The Death Penalty

[SpiritLedEd]

If the laws of the land say to let them live in luxury untill they die then so be it.

I have a lady friend who is serving a life term without chance of parole for twenty-five years for a murder she did in fact commit. She's in a penitentiary about ninety miles from where I live. A penitentiary cell hardly qualifies as luxurious living.

Spirit Led Ed (SLE)

 

[PernellRodocker]

A prison Cell

I have a lady friend who is serving a life term without chance of parole for twenty-five years for a murder she did in fact commit. She's in a penitentiary about ninety miles from where I live. A penitentiary cell hardly qualifies as luxurious living.

Spirit Led Ed (SLE)

Well, a prison cell may be small and restrictive but you must think that it is just a bit smaller than an efficiancy apartment. Granted we enjoy carpet and can control the ambient evnironment but all in all I will say that for what crime has been comitted and for what "rights" a convict is given and considering the fact that they get all their food, clothing, medical, toiletries, television, radio, showers, magazines, newspapers... I really think that they get more doing life than what I get in life... pretty sad to think that way... I had to give up so much in my life because of the economy I have become a prisoner in my own home... I can't afford gas and can't do many of the things needed to do even to survive... such as putting off going to the doctor etc... all these things are provided for a convict... How do I know? I work in a maximum security prison and deal with the death row as well as the protective custody... Hmmm...
PR

 

[Mouse]

Could it also be true that someone wishing for the death penalty of another person could, in fact, be commiting murder in his or her own heart as well?
Matt. 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder...
1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer...

 

[Chad]

Could it also be true that someone wishing for the death penalty of another person could, in fact, be commiting murder in his or her own heart as well?
Matt. 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder...
1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer...

I agree with your verses. This is what Christ taught.

Romans 13:1–7

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person pbe subject to the governing authorities. For qthere is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you rwill receive his approval, 4 for she is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, tan avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also ufor the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 vPay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

 

[David777]

Views.

In Australia we sentence mass murderers to life imprisonment.
Never to be released, this equates to solitary confinement.

Why solitary confinement? Because the other prisoners will kill them
if social engagement is attempted.

Of course the mass murderers end up going insane. So the state
in effect condones a slow, cruel form of mental torture.

Which is better to execute a mass murderer or torture by deprivation
of social contact?

Society pays $300 a day to keep one of these individuals in custody.
That is $2100 a week, over $100,000 dollars a year.

I would prefer this money was diverted to the childrens hospitals.
I do not like to see the little ones suffer. I am amazed that people
would reject this option, this is what I do not understand.

I do not agree that supporting the death penalty implies murderous
thoughts. In my opinion it is justice, that avoids long term mental torture.

This is a very difficult topic without a clear resolution.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

I do not agree that supporting the death penalty implies murderous thoughts. In my opinion it is justice, that avoids long term mental torture.

In America death sentences are never carried out quickly. Some of our states have automatic appeal processes written into their laws, but the right to appeal a conviction is universally available and these appeals have some death row inmates living there for twenty or more years. Our jurisprudence system is based upon this principle: that you can let a hundred guity people go free, but do not convict one single innocent person.

SLE

 

[AudreyNicole]

I think that God placed people in authority and that we are to obey the rules of the land we live in. Even Jesus paid taxes...
So if the penalty for killing someone is death... then lets follow the laws of the land and do as we are told. If the laws of the land say to let them live in luxury untill they die then so be it. So I guess we can live where we want and if we don't like it we can move or make our voice heard (vote).
Me, I live where the death penalty is upheld. I choose to live where I can carry a weapon on my hip too!
PR

This is an interesting view, but I don't think it is always right to do what the law says. Especially now in the United States with all this politically correct hype and moral leniency. Many states are instigating laws supporting abortion and supporting gay marriage. And I would argue that we must do the exact opposite of what you stated and NOT follow the laws of the land and do as we are told. Yes we are to submit to authorities, but we must remember that God's law is above any law of the land and so His law must come before any other law.

Just because someone in authority says to do something doesn't mean we are required to do it. We have to use our God given brains to figure out if whatever is being requested is in line with God's requests. I will never support abortion laws because someone in authority says to. I will never support segregation laws because someone in authority says to. I will never support gay marriage because someone in authority says to. I will stand strong for the Lord and what is written in His word-- and if I'm not mistaken the Bible says not to kill. (Exodus 20:13) And if I suffer persecution for that, so be it... I will never conform to ungodly laws of this world.

I think humans are mistakenly playing God. With things like abortion, the death penalty, and human cloning people believe that the sovereignty of our lives belong to us. But I advocate that we are not in fact sovereign over our life or any life. God, and only God, is soverign over all things, and it is not up to us to determine who lives and who dies.We cannot and should not be against aborting baby life, and then turn around and support killing adult lives. I think we forget that each and every person on this earth is a sinner, baby or not, we are all sinners and everything belongs to God. Therefore we have no right to make judgments of this caliber according to what we (as mere sinning humans) believe is right. That choice belongs to the Lord. It is HIM who decides who lives and who dies. It is HE that is sovereign over life. Humans are playing too close to the fire, and just like in Babylon, I sincerely hope the Lord intervenes before we cause any more wreck and carnage.

 

[Alice.]

my feelings are you should die in the same manner your victims did.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

I will stand strong for the Lord and what is written in His word--

Audrey, I hope you do not take this as an insult, but, it is sooo easy for those of us who live in relative security in the US, UK, and other developed countries to make statements like this when, in fact, we've never experienced real persecution - the kind that involves imprisonment, torture, and sometimes martyrdom.

My prayer is that if and when push comes to shove, I will have the courage to stand for what is right whatever the consequences may be.

SLE

 

[AudreyNicole]

Audrey, I hope you do not take this as an insult, but, it is sooo easy for those of us who live in relative security in the US, UK, and other developed countries to make statements like this when, in fact, we've never experienced real persecution - the kind that involves imprisonment, torture, and sometimes martyrdom.

My prayer is that if and when push comes to shove, I will have the courage to stand for what is right whatever the consequences may be.

SLE

Yes yes this is very true. And I stated this with such an awareness. I suppose I should have clarified what "type" of persecution. But I think it is important to note that every type of persecution is real... at least I think so. I think Christians in the US face as much persecution as Christians in Kenya (where my dad experienced the "real" persecution you describe), or any other country.... its just different type of persecution. I pray that I, too, would have the courage to face such persecution, but I also pray that I will never shy away from standing up for my beliefs right here in this country.

 

[AudreyNicole]

my feelings are you should die in the same manner your victims did.

Hmmm, this sounds like an "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" kind of mentality. Is that still the law we are to follow? I thought that was an old testament law??

 

[David777]

Dear Audrey.

Been thinking about the death penalty.
I always thought about it from a social viewpoint.
From a personal perspective it is obviously wrong.
Perhaps you are correct, it could in fact be murder.

Cloning and abortion are certainly wrong, no argument here.