Scripture references please?

Question

Can you be a Christian and support the death penalty?

My mom says Yes because the Bible states you must obey the laws of the land.

My dad says NO because Jesus taught against it.

Your opinions?

Answer 1

I had felt it was not right for many years. I and still would not want to have any part in the death of any person.

We know how Jesus stop the death of the woman who was found committing adultery. I believe this is enough to follow.

However in 1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Remember Jesus did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it.

The thief hang beside Jesus said in Luke 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man had done nothing amiss.

Christians should have no part in the death of an individual but Gods law are still in existence. Jesus fulfilled them and put them in our hearts. The law of the land says this is what happens in a capital crime. Let the sinners and worldly people be responsible for the death of an individual if they feel that is what they got to do. As Christians we are to forgive and show mercy. Lock them up instead.

Answer 2

You and your family may also want to find out about the practical aspects of the death penalty system. Here are answers to questions about them, with sources listed below.

What about the risk of executing innocent people?
124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence.

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 and regions 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?
The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, largely because of the legal process. 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.

So, why don't we speed up the process?
Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. If the process is speeded up we are sure to execute an innocent person.

Answer 3

Yes and no.

If one supports the death penalty because it is supported in the Old Testament then should that person also support the death penalty for the crimes deserving of the death penalty in the Old Testament?

In the Bible the following crimes deserved the death penalty:
+ Murder (Gen 9:6, Ex 21:12, Numb 35:16-21).
+ Abuse of father or mother (Ex 21:15).
+ Speaking a curse over parents (Ex 21:17).
+ Blasphemy against God (Lev 24:14-16,23).
+ Breaking the Sabbath (Ex 31:14, Numb 15:32-36).
+ Practicing magic (Ex 22:18).
+ Fortune telling and practicing sorcery (Lev 20:27).
+ Religious people who mislead others to fall away (Deut 13:1-5, 18:20).
+ Adultery and fornication (Lev 20:10-12, Deut 22:22).
+ If a woman has intercourse before marriage (Deut 22:20-21).
+ If two people have intercourse when one of them is engaged. (Deut 22:23-24).
+ The daughter of a priest practicing prostitution (Lev 21:9).
+ Rape of someone who is engaged (Deut 22:25).
+ Having intercourse with animals (Ex 22:19).
+ Worshipping idols (Ex 22:20, Lev 20:1-5, Deut 17:2-7).
+ Incest (Lev 20:11-12, 14, 19-21).
+ Homosexuality (Lev 20:13).
+ Kidnapping (Ex 21:16).
+ To bear false testimony at a trial (Deut 19:16, 19).
+ Contempt of court (Deut 17:8-13).

The biblically approved methods of execution in the Old Testament are stoning, burning, using a sword, spear or arrow (Lev 20:27, 21:9, Ex 19:13, 32:27, Numb 25:7-8).

From a Catholic point of view:

Jesus, in John 8:1-11, spares a women guilty of adultery whom the Mosaic Law said should be stoned to death.

If the guilty person's identity and responsibility has been fully determined then non-lethal means to defend and protect the people's safety from the aggressor are more in keeping with the common good and the dignity of the human person.

The Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives.

However in today's modern society, the capability of rendering the offender incapable of doing harm - without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically non-existent.

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

The old testament says an "eye for an eye", but Jesus and resurrection made the "law" unecessary. GOIng to heaven requires only we belive, not keeping a set of impossible laws. That said, Jesus was love and forgiveness, He even forgave those who murdered Him. So I believe we ARE supposed to forgive those who murder, but that doesn't mean that they should not be punished accroding to the laws of the land. If a murderer is truly repentant, then they should serve their sentence and be released to help society.
If they are not repentant, then what good are they to God's plan? Mark 9:45-50, seems to point out that if one is not FOR the kingdom of God, then they are against it. It's just a thought, Have a blessed day!

Answer 5

We have to interpret the Bible in the way Jesus interpreted. Jesus canceled the death penalty for the sinful woman. I think the Bible does not support death penalty.

Answer 6

I want to follow the laws of the land, but I agree with your dad for several reasons, the main one being "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." My other objection is that I think we have all seen justice bought and sold in this country. That is why death rows are filled with minorities and the poor. I keep somewhat informed with my local news and see a big difference in the severity of sentences handed out to minorities and those who have to have a public defender. Scott Peterson was one of the first Caucasian, upper-middle class murderers to be sentenced to death in a good while.

Answer 7

Nothing specific. Churches always want to control people's sexuality. The more controlling a church is, the more it wants to be in your private bedroom watching. The more it is controlled by men with no input from women, the worse the control gets. The more guilty you feel, the more submissive you get. It's quite a racket. The more you try to suppress normal human sexuality instead of channel it, the harder you have to fight it. That's a sign you are doing something wrong, but it isn't an issue of the devil, but of trying too hard to fight biology. It is really sad to watch people caught up in this cycle.

Answer 8

Yes, you can be a Christian while supporting death penalty. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST said what you sow is what you reap. That is the Christian view. Additionally, this Christian view becomes wrong only when hate and anger are added to the convicted felon by the peoples. It is because the author of all our sins and the great deceiver of mankind is satan. And he is to be blamed for all sins, disasters, tragedies, wars, terrorism, crimes, divorce, etc. Likewise, satan is man's enemy and the deceived fellowmen are not our enemies at all. Moreover, when man commits sins and errors they suffer because of the consequences of their actions and this is the goal of satan. But in the battle of good and evil and under the divine plan of GOD which is perfect, the suffering man is comforted by THE HOLY SPIRIT by leading them to partake of the honor and, glory of the suffering servant -THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Thus, it is in this manner that the suffering man generates his spiritual works earning his angel-like status in the kingdom of heaven when men will be born in the spirit and become angel-like there. Similarly, through the sufferings of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, through the principle- A worker is entitled to his wages- HE spiritually earned for us our redemption and salvation forever. THANKS GOD; FEAR GOD; PRAISE GOD;GLORIFY GOD; HONOR GOD; LOVE GOD AND WORSHIP GOD. Pls visit my [e-mail]

Answer 9

GOD is not mocked. NOBODY gets away with anything.

GOD will repay.

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Romans 12:19 (New King James Version)
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.


Deuteronomy 32:35
Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’


Hebrews 10:30 (New King James Version)
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”

Answer 10

some christians falsely site the "eye for an eye" line


The phrase "an eye for an eye", (Hebrew: עין תחת עין) is a quotation from Exodus 21:23–27 that 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 equitable retaliation for an offended party. It defined and restricted the extent of retaliation. This early belief is reflected in the Code of Hammurabi and in the laws of the Old Testament (e.g., Ex 21:23–25, Lv 24:18–20, Dt 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.

The term lex talionis does not always and only refer to literal eye-for-an-eye codes of justice (see rather mirror punishment) but applies to the broader class of legal systems that specify formulaic penalties for specific crimes, which are thought to be fitting in their severity. Some propose that this was at least in part intended to prevent excessive punishment at the hands of either an avenging private party or the state. The most common expression of lex talionis is "an eye for an eye", but other interpretations have been given as well. Legal codes following the principle of lex talionis have one thing in common: prescribed 'fitting' counter punishment for an offense. In the famous legal code written by Hammurabi, the principle of exact reciprocity is very clearly used. For example, if a person caused the death of another person's child, that person's child would be put to death.

The simplest example is the "eye for an eye" principle. In that case, the rule was that punishment must be exactly equal to the crime. Conversely, the twelve tables of Rome merely prescribed particular penalties for particular crimes. The Anglo-Saxon legal code substituted payment of wergild for direct retribution: a particular person's life had a fixed value, derived from his social position; any homicide was compensated by paying the appropriate wergild, regardless of intent. ( There was no distinction between accidental manslaughter and deliberate murder. Under the British Common Law, successful plaintiffs were entitled to repayment equal to their loss (in monetary terms). In the modern tort law system, this has been extended to translate non-economic losses into money as well.

A curious result of the tort system is that after a person is acquitted of a crime, a civil trial may find them responsible. A civil trial requires a much lower burden of proof (probability or likelihood as deemed by jurors or judge rather than certainty). This does not count as double jeopardy under the Bill of Rights. One's in jeopardy of "life and limb" in a criminal case; in a civil case, only one's money or property is in jeopardy.