and forgiveness. he said roughly quoted "you have heard an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but i tell you nay, if a man strikes you on your left cheek, turn to him the other also"

jesus brought forgiveness to us and wants us to show love and forgiveness to one another.

Answer 2

The Bible does say "An eye for an eye" but it also says a whole lot more about turning the other cheek, loving your enemies, etc. An eye for an eye is just a guidline intended for keeping justice and making the punishment fit the crime. It is not showing mercy and grace, which would be the more Godly thing to do. Always remember to keep scripture in balance. You can take anything in the Bible out of context and make it mean whatever you want, but read the context that it came from and it makes a lot more sense. As far as war goes, I don't know. War is always awful, but we always seem to justify it one way or another. Why is democracy a better reason for war than God? I think if I were a Jew, I wouldn't want to fight for a piece of land, even if God did promise it to us. But, maybe I just don't understand.

Answer 3

An eye for an eye is a biblical verse in the new testament.

Mt 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

Does this verse promote violence? In a way, yes. This verse is saying basically whatever you do wrong to somebody else then you should have done wrong to you. However most of the violence mentioned in the bible is in the old testament (before Christ) such as David killing Goliath or Cain killing Abel to give a couple examples. In a way also the verse is stating the present term "What goes around comes around"

Answer 4

Nope. The eye for an eye rule was a judicial thing..if you did something to your neighbor you were to pay it back equally.
Going to war against terrorism when we were attacked on our own land is a completely different matter. The Bible also says that if a man (or any leader) does not provide (like food and safety) for his house (place he has been given responsibility for) then he is worse than an infidel.
Yes, the death or injury of children is a sad thing, and our military leaders are tryiing to minimize it. But when you think about it, children were also suffering when Saddam was gassing the Kurdish people. And we didn't hear about it on the news. But now that we are doing something about it, all we hear about is how much havoc America is wreaking in Iraq. If people could see the people dancing in the street because they finally get to vote, we would be thankful that we are helping that country and telling them to use the force that is necessary to finish this war.

Answer 5

This article is about the proverb. For the film, see Eye for an Eye (film). For the US television courtroom show, see Eye for an Eye (TV series). "Eye for an Eye" was also the name of an episode of War of the Worlds.
The phrase "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", a quotation from Exodus 21:23-27, expresses a principle of retributive justice also known as lex talionis (Latin for "law of retaliation"). The basis of this form of law is the principle of proportionate punishment, often expressed under the motto "Let the punishment fit the crime", which particularly applies to mirror punishments (which may or may not be proportional). At the root of the non-biblical form of this principle is the belief that one of the purposes of the law is to provide retaliation for an offended party. This early belief is reflected in the code of Hammurabi and in the laws of the Old Testament (e.g., Exodus 21:23-25. Leviticus 24:18-20, Deuteronomy 19:21).

In reference to torts, the Old Testament prescription "an eye for an eye, etc." has often been interpreted, notably in Judaism, to mean equivalent monetary compensation, even to the exclusion of mirror punishment.

Answer 6

Well, Iraq wasn't just for terrorism against us, Sadaam was killing his own people. The world gets involved when talking genocide, or if we don't, like in Africa right now, we should. Look at all those children who are being slaughtered daily by the muslim extremists, what are we doing to stop it? Nothing, maybe because they don't have oil, I don't know, but its heartbreaking. If you watch evil and do nothing to stop it, it makes you just as evil and the perpetrators. What would have happened if we hadn't have gotten involved in WWII? I shudder to think. Wouldn't it just be a lot simpler if terrorists would stop murdering people? It sure would save a lot of lives. Do you really think the answer is just let them do it? Like watching a bully pick on a little kid, just walk on by and ignore it? Sure, it would have been a lot easier to just hire a good hit man for Sadaam, but for some reason that's illegal. And in Afganistan, I think if the Taliban wouldn't have been hiding the terrorists, if they would have just made them leave, that wouldn't have happened either, but hey, the Taliban was a very nasty group, can't say much of anyone was sad to see them out of power. I know, it's a problem, and maybe all those people who say just nuke the entire mid-east is the answer, but how evil does that sound?

The thing is, things are heating up, just like Revelation says, so it'll be coming soon, and it's very frightening. I really wanted to die of old age. Jesus didn't just walk by the woman who was to be stoned to death, He intervened.

Answer 7

Jesus did not come to change the law. (Mat 5:18). So, why would you say that we should not follow the old testament.
The old talks about the new and the new talks about the old. God expects his children to stand up for their own. I would never let anyone hurt my family or try to hurt my country.
By the way God does not want us to do "MURDER" not kill.
1 John 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Murderers have no salvation in the flesh. They have to go to Heaven to be judged. So, what do you do with a murderer? Deu 17:6 "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; [but] at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death." Capital punishment.
Num 35:16
Num 35:17
Num 35:18
Stand up and be a Christian.
I'll leave you with this: Would you stand up against against satan, the devil?
He is called a murderer, death.

Answer 8

Exodus 21
22 "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [e] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

It appears eye for eye is situational and dependents on who is
involved.
According to the Bible there was war and rebellion in heaven.

To injure children and non combatants is usually considered not OK.

"vengeance is mine" sayeth the Lord"

Unfortunately the surrogates of The Lord rarely wait for The Lord to do the killing and maiming.These surrogates being an impatient lot do the killing and maiming themselves. So vengeance might or might not belong to The Lord however the surrogates of The Lord use it more often.

Answer 9

Christ also said that he does not come here to change or absolve us of our need to follow what was before him, the laws found in the old Testament. We still have to follow the Ten commandments and such laws.

If you want to talk about injustice, look at the Arab countries. In Saudi Arabia, little boys have their hands chopped off just for taking bread for their needs. Is that justice for you? Shouldn't we be focusing on that? And girls who have a suspician--not a proof--of non-purity are killed in honor killings all the time.

Answer 10

If you pay attention to the news you will understand these people expect to do this because it is expected of them. It's all to fulfill prophecy like some kind of script. That is why this is the system of an Antichrist philosophy that will be done away with. The darkness before the dawn. The storm before the calm. Thousands of people die every day war is more exciting like a thunderstorm. There will be plenty more suffering before it is finished pray that their suffering will be shortened instead.

Answer 11

Biblical? Yes - Old Testement.

Sometimes you have to go to war, especially if your enemy isn't willing to talk or listen to reason.

I don't click on links in questions, sorry.

I consider the children that the terrorists have deliberately murdered as innocent victims of terrorism, and consider that going to war against those terrorists is the only way to get them to stop deliberately killing the children.