iam a Christian and am adimately against the death penalty. Why would you want to deny someoen the ability to accept Christ as theri savior?? if you have a belief that God loves everyone, than wouldn't he love them just as much as he loves you...? We are all sinners aren't we, none greater than the next? Why is it so many Christians ( especially is government) openly support the death penalty? This is very disturbing to me, I would love to hear some intelligent rationale please!!
2006-09-05 16:18:35 · 14 answers · asked by O Jam 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Of coursse I would do what ever I could to protect my self and my family. But does it make sense to take another life because of revenge? Revenge is mine sayeth the Lord...I think we have become a little over zealous and liberal with old testament laws. We often times pick and choose those laws which best suite our lives. If we really tried to live uner the "law" we would realize how much we really do appreciate Jesus. I am not a "cafeteria" Christian. I am seeking God's heart. I want to love people as God love us, do you think that god love this erson who just slaughtered my family? In recent times, on of the greatest acts of forgiveness was when the pope met with person who tried to assasinate him...what a great example of compassion he showed by doing this. Love knows no end, if we can go forward with love in our hearts and forgiveness, even for those hurt us, how much more would our father forgive us?
God Bless,
-O
2006-09-06 01:57:52 · update #1
You are basing your opinion on what you think Jesus might have taught and your opinion on the death penalty itself.
A quick search for 'Put to death' at http://www.crosswalk.com shows 139 results, such as...
Gen 26:11 "So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
Gen 38:10 "What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so he put him to death also."
Ex 21:12 "Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death."
Num 35:16 "'If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death."
How about the New Testament? How about things like
Mt 5:18 "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Or this comment-
Mt 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
If the Old Testament law commanding death for murder is still in force, AND it can be boiled down to a version of 'loving God and your neighbor', then how do you conclude it is anti-Christian?
God can love a murderer but the sin of the murder is a giant barrier between him and God. Now- does the murder condemn the man to hell? That is not for us to judge.
How about the victim? How do we show that life is valuable if we allow people to kill someone without paying a great penalty?
Another error is to assume that God judges all sins equally. He condemns certain sins as being abominations and obviously feels that some sins carry a higher burden than others.
We could go on for some time, but this will do for now.
2006-09-05 16:48:38 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm. Phil S has a point. No- its NOT a "cafeteria religion" but there ARE some "cafeteria Christians" which is reffered to people who only chose certain things to belive or not to belive.
Anyways- some "Christians" belive in the death penalty (even abortion) because even though the commandment states:
"Thou shalt not murder", they believe that there is a strong line between "kill" and "murder".
To kill is to the death penalty and abortion ("legal")
To murder is to gruesomly kill someone with an ittention or BECAUSE of an intention. It is considered- obviously- illegal.
Yes- its very disturbing. Especially to know that are own "Chrisitan" brothers and sisters support such things!!
Well, i hope God continues to bless you with a good heart.
Take care.
2006-09-05 23:45:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Christian, and for as long as I can remember, I've supported the death penalty. But, I have been thinking about my position lately. I believe that Jesus' death on the cross did away w/ the "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" beliefs of the Old Testament. (I'm not exactly sure if I've got my Bible info correct- I need to look it up) So, that makes me wonder- is the death penalty really justified? Not an expert on this... just my opinion.
2006-09-05 23:23:30 · answer #3 · answered by JustMyOpinion 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Pretty simple really. Unless your one of these pacifist Christians.
Jesus Christ Himself and God both is for the death penalty. I hardly see where a Christian has any say to not enforce it.
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.
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2006-09-05 23:43:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is EASY to answer...THe Bible says that we are subject to the higher powers, meaning the Law. If you are committing a crime, you are going against the laws in society. You are still committing a sin. If someone came into your home and killed your entire family, then cut their heads off..slowly. You would feel quite differently about the death penalty. God even kills people beleive it or not. Read the Bible.
2006-09-05 23:23:41 · answer #5 · answered by Naomi 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
An eye for an eye, it says so in your Bible. How many times in the Bible did God tell others to kill people, even the children still in the mother's womb? Lots, just read it and you will see.
Why should the murderers life be more important that the one they took?
It isn't and I don't believe they deserve to continue living it whether in jail, the nut house or on the street.
2006-09-05 23:31:18 · answer #6 · answered by melrae1116 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Through death each of us gets to be judged by the fairest of judges God, humans don't judge well. Death is a good thing because your released from the problems associated with life.
2006-09-05 23:33:18 · answer #7 · answered by Sean 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So you'll execute a person
And protect a single cell
But mercy-kill the terminally ill
And you're goin' straight to hell
I don't know much about
The word of God
Far be it from me
But I can tell you what it ain't
Hypochristianity
2006-09-05 23:25:16 · answer #8 · answered by TimeWastersInc 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it's pretty simple to me. an eye for an eye. explain something to me now. how is it that people like you can be so against the family of the victim getting some closure. whos side are you on the criminal or the victim
2006-09-05 23:25:25 · answer #9 · answered by onefatwhiteguy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Thou shalt not kill" is most correctly translated as "Thou shalt not murder." The death penalty is not murder. It was widely used in Biblical times so there is no Biblical prohibition against it. Do you really think "people" like Jeffrey Dahmer should not get the death penalty?
2006-09-05 23:22:30 · answer #10 · answered by Kev 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋