Thoughts about Christianity and capital punishment?

[20MoreMiles]

I've always been a bit undecided on this topic... i favored it, if not for the fact that innocent people may be executed. However, a recent time ago i thought about it and in fact God gave us life, told us "Thou shalt not kill" and if anyone takes life, it's God himself. Should we stop playing God by executing people, even if they might deserve it?

[Bellicus]

I believe death punishment is wrong, but at the same time I kind of think death is better then to be closed inside concrete walls for a life-time. Where I live there is no death punishment and the maximum penalty for any crime is 21 years in prison. I think this is a pretty humane system. I remember a guy that got the maximum punishment when i were a kid, for burning churches and killing a guy. I think even hard criminals like that deserve another chance. I think that all those years behind bars will change people. But I also think they should be guided really carefully back to society.

[paperneck]

i think christ shows us, as sinners, we don't have a right to put others to death for their crimes. The obvious example is the woman who comitted adultery and christ said 'he without sin throw the first stone'

some think that we should follow the laws of abraham and moses, but it seems fairly obvious to me that christ showed us a different way.

[Bellicus]

I totally agree with paperneck here. He got a better (biblical) explanation then me.

[suzybeezy]

Something to consider: only the woman was accused. No man was accused. Yet, it takes two people to commit the act of adultry. Consider what Leviticus 20:10 says, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Notice, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Not one, but both. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

God was the first to set up the death penalty. After the flood of Noah's time, God put safeguards in place against human violence. Of prime importance was the death penalty: “Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). The Mosaic Law supported the death penalty and Jesus never once disobeyed the law or taught against it. Interestingly, God has never revoked the death penalty. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matt.5:17). The law made numerous provisions for the death penalty.

It should also be noted that Jesus also demonstrated grace when capital punishment was due (John 8:1-11).

Paul definitely recognized the power of the government to institute capital punishment where appropriate (Romans 13:1-5).

Regarding the concern for the wrongly accused: there is no more famous case of an innocent person's being condemned to death than when God's own Son, Jesus Christ, endured an unjust trial, suffered, and died on the cross. Yet God did not intervene.

[morningstar2651]

Something to consider: only the woman was accused. No man was accused. Yet, it takes two people to commit the act of adultry. Consider what Leviticus 20:10 says, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Notice, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Not one, but both. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
That's a great observation - I never noticed the absence of the second party. That makes the story even more interesting to me. If she was caught, then where is the other man? If she was not caught, but her husband was suspicious, then the only one who could rightly accuse her would be the husband (if I'm not mistaken...see cited verses below for reference), which makes the line "Where is your accuser?" even more interesting.

The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

11 Then the LORD said to Moses, 12 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 by sleeping with another man, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), 14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure- 15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah [c (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=4&chapter=5#fen-NIV-3808c)] of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder offering to draw attention to guilt. 16 " 'The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the LORD. 17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. 18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the LORD, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband"- 21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the oath-"may the LORD cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. [d (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=4&chapter=5#fen-NIV-3814d)] 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells and your thigh wastes away. [e (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=4&chapter=5#fen-NIV-3815e)] "
" 'Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it."
23 " 'The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He shall have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water will enter her and cause bitter suffering. 25 The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the LORD and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. 27 If she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then when she is made to drink the water that brings a curse, it will go into her and cause bitter suffering; her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste away, [f (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=4&chapter=5#fen-NIV-3820f)] and she will become accursed among her people. 28 If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is free from impurity, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.
29 " 'This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles herself while married to her husband, 30 or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the LORD and is to apply this entire law to her. 31 The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.' "

[paperneck]

Something to consider: only the woman was accused. No man was accused. Yet, it takes two people to commit the act of adultry. Consider what Leviticus 20:10 says, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Notice, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Not one, but both. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

God was the first to set up the death penalty. After the flood of Noah's time, God put safeguards in place against human violence. Of prime importance was the death penalty: “Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). The Mosaic Law supported the death penalty and Jesus never once disobeyed the law or taught against it. Interestingly, God has never revoked the death penalty. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matt.5:17). The law made numerous provisions for the death penalty. If i bent this story to fill my own need for justice and vengence like you are i would feel really terrible about myself.

It should also be noted that Jesus also demonstrated grace when capital punishment was due (John 8:1-11).

Paul definitely recognized the power of the government to institute capital punishment where appropriate (Romans 13:1-5).

Regarding the concern for the wrongly accused: there is no more famous case of an innocent person's being condemned to death than when God's own Son, Jesus Christ, endured an unjust trial, suffered, and died on the cross. Yet God did not intervene.


i really think you are bending that story to fit your own needs. People who approach it this way seem to me to be overly bloodthirsty.

you're right this story does indirectly expose a hypocracy, but that is not what jesus is trying to put emphasis on. It goes straight to the lesson of judge not lest ye be judged. The point of the story is that the woman was being put to death by for her sins by a group of men guilty of sin, not that the man she slept with wasn't present.

[dead2self]

I've always been a bit undecided on this topic... i favored it, if not for the fact that innocent people may be executed. However, a recent time ago i thought about it and in fact God gave us life, told us "Thou shalt not kill" and if anyone takes life, it's God himself. Should we stop playing God by executing people, even if they might deserve it?

First of all, I believe the death penalty is indeed just. The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is actually a mistranslation. The word kill is actually what we call murder in the Hebrew. It is not all killing that is prohibeted, just the unjustified killing. After all, God commands a lot of killing to happen through human actions.

Suzybeezy, I think, has it right with regard to the parable. I would simply add that this was also a show of grace on Jesus' part. Also, as she points out there is a clear mandate by God for capital punishment.

[Natural1]

I am against it. Not only the large possibility (probability) we have non-guilty people sitting on death row, but the way the punishment is meted out....usually those who can afford good lawyers do not receive the death penalty.

[Bellicus]

Something to consider: only the woman was accused. No man was accused. Yet, it takes two people to commit the act of adultry. Consider what Leviticus 20:10 says, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Notice, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Not one, but both. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

Then how about the woman he met by the well, that he said have had several lovers and not one of them were her husband.

How about the whores Jesus met?

Did they not deserve death? And why did he not trow stones on them, like the law should command him to do?

Jesus was exposing hypocrisy, but the hypocrisy was not that there were no man there to stone at the same time, the hypocrisy was that pharisees were sinners them self. Maybe adulterers?

[Bellicus]

First of all, I believe the death penalty is indeed just. The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is actually a mistranslation. The word kill is actually what we call murder in the Hebrew. It is not all killing that is prohibeted, just the unjustified killing. After all, God commands a lot of killing to happen through human actions.


Have you seen any places in the bible that Christians should take the life of others?

[Criada]

Personally i disagree with the death penalty.
I can justify this from scripture.. but then, I could justify the opposite view point.. that's why it's such a difficult issue.
I cannot see how it can ever be right to take a life. If the person is repentant, then it is unnecessary.. if they are not, then I would be taking not only their physical life, but also their chance of salvation... which I cannot see any justification for.
i am a sinner.. and yet, Christ did not demand my life, as God's justice would allow, but instead gave up His for me. How, then, can I take the life of another sinner?

[Criada]

Personally i disagree with the death penalty.
I can justify this from scripture.. but then, I could justify the opposite view point.. that's why it's such a difficult issue.
I cannot see how it can ever be right to take a life. If the person is repentant, then it is unnecessary.. if they are not, then I would be taking not only their physical life, but also their chance of salvation... which I cannot see any justification for.
i am a sinner.. and yet, Christ did not demand my life, as God's justice would allow, but instead gave up His for me. How, then, can I take the life of another sinner?

[Nadiine]

I've always been for the death penalty in the past both before and after Christianity.

Up until recently I'm completely in the middle on it and don't have an opinion becuz I need to study scripture on it more closely.

I will say this however, if a Death penalty is in place in any given state, and you do commit murder, then you HAVE accepted that penalty upon yourself becuz you knew it was a law when you did it.

I know that I'd be against taking a person's hand for stealing something - however, I'd also agree that if you stole something while knowing that law was in effect, then you are agreeing to it by breaking that law.

I think there's an ethical responsibility of people who break laws where they are by default assuming the responsiblity of accepting that punishment for the crime if it's written into law.