Christians That Support the Death Penalty: Wasn't Jesus Unjustly Put to Death?

While the death penalty is not perfect, - some would hold that societies' rule-of-law is higher than any one man's life.

Socrates himself thought so, - and opponents to Jesus exclaimed - "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish?"

Agreed. However, as is true with most topics, you can find Biblical support for either side if you look hard enough. As Shakespeare once wrote, “even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”

There are indeed many passages in the Old Testament that support capital punishment, often for relatively mild offenses:

- Adultery (Leviticus 20:10)

- Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16)

- Working on Sunday (Exodus 31:14 & 15)

- Disobedient children (Exodus 21:15 & 17; Leviticus 20:9)

- Homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13)

- Failing to control your livestock (Exodus 21:29)

- Not being a virgin on your wedding night (but only if you're a woman - Deuteronomy 22:20-21)

The New Testament (starring Jesus) is primarily ANTI-death penalty. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus praises mercy (Matthew 5:7) and rejects “an eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38-39). James 4:12 says that GOD is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. Romans 12:17-21 warns us against answering evil with evil, and assures us that God will see to justice in the afterlife. In John 8:7, Jesus points out that all humans are imperfect, and therefore unqualified to decide whether someone lives or dies. My personal favorite is James 1:20: “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

There are many, many practical problems with capital punishment (that I won't get into here), but purely from a moral standpoint, it is pretty clear that Jesus did not support it. True CHRISTians shouldn’t, either.

I support the death penalty when there is undisputed evidence that the person being sentence actually did do it. True Justice in this world is hard to come by, people do the best they can.

The fact that the death sentence is not 100% perfect, does make it unreasonable to use it. For example, law enforcement, cops, are not perfect either in their line duty, often times their dangerous stressful job can influence them to make mistakes, but who would enforce the law if not law enforcement?

Perfection is an ideal never truly reached, but in reaching for it, there in, is perfection.

God loves you no matter, Live, Learn, Love, Light(express yourself)

Yes, but He chose that path for the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.

God/Jesus: 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother must certainly be put to death.' Matthew 15:4 NAB. This is a frequent passage which God used in the OT, which, as was Jesus' custom, He brought into the NT for emphasis of continuity and importance.

full context www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew15.htm

Pope Pius XII: "When it is a question of the execution of a man condemned to death it is then reserved to the public power to deprive the condemned of the benefit of life, in expiation of his fault, when already, by his fault, he has dispossessed himself of the right to live." 9/14/52.

Pope (and Saint) Pius V, "The just use of (executions), far from involving the crime of murder, is an act of paramount obedience to this (Fifth) Commandment which prohibits murder." "The Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent" (1566).

All interpretations, contrary to the biblical support of capital punishment, are false. Interpreters ought to listen to the Bible’s own agenda, rather than to squeeze from it implications for their own agenda. As the ancient rabbis taught, “Do not seek to be more righteous than your Creator.” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.33.). Part of Synopsis of Professor Lloyd R. Bailey’s book Capital Punishment: What the Bible Says, Abingdon Press, 1987.

"Death Penalty Support: Christian and secular Scholars"

http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/0...-catholic.h...

Christianity and the death penalty

http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/DP.html#F.Christian...

Catholic and other Christian References: Support for the Death Penalty,

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2006/10...h-penalty.a...

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Innocence

Of all human endeavors that put innocents at risk, is there one with a better record of sparing innocent lives than the US death penalty? Unlikely.

1) "The Death Penalty: More Protection for Innocents"

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/07/05/the-death-...

2) Opponents in capital punishment have blood on their hands, Dennis Prager, 11/29/05, http://townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2005/1...

3) "A Death Penalty Red Herring: The Inanity and Hypocrisy of Perfection", Lester Jackson Ph.D.,

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=102909A

The false innocence claims by anti death penalty activists are both blatant and legendary. Some examples:

4) "The Innocent Executed: Deception & Death Penalty Opponents"

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/08/the-innoce...

5) The 130 (now 140) death row "innocents" scam

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/03/04/fact-check...

6) "Exoneration Inflation: Justice Scalia’s Concurrence in Kansas v. March", by Ward Campbell, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice, p 49, The Journal of the

Institute for the Advancement of Criminal Justice, Issue 2, Summer 2008,

http://www.cjlf.org/files/CampbellExonerationInfla...

7) "The innocence tactic: Unreliable studies and disinformation", reports By United States Congress, Senate, 107th Congress, 2d Session, Calender no 731, Report 107-315. The Innocence Protection Act of 2002, (iv) The innocence tactic: Unreliable studies and disinformation, p 65-69, http://alturl.com/6j7oc

Jen can you email me, I want more info from the answer you given me. Please, thanks! I read a few of your topics and wow you are really interesting!

Idk I'm not God... you should have coffee with me to decide it.