Christian Questions for Christians Answer Christian Questions

3/18/2005

the death penalty

Filed under: Death, The Death Penalty — Rob @ 8:24 pm

How can those that call themselves “pro-life” support the death penalty?

17 Comments »

Many don’t. They’re called Catholics. Perhaps you’ve heard of them.

Comment by Elvis — 3/18/2005 @ 9:12 pm
Not all Catholics are against the Death Penalty.

Besides, I think you missed the point. The question is obviously for Christians who DO believe in the death penalty…

Comment by supak.com — 3/18/2005 @ 9:26 pm
Like the Christians who supported Bush, an adamant proponent of the Death Penalty.

Comment by LIbrarianman — 3/18/2005 @ 9:53 pm
I saw Pope John Paul I’s last mass, and John Paul II’s first mass while attending Marymount in Rome. That Catholic enough for you, Elv? I’m still waiting to hear an answer from someone to whom this question applies.

Comment by Rob — 3/18/2005 @ 10:11 pm
Okay, I’ll try to be less flippant this time. People who
get the death penalty did something to deserve it. A baby is
incapable of evil, thus does not deserve the death penalty
of abortion.

So I’ll flip the question: how can people who oppose the death
penalty support abortion?

Maybe you are vegetarians (I see a link to an organic gardening
site). If you respect the lives of animals who have lower brain functions, then
why not similarly support a living fetus?

The thing is, actions have consequences. You take a life, I believe
that you have forfeited the right to your own. You sleep around, well,
you’re eventually going to get some STDs or have a kid.

Comment by Elvis — 3/18/2005 @ 10:18 pm
“People who get the death penalty did something to deserve it.”

But the Bible says thou shalt not kill. Is there some part of the Bible that over-rides the commandments?

Abortion is only a death penalty if you can prove that a fetus is alive. I don’t care much for late term abortions, unless a woman and her doctor have a good medical reason for it, and that’s up to them, not the government. There’s no way you can ever convince me that a first trimester baby is a person.

Abortions should be safe, legal, and rare.

But the larger point is that abortion is a private medical procedure, BY LAW, and the death penalty is a public, and publicly funded, taking of a human life that is definately ALIVE. And that is expressly forbidden by the fifth or sixth commandment, depending on which version you go by.

And, while you are claiming that I have a conflict in my logic, you fail to justify your opposite conflict…

I’m not a vegetarian. Organic just means no chemicals.

Actions do have consequences. The consequence of using a condom is that you stop STDs and pregnancies (thereby reducing the amount of abortions).

Comment by supak.com — 3/18/2005 @ 10:46 pm
I don’t support abortion. I support my right to choose what to do with my body. There are many unfortunate things in life, which are sad and take a degree of maturity to accept. I don’t believe it is up to anyone else to decide how I choose to deal with my personal tragedies.
Actions do have consequences, you’re right. I chose to have an abortion when I stupidly got pregnant at 16. It was painful, is painful, in so many ways. The consequence of that action? I am a mature mother of two wonderful children I cannot imagine my life without. The point is, they are MY consequences, no one else’s. Just like if I had starved myself.

Comment by Rob — 3/18/2005 @ 11:09 pm
This is what this whole thing is turning into. It’s just plain creepy:

Republicans in the Senate have just announced plans for their own bit of theatrical grandstanding: They’re going to subpoena Terri Schiavo to appear before the Senate Health Committee.

“Appear” is the operative word, of course. Schiavo, who has been in a persistent vegetative state for more than a decade, can’t really “testify” before the committee. But the Republicans aren’t looking for her testimony. They’re looking for a way to prevent doctors from removing her feeding tube, and they figure that subpoenaing Schiavo might provide it. As Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist explained in a statement, federal law makes it a crime for anyone to “obstruct or impede a witness’s attendance or testimony.” Removing the feeding tube would lead to Schiavo’s death, thereby “obstructing or impeding” her appearance before the Senate. Thus, by demanding that Schiavo be moved from Florida to Washington for a show hearing, the Republicans can — without a court order, without even a vote in Congress — game the system to keep Schiavo alive for a little while longer.

Comment by svail — 3/19/2005 @ 1:16 am
The Christian supports the penalty because it is Biblical to do so. That authority, to execute justice upon deserving individuals, is given to the state not to the private person.

Comment by James — 3/21/2005 @ 3:56 am
Where, exactly, does the bible say that the state gets to kill people? Isn’t “the state” made up of fallable private people?

Comment by Rob — 3/21/2005 @ 8:43 am
Re comment 10: I’d like to know specifically where in the NEW Testament the Bible says the state can kill people. I know y’all love to justify unchristian behavior with the Old Testamant, but didn’t Christ invalidate most of it’s “eye for an eye” teachings with his new “turn the other cheek” philosophy? It’s inconvenient for you, I know, but I wonder how you reconcile that.

Comment by Chuck — 3/24/2005 @ 5:25 pm
The bible justifies killing as a punishment or as an act of war. This does not matter though as anything the bible says is only skin deep. As someone quotes one of these chapters & verse to support the death penalty I can also produce one nearby that support slavery, rape or worse. The actual answer here can not be given by a Christian; it would involve admitting problems in their faith. The answer that you seek would be as such:
The books of Exodus and Leviticus demand a death penalty for everything from murder to working on Sunday. The problem is they are hypocrites when it comes down to a New Testament definition as that would be to turn the other cheek. Only the laws they like, agree with or can still get away with in the Old Testament are still applied, they conveniently overlook the insanity surrounding these decrees. Christians are only pro-life when it sounds good to be “PRO-LIFE” they are really anti-abortion and their reason is personal beliefs that they do not care to study enough facts on to back up so they spout out religious hypocrisy.
Christians who are for the death penalty are the same as agnostics for the death penalty; they simply use the bible as a justification instead of a logical thought or idea. Christians (especially Catholics) are the biggest hypocrites on this issue as they condemn homosexuals but do not support the death penalty. This is selective reading in the bible to try to reach a popular choice.
The bottom line is what forms the churches opinions on this and all other topics. Proof that the church can over ride God’s law on the death penalty but not on homosexuality. What I want to know is why anyone who claims ANYTHING in the old testament as a decree of ANY god isn’t out burning a bull on the alter every Sabbath as it demands in Exodus. Do it all, or give it all up.

Comment by Jay — 3/26/2005 @ 6:53 pm
Abortion, a great subject for me. I think that abortion is only acceptable in one situation, rape. If I get raped, being a 16 year old, and get prignant, it would be like getting hurt twice. First, getting raped and it changing me forever. Then getting prignant when you didn’t even want it and it wasn’t my choice to have sex, I don;t want to have a baby and not finish school and ruin my life. But, people who know that they are having sex and want it shold know that if they have enough brains to have sex they should have enough brains to take care of a baby.

Comment by Allana — 6/22/2005 @ 11:23 pm
I’d just like to say that every single graveyard I have ever seen in person or in picture share a single unifying characteristic: the marker stones of where a person is buried indicate the date of DEATH… and they indicate the date of BIRTH. So, it is pretty clear we know where life begins and ends for a human person. It is a historical certainty, down to the celebration of the BIRTH of Christ of Nazareth, and the marking of His death. A death followed by a re-BIRTH. Any so-called Christian person who tries to deceive you into another view of God and when and where life begins is a modern-day follower of Satan.

Comment by Daniel — 7/3/2005 @ 5:05 pm
casinos - From casinos operated by the seneca nation of indians and casino operations in . state should shift some of what now goes to the state lottery division, which

Comment by Madisen Hirtzel — 7/10/2005 @ 8:19 pm
Daniel wrote:
> the marker stones of where a person is buried
> indicate the date of DEATH…
> and they indicate the date of BIRTH.

That is a very good point. I honestly don’t have an opinion on abortion. I think that makes me pro-choice (?)
But, the comment got me to thinking. Surely there must be children who die the same day they are born. Do they get buried? Get a tombstone reading:
Born 11-AUG-2005
Died 11-AUG-2005

Comment by Tim — 8/11/2005 @ 5:51 pm
I support the death penalty for those who deserve it - not for those who do not. Obviously a human monster who purposefully, and willingly, with selfish, and evil intent murders someone deserves it. Someone who hasn’t the ability to chose - such as an unborn fetus does not.

Comment by ALFPerrin — 7/1/2006 @ 11:30 am