Capital Punishment and the Bible(particularly New Testament)

I agree with your basic foundation idea, but I would add to it that there is only one true god. The god "I am"

Steve,
Judiasm and Christianity get lumped into MOST RELIGIONS. I can't think of any religion that doesn't prohibit killing or stealing in one form or another. Can you?

Christ also deviated from traditional Jewish law in many instances too. Someone earlier (bili?) brought up the Sermon on the Mount and his admonishment to turn the other cheek. The old testament not only allows for but demands death for many crimes. Christ interfered to prevent one of those laws from being carried out. It does raise questions about if he believed in all Jewish laws or not.

Jefferson once wrote that the only religious prohibitions put into law should be the ones found in all religions. I agree. There are far too many sects in far to many religions to allow one to dictate what our laws should be.

oops,
double posted.

Offyourhead

you mean

VI. THOU SHALT NOT KILL

should only be taken in context?

that if you kill 'em quick it don't apply?

Number six seems pretty explicit to me. No need for any long winded theological debate about the meaning of those four words surely. Which bit of THOU SHALT NOT KILL is not clear?

Unless of course God was was referring to all his creatures with the exception of human beings. Or at least bad human beings. You know bad ones that didnt pay the tax or parked on a yellow line or refused to sacrifice a goat? Yes it could be that THOU SHALT NOT KILL could be interpreted in any number of ways. Thou shalt not kill ants or bugs or the tv when I'm watching it.

You know I could go on like this for ever until both you and I lost the will to live. THOU SHALT NOT KILL NOR BORE SOMEONE TO DEATH.

So its better to stick to the original (see VI above)

not if you kill them quickly. they should be punished quickly if they committ the crime

head,
"how do you want to spin it?" was rhetorical, not directed at you.

the god "I am", was confusing to me. Not sure if "I am" is how you refer to your god or if you were making a joke that you are god.

But just for rhetorical purposes again:

I disagree with you on the "one true god". There are lots of gods. There is my god, your god, everyone else's god. There might be "one true god" but no person on earth can ever know what that is. We all build our "one true god" to our own specifications. (A lot of people are going to be unpleasantly surprised when and if judgement day ever happens.)

There is a scene in "Million Dollar Baby" where the priest refuses to try to explain how God can be 3 people and one at the same time because he feels the Eastwood character is only trying to bait him.

Nope, I don't think there is "one true god" on earth, just millions of interpretations of what god might be.

Steve,
There are several interpretations of that commandment.

Some translations list it as "Thou shall not commit murder" which would allow for a process to judge and condemn people to death.

parados, Your last post just about covers the whole issue of god(s). Even the emperor of Japan was deemed to be the sun god before WWII.

parados, that makes sense. i can agree with you on most of that, but the "I am" part comes from when moses spoke to god on mt. sinai and moses asked what he should tell the people if they asked who sent him. God said that he should say "I am" sent him.

Heado wrote

"not if you kill them quickly. they should be punished quickly if they committ the crime"



How quick? Why not a bit of pre emptive killing just to be on the safe side?

that was good steve. but no.

headofthefield : 54 posts since March 04 and not a single line of sense.

I've said before that overtly religious people fall into two categories, the deluded and now the dangerously deluded.

Its time to put away your bibles and korans and all the other sacred texts where you find justification for man's inhumanity to man.

Treat your fellow man as you would wish to be treated, and keep your ideas about divinity to yourself.

Actually the bible only justifies the Government's right to execute major criminals(murderers, rapists, etc.) It does not excuse cold blooded murder. Jesus taught "love the lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy mind, and all thy soul. Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Well put thunder.
Steve, I haven't given you any ideas about divinity. I just simply say that in a biblical sense I see capital punishment as justified. You may not but I guess we just naturaly interpret things differently.
Eorl, you have strong pts. for you opinions, but your constant attacks on members of this forum show you have no respect to understand. Your constant attempts to take things out of context are successfull and I am yet to see you understand my pts.

So your argument is that when the government IS the people then we can ignore the teachings of Christ? Love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek.. are either valid or they are not. If you are a Christian you can't ignore them when you participate in government.

My original statement stands in relationship to this thread.

Find me a single teaching by Christ that supports capital punishment. I really see none. The Old testament is filled with lots of contradictory statements but are you a Christian that follows Christ or a Jew that follows the old testament? There is not a single statement from Christ that supports state sponsored killing. Not one. And many that can be taken to oppose violence or laws that do support killing.

"Let whosoever is without sin throw the first stone."

It not only endorses execution but tells you the method of determining precedence amongst potential executioners.

WELL PUT ANTIBUDDAH. We do agree on that much.

God gave governments the power and responsibility to punish those who are "subversive to good order"(criminals)