given that there is clearly a commandment that states 'thou shalt not commit murder unto thy neighbor,' why is it that fundamentalist christian conservatives are supportive of the death penalty? seems to be a huge contradiction to me.
2007-05-23 21:24:37 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes, I was just talking with my Christian friend the other day about how VAGUE that commandment is. I've heard it said that the original word used is NOT the Hebrew word for 'murder,' but the more generic word for 'kill.' I don't know Hebrew, so I can't vouch for that, but if true, than you could take this very literally to mean that ALL killing is a sin. No more eating meat, swatting flies, or even weeding (killing plants).
Given all the 'righteous' killing in the Bible, however, it seems safe to assume that the commandment means murder. But even then, how do you define 'murder?' Is it simply cold-blooded, premeditated killing? What about manslaughter or accidental killing? How about self defense? How would you even DEFINE self-defense? Euthenasia? Abortion? There are so many gray areas it is dizzying.
Aside from "thou shalt not kill (murder)," there are many passages in the Bible that do NOT support the death penalty. For example, Matthew 5:38-39 insists that violence shall not beget violence. Leviticus 19:18 warns against vengeance (which, really, is what the death penalty amounts to). In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
And on and on. Then again, Numbers 15:35 prescribes the death penalty for those who work on Sundays....
2007-05-24 03:18:31 · answer #1 · answered by El Guapo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many people support the death penalty because of fears of killers being released into their communities and because they are not aware of the practical aspects of the death penalty system. Here are answers to some questions often asked about it, with the sources listed below.
What about the risk of executing innocent people?
124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence, many having already served over 2 decades on death row.
Doesn't DNA keep new cases like these from happening?
DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides. It is not a guarantee against the execution of innocent people.
Doesn't the death penalty prevent others from committing murder?
No reputable study shows the death penalty to be a deterrent. To be a deterrent a punishment must be sure and swift. The death penalty is neither. Homicide rates are higher in states that have it than in states that do not.
So, what are the alternatives?
Life without parole is now on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. It is sure and swift and rarely appealed. Life without parole is less expensive than the death penalty.
But isn't the death penalty cheaper than keeping criminals in prison? (You received at least one answer which is wrong about this.)
The death penalty costs much more than life in prison. Extra costs include those due to the complicated nature of both the pre trial investigation and of the trials (involving 2 separate stages, mandated by the Supreme Court) in death penalty cases and subsequent appeals. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.
What about the very worst crimes?
The death penalty isn’t reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??
Doesn't the death penalty help families of murder victims?
Not necessarily. Murder victim family members across the country argue that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.
2007-05-24 01:52:36 · answer #2 · answered by Susan S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm for the death penalty. Their lives are no longer taken through sinners. Their lives are taken through an unconsious government and before pronounced litigation. enable me clarify, government only is an unthinking device responding to crimes through the letter of the regulation. there is not any judgment that has to ensue as some distance because of the fact the character is going. in case you kill somebody in a undeniable way or do another heinous crime, you will get the death penalty. Criminals have the possibility to comprehend the outcomes earlier than their crime, yet do it besides. it extremely is diverse than the stoning that got here approximately through the sinful Jews.
2016-11-05 05:20:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am a fundamentalist Christian Conservative and I don't believe in the death penalty. And I agree.... those that do, well it seems like it wouldn't work with the faith ever since Jesus came into the picture. Forgiveness does not equal "What would you like sir? the chair or the injection?"
2007-05-23 22:17:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Christian and I dont agree with the death penalty. It's the easy way out. People who have committed such terrible crimes should be made to live for the rest of their natural born days and think about the rape/murder/whatever they did. Maybe, by the time they die, we might get them feeling guilty and showing remorse.
2007-05-23 21:45:02 · answer #5 · answered by joeyfarlz 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your judging a majority of people by the actions of a few. I dont support the death penalty. No man has any right to take any life. This includes abortion also
2007-05-23 22:02:51 · answer #6 · answered by ReliableLogic 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am a Wiccan and I believe in the death penalty...
Why should the tax payer keep paying for murderers in jail to keep breathing.. ??
Also they would be paying some Karma when they were executed....
We have tooooooooo many, total never to be rehabilitated, nut cases in our jails now, and we pay for them..
With the way the World is going, soon you will be better off in jail for life... At least you have no bills, never have to worry about you next meal or where you are going to sleep....
Love and Light..BB... )O(
2007-05-23 21:48:26 · answer #7 · answered by Bunge 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Killing someone for punishment after finding them guilty of a crime is not the same as an individual seeking out pre-meditated murder on another human being. God's government is in control over the U.S. Government and no one would be allowed to execute a person if the power wasn't given from above.
2007-05-23 21:48:17 · answer #8 · answered by elthe3rd 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
they are contradicting their beliefs. but true and real real real christians who really understand the Word and learn it and not just call themselves christians then they will oppose the death penalty. did you know that even when you talk ill of somebody or speak hatred about them you have already killed them in God's eyes. that is why gossip is just as bad.
2007-05-23 21:47:12 · answer #9 · answered by Kristenite’s Back! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe in the death penalty. If we can spend billions making bombs we can surly pay for a man to spend the rest on his life in a cell. Unless he is a serial killer or a child rapist and murder then only death by thumbtack...while submerged in salt water...and that's only for my own personal enjoyment
2007-05-23 21:30:39 · answer #10 · answered by † H20andspirit 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋