God also commanded His people not to eat pork but we do. What did Jesus say to do to those who hurt us and despitefully use us?
If we think the basis of approval is found in OT law, should we not follow the law in it's entirety?
I'm not trying to find the "basis of approval" in the OT law...I'm pointing out that God's commandments sometimes seem to conflict, when they really don't. Can you find an instance in the OT where God commanded one of His people to eat pork?
I don't believe that God disapproves of defending one's family. I think protecting my children is one of my top priorities as a mother.
Didn't Jesus say something about those who hurt little ones would be better off with a millstone tied around their necks and tossed into the sea? That sounds pretty vicious to me....LOL!!
Hell is the ultimate death penalty isn't it? I don't find where Jesus did away with that.... Those who choose sin, choose death. I think those who choose certain actions, knowing the consequences, choose their own death.
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"God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours."
--David Livingstone
"To see no being, not God’s or any, but you also go thither,
To see no possession but you may possess it—enjoying all without labor or purchase—
abstracting the feast, yet not abstracting one particle of it;…."
--Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Song of the Open Road
I am pro-life. I don't believe in the death penalty.
I'm not sure what I believe about the death penalty. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one flipping the switch...but at the same time, I wouldn't hesitate to defend my family, and I think that people choose their consequences with their own actions.
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"God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours."
--David Livingstone
"To see no being, not God’s or any, but you also go thither,
To see no possession but you may possess it—enjoying all without labor or purchase—
abstracting the feast, yet not abstracting one particle of it;…."
--Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Song of the Open Road
The UPC discourages its adherents to engage in military combat. The Articles of Faith suggest a pacifest approach to confrontation.
You are correct.
One could reasonably extrapolate this position to include aversion to the death penalty, but I'm not aware of any official position. It's tough to be enthusiastic about the death penalty, when you consider that it gives the government more rights than the citizens. You aren't permitted to use lethal force to accomplish your goals, but the government is.
I suspect that most "Christian" support for the death penalty is more of a backlash against incommensurate sentencing and parole than it is a well-reasoned position.
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Engineering solutions for theological problems.
Despite today's rising cost of living, it remains popular.
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." - Sir Winston Churchill
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." - Sir Winston Churchill
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." - Benjamin Franklin
Unborn children are incapable of being blood guilty.
We must protect the innocent. the unborn are innocent. Murderers have proven they can and will kill. The only way to keep a killer from killing again is to kill them.
This is an interesting question, however we are talking about innocent babies and the guilty who have taken someone elses life.
The Bible is a book of justice. The conundrum is that when an individual is executed, and of course if they haven't followed the 23 steps to attain true salvation, they are instantly escorted to hell.
The last part is what I find a little untenable.
True.
I have a tough time reconciling the idea of forgiveness (which Jesus taught was to be seventy times seven daily for the same offense), and justice. Should we pardon all criminals of any punishment because of Jesus' command to forgive?
I'm not trying to find the "basis of approval" in the OT law...I'm pointing out that God's commandments sometimes seem to conflict, when they really don't. Can you find an instance in the OT where God commanded one of His people to eat pork?
I don't believe that God disapproves of defending one's family. I think protecting my children is one of my top priorities as a mother.
Didn't Jesus say something about those who hurt little ones would be better off with a millstone tied around their necks and tossed into the sea? That sounds pretty vicious to me....LOL!!
Hell is the ultimate death penalty isn't it? I don't find where Jesus did away with that.... Those who choose sin, choose death. I think those who choose certain actions, knowing the consequences, choose their own death.
But is the basis of military combat always to protect our children? What about when our military sends men into battle to protect other nations? Or when we war simply to guard our "interests"?
Defending one's family is one thing. How do you allot the judgement for crimes against against one person to another who had no vested interest in the victims?
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