Christians on Capital Punishment?

Society has the right to establish a death penalty

Most opponents go the Ten Commandments and say "thou shalt not kill"

The correct translation is:

Exodus 20:13

You shall not murder.

There is a difference.

The creator is sovereign over all. He can bring someone back to life if he chooses to.

1 Samuel 2:6-8

"Yahweh kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and brings up. Yahweh makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's, and He has set the world upon them.

Deuteronomy 32:39

'Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

Too many people trying to be more merciful and more righteous than our Heavenly Father.

Logicians have shown that any stance taken to extremes will eventually lead to trouble.

Capital punishment is like any other stance in this regard.

Perhaps the best thing is to have some sort of rehabilitation that stopped people from being killers. This way if someone were innocent they would not be punished.

The problem with this is that our society may demand punishment for the guilty, or society may feel that rehabilitation may not always work or may be too expensive to practically implement.

Like you said a more correct translation might have been "do not murder".

"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but justice is mine says the the Lord."

In context the "Eye for an eye" quote was more like our saying "what goes around comes around" referring to the fact that evil will be punished but it is God's job not ours to seek retribution.

In a recent answer I wrote about how kindness can sometimes be the greatest punishment to someone with a guilty conscience.

In practice we need to protect the innocent from those that would do harm. If this can be done kindly, I have no objection but in cases where extreme evil would be done it may be the cheapest way of doing the most good by putting a bullet in the head of a likely perpetrator.

My personal option would be to isolate those who would do harm and put some do-goooder in charge of seeing that the wouldbe evildooer was reformed. I would not however ever let someone who had demonstrated a perpensity to do great evil a chance to do harm to others.

If this means keeping them separated from general society then some sort of gaol or supervision might be in order but I do not agree with throwing evildoers in a joint community where evil will thrive.

The problem is no matter what method we choose there will always be situations where people are wrongly punished (or inconvenienced) or evil people will slip through cracks in the system and cause harm.

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In regards to the bloods of the slain crying out, this is perhaps more an emphasis on the impact that murder has in that it not only kills the victim but all the children and descendants that might otherwise have been born.

Many people misunderstand the "eye for an eye" rule. The idea here is that you may not ask for MORE in retribution than you lost.

How much do you think is fair to ask in money damages for the loss of your eye? Or, would it be fair, if someone causes you to lose your eye to insist that he donate his living eye to replace yours? Think this is a silly question? Have you ever lost an eye in a fight, or do you know anyone who has? Suppose your neighbor's dog, known to be a biter, bites your kid and causes him to lose his eye. Well, put the dog down, you say. OK, but does that help the child who must now deal with having only one eye? I ask this to give you an idea of the emotional turmoil involved when dealing with a personal injury case.

Did you think the woman who got burned by hot coffee at McDonald's got a ridiculous settlement? I know I did. Should there be a cap on how much in money damages a person can ask for specific injuries??

If you answer "yes", then you are a supporter of the "eye for an eye" rule, whether you realize it or not.

So, what about Capital Punishment? I am a Christian...am I for it, or against it?

I think alot depends on the specific case. The only justification for Capital Punishment is for murder...and even then, I'd be loathe to execute someone. Still, if it were YOUR child, you might be a bit more willing to throw the switch, I think. Oh, it's easy to say you would not, but if we are going to be honest, most of us would want to see the s.o.b. that murdered our loved ones fry. I will be honest enough to say...if someone harmed MY kid, I'd be VERY willing to see him executed.

Then again, think of the emotional damage...both for the families of the victim, AND for the families of the killer.

There really are no "right" answers here, I'm afraid.

However, you are right...God can and will pass judgment...on each of us.

Believing that ought to make each of us a little more careful about the judgments we pass on others.

Thou shalt not kill means Pre-meditated Murder on the Innocent!

Capital punishment has a very good reason to be implemented, as the blood of those unjustly killed by murderers, cry out from the ground, like Abels blood, & when

a country does nothing about it the ground in a country is

polluted with blood, think of all the abortions & murders of late. Numbers 35: 33 applies to The Land/Israel, but also

applies to other countries, the sin is greater in Israel as it is the Land of YHWH. Psalm 108:38. We may not think this applies to us but it does.

"An eye for an eye" was never meant as a justification for capital punishment. It was meant to be a warning against unreasonable judgement and retribution.

There were many cases in which retribution would escalate back and forth until entire families were killed over a minor disagreement.

Capital punishment denies the dignity of the human person. It assumes that the person who has committed the crime no longer has value as a human person. This denies the fact that we are all made in the image and likeness of God.

Capital punishment also takes away any chance for the criminal to repent and turn back to God.

Capital punishment also cannot be revoked if it is later discovered that the person who has been convicted of a crime was actually innocent.

There are other aspects to this issue and Christians and others are looking at how the death penalty system actually works. With sources below, here is some info.

127 people on death rows released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in those that don’t.

We have a good alternative, life without parole, on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs (before and during the initial trial) of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people.

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. Speed up the process and we will execute innocent people.

Sources:

Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_04.html

The Innocence Project, www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcosttestimony.pd... page 3 and 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://www.njadp.org/forms/signon-survivor.html for statements of victims’ families

Question: "What does the Bible say about the death penalty / capital punishment?"

Answer: The Old Testament law commanded the death penalty for various acts: murder (Exodus 21:12), kidnapping (Exodus 21:16), bestiality (Exodus 22:19); adultery (Leviticus 20:10); homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), being a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:5), prostitution (Leviticus 21:9) and rape (Deuteronomy 22:24-25), and several other crimes. However, God often showed mercy when the death penalty was due. David committed adultery and murder, yet God did not demand his life be taken (2 Samuel 11:1-5, 14-17; 2 Samuel 12:13). Ultimately, each and every sin we commit should result in the death penalty (Romans 6:23). Thankfully, God demonstrates His love for us in not condemning us (Romans 5:8).

When the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and asked Him if she should be stoned, Jesus replied, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). This should not be used to indicate that Jesus rejected capital punishment in all instances. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus into breaking the Old Testament Law...they truly did not care about the woman being stoned (where was the man who was caught in adultery?) God was the One who instituted capital punishment: “Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). Jesus would support capital punishment in some instances. Jesus also demonstrated grace when capital punishment was due (John 8:1-11). The Apostle Paul definitely recognized the power of the government to institute capital punishment where appropriate (Romans 13:1-5).

So, basically, we are back to where we started. Yes, God allows capital punishment. But at the same time, God does not always demand the death penalty when it is due. What should a Christian’s view on the death penalty be, then? First, we must remember that God has instituted capital punishment in His Word; therefore, it would be presumptuous of us to think that we could institute a higher standard than He or be more kind than He. God has the highest standard of any being since He is perfect. This standard applies not only to us but to Himself. Therefore, He loves to an infinite degree, and He has mercy to an infinite degree. We also see that He has wrath to an infinite degree, and it is all maintained in a perfect balance.

Second, we must recognize that God has given the government the authority to determine when capital punishment is due (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:1-7). It is unbiblical to claim that God opposes the death penalty in all instances. Christians should never rejoice when the death penalty is employed, but at the same time, Christians should not fight against the government’s right to execute the perpetrators of the most evil of crimes. hope that answered your question....God bless you !

The God Yahweh established the death penalty in The Mosaic Law to help maintain law and order in His nation. Yahweh knew that it would scare the people into controlling their temper and not kill because they knew that they would be killed as punishment. Deaths from accidents were not considered as murder and either was those who did the executions. Soldiers killing during combat by Yahweh's army was also exempt from the death penalty. Yahweh's stance on the death penalty still remains the same today as it did back then. Which if it is OK for Yahweh it is OK for me.

I believe, as the old testament states, that Jesus brought a new covenant with him. He emphasized that we shouldn't kill or harm one another and one the focal points in his teaching was forgiveness.

As far as my personal opinion goes, let's use a murderer as an example. Isn't it better that we let that murderer live in order to give him the chance to see that he's done wrong so that he can start living a better life? I think it's a beautiful thing when someone takes it upon themself to ask for forgiveness when they know they've done wrong.