Should christians believe in the death penalty? - Page 2

Mercy · #11 10-14-2008, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grace_seeker

I am totally against it. If it's wrong to kill I don't see where God sanctions capital punishment since we are inept in making judgements without error or bias. And furthermore it would make good fiscal sense to abolish it!

I agree. Murder is Murder. And its DOES equate to the same logic weather its an abortion or the death penalty. My personal conviction is that we should not be doing either.

Mercy · #12 10-14-2008, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sept5SavedTeen

One is the taking of an innocent life and the other is the taking of a life that has been tried through the court system and had the consequence of execution meeted out to them for the crime they committed to society.

And because so many people are wrongly convicted you cant rely on the "court system" to "meet out a righteous decision". Both could very well be the murder of "innocence". I cant support something as faulty as our justice system in this. I would rather not have that blood on my hands at my judgement....to think I knew what was "best" for someone. (i.e. kill them cuz they slaughtered somebody....or was convicted of it...)

But that's just me....and my American privilage to stand behind whatsoever I believe!

mfblume · #13 10-14-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercy

But can we apply that we are suppose to let vengence be God's to the death penalty?

Under Mosaic Law there was a death penalty. And it was under the same law that the verse you quoted was also written. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. Deut. 32:35.

So using that statement certainly cannot nullify a need for the death penalty. If there is a need to remove it, it's just that this argument won't work.

George · #14 10-14-2008, 07:44 PM

My opinion is similar to STEWs. All cases with DNA evidence needed to have the proven studies completed. I'm somewhat torn as to whether we should have the death penalty. My gut feeling is let the evil doers die, but my conscience says it is wrong to murder even a most wicked, crime committing person. If the crimes are so heinous, they should be locked away forever and given a life of prison "comfort." Send them to that prison in the Arizona dessert where they don't have TV, weights, and are made to wear only pink underwear and eat bologna sandwiches. The taxpayers shouldn't have to spend thousands of dollars on the upkeep of a prisoner. They have more benefits then the average American. Stop giving them privileged, private room hospital care. Let the doctors go to the prisons and give them the minimum necessary treatment. Call me mean if you want, but I am tired of paying for all these losers. If we had tougher prison systems, they wouldn't be so anxious to get in there and crime rates would lower.

George · #15 10-14-2008, 07:45 PM

Just another thought. If you don't think they should be put to death, what do you think about caning them?

ronharvey · #16 10-14-2008, 07:49 PM

I am for the death penalty: God's word commanded it.

Sorry folks believe you are more moral or compassionate than God but the fact remains.

Since the abolition of the death sentence crime has risen in this country.

The states that have the penalty also have imposed laws that allow for prisoners to have extensive time to appeal.

It is meant as a deterrent but the lowering of the crimes has allowed more crime that does not fall under the death sentence e.g. rape.

Which is also a violation of God's word.

Ron

ronharvey · #17 10-14-2008, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George

Just another thought. If you don't think they should be put to death, what do you think about caning them?

Like sardines?

Ron

Digging4Truth · #18 10-14-2008, 07:56 PM

No matter what we do there will be human error.

No matter what we do or how we try we will kill innocent people if we practice the death penalty.

I tend to think of it in these ways.

1. Could I be there and flip the switch... inject the poison etc. I could not. What I could not do on my own I do not allow myself to feel any better about just because a paid surrogate did it for me. It was still my wish that this persons life be ended.

2. Is the chance that my desire to see the death penalty played out would end an innocent life something I can live with? If I am for the death penalty then I have to accept that this is my hand taking that life. If I cannot accept that then I am simply putting on another what I don't have the conscience to do myself.

I cannot accept that.

I could not soberly, systematically and purposely take a life.

So I cannot, with good conscience, hire the state to kill for me.

tstew · #19 10-14-2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronharvey

I am for the death penalty: God's word commanded it.

Sorry folks believe you are more moral or compassionate than God but the fact remains.

Since the abolition of the death sentence crime has risen in this country.

The states that have the penalty also have imposed laws that allow for prisoners to have extensive time to appeal.

It is meant as a deterrent but the lowering of the crimes has allowed more crime that does not fall under the death sentence e.g. rape.

Which is also a violation of God's word.

Ron

Ron, I stated this earlier on another thread but I will repost it here:

I used to be a proponent of the death penalty until I began to realize how many wrongfully convicted people there are. As much as I don't want to imagine a family member murdered, I could not imagine me or someone in my family wrongfully convicted and executed.
Just since the Innocence Project began doing DNA tests, they have had 216 clear cut wrongful convictions and exhonerations. That in and of itself is a big number to me...but what about the thousands of cases that have no DNA evidence. I read that two-thirds of rape and homicide cases have no DNA evidence.
We have a human, flawed system that is exacting an ultimate almost superhuman measure of justice.
It's not about political correctness for me...it's about basic right and horrifically wrong.
Life in prison (real prison...not the catered hotel and rec center that costs us so much money) should be sufficient punishment while leaving the door open for correction of mistakes.

Let me just add that in 2/3 of serious crime cases there is not any DNA evidence to test at all so what these DNA results show are not the exact numbers of innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted but exactly how flawed our system is.

Truthseeker · #20 10-14-2008, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstew

I used to be a firm proponent of the death penalty, but have recently started to think differently. I have not changed due to a moral problem with execution itself, but due to the fact that I have seen so many cases proven to be wrongful convictions through DNA. I don't want to think about how many innocent people we may have killed already. The number of DNA acquittals was astonishing to me, but when you factor in that only a fraction of cases have DNA evidence to begin with, the implications are sobering.

Yeah, and if the suspect was black then grap the nearest one he'll do.