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Thread: What is your view on capital punishment?

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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    What is your view on capital punishment?

    This may sound pretty extreme as it relates to the day and age in which we live, but the death penalty was designated in Mosaic law which included some 20 different offenses.
    There was no jail time or rehab programs back in that day. The primary purpose of justice back in the Mosaic time period was retribution and not rehabilitation.
    So, what were the offenses that warranted capital punishment in the Old Testament?

    1. Murder (Ex 21:12)

    2. Contemptuous act against a judge (Deut 17:12

    3.Causing a fatal miscarriage (Ex 21: 22-25)

    4. False testimony in a potentially capital crime (Deut 19: 16-19)

    5. Negligence by the owner of an ox that kills people (Ex 21:29)

    6. Idolatry (Ex 22:20)

    7.Blasphmy (Lev 24:15-16)

    8. Witchcraft or sorcery ((Ex 22:18)

    9. False prophecy (Deut 18:20)

    10. Apostasy (Lev 20:2)

    11. Breaking the Sabbath (Ex 31:14)

    12. Homosexual relations (Lev 18:22, 29)

    13. Bestiality (Lev 20: 15-16)

    14. Adultery (Lev 20:10)

    15. Rape (Deut 22:25)

    16. Incest (Lev 20:11)

    17. Cursing parents (Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9)

    18. Rebellion by children (Deut 21:18-21; Ex 21:15)

    19. Kidnapping (Ex 21:16)

    20. Drunkenness by a priest (Lev 10:8-9)

    21. Unanointed individuals touching the holy furnishings in the temple (Num 4:15)

    22. Striking parents (Ex 21:15)

    23. Having sex during woman's menstrual period (Lev 18:19, 28)


    The first 5 involve capital offences, either actually or potentially. The remaining 16 are for noncapital crimes, even though some of them (rape) could lead to murder and others (rebellion by a son) could prevent murders that he could do in his rebellion. The next six (6-11) are for religious offences, while the next eight (12-19) are for various moral issues. The next two (20-21) relate to ceremonial duties, though drunkenness is also a moral issue (Pv 20:1; 23:21).

    I don't hold to the belief that capital punishment should be enforced for social, religious, or moral offences. Nor do I believe that an Old Testament capital offense that requires the death penalty are still binding today excluding murder of which I am an advocate for. If you shed a persons blood resulting in that persons death, then your blood shall be required in return.

    Let me conclude this thread by saying: " The moral law, however, is eternal since it reflects the very character of God. Jesus said of the Old Testament Law and Prophets,
    "I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Mt 5:17). The moral law of God is a reflection of the moral character of God. "Be holy, because I am holy," said the Lord (Lev 11:44). God is just; therefore, He requires justice for us (Ez 18:5-6). But if God's law reflects His moral character, and if God's moral character does not change, then some would say that God's law given through Moses is still in effect today. Why do some believe this? Because God has not changed (Mal 3:6).

    Further more, The New Testament repeats the 10 Commandments. Paul states many of them in Romans 13:9. Others appear elsewhere (Eph 6:2-3). If the Old Testament passages of Scripture are not in effect today, then why does the New Testament repeat the Old Testament commandments?
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    No death penalty for this one
    23. Having sex during woman's menstrual period (Lev 18:19, 28)


    Thank God for his mercy - If all these laws were applied the earth will have zero
    population

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    Though I believe in the death penalty, I agree with Pat Robertson that it should not be used until we have a level playing field. Nowadays if you're rich enough to get a good lawyer, you can avoid the death penalty. If you're poor, you're toast.

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    Senior Member Romans828's Avatar
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    Cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder (especially when there is irrefutable, bona-fide DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime) = Death Penalty IMHO

    However, God is the ultimate judge, and if a killer gets away down here, unless he or she repents, they will have H*LL to pay!

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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Romans828 View Post
    Cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder (especially when there is irrefutable, bona-fide DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime) = Death Penalty IMHO

    However, God is the ultimate judge, and if a killer gets away down here, unless he or she repents, they will have H*LL to pay!
    Many of the death row housing units have run out of room to handle the new condemned killers arriving at the prisons. Gov. Jerry Brown had to find funds to build a new 100 unit death row prison at San Quentin to house the incoming condemned convicts. My state (Washington) recently banned the death penalty. Hundreds of condemned prisoners wait 10 to 20 years for a date with the executioner because of appeals or anti-death penalty lawyers working on the convicts behalf. There are some countries, mostly communist or Muslim who execute condemned inmates without much delay. Only in the American penal system can you delay your date in the death chamber for a decade or two at the tax payers expense.
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    Tonight as I was reading Matthew 25, I came across that passage of verses 35-40. Specifically, the last part of verse 36; "I was in prison and you visited me."
    As I read that, I remembered that Jesus was also a condemned prisoner. There are death row inmates who died for their crimes who are in heaven because they repented and asked the Lord to forgive them. I was thinking that my life before Christ, I was in a type of death row. I was bent on self destruction and bound to a sinful lifestyle. Had I died in that lost condition, well, I need not say where I would have ended up for eternity, you know where. Anyone ever read that verse over in first John that if you hate your brother, you're in the same category as a murderer? Anyways, I'm not even sure why I started this thread. Feeling kind of convicted at the moment. Not guilty, but convicted. That's about all I can say right now.
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  11. #7
    So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Smitty View Post
    Tonight as I was reading Matthew 25, I came across that passage of verses 35-40. Specifically, the last part of verse 36; "I was in prison and you visited me."
    As I read that, I remembered that Jesus was also a condemned prisoner. There are death row inmates who died for their crimes who are in heaven because they repented and asked the Lord to forgive them. I was thinking that my life before Christ, I was in a type of death row. I was bent on self destruction and bound to a sinful lifestyle. Had I died in that lost condition, well, I need not say where I would have ended up for eternity, you know where. Anyone ever read that verse over in first John that if you hate your brother, you're in the same category as a murderer? Anyways, I'm not even sure why I started this thread. Feeling kind of convicted at the moment. Not guilty, but convicted. That's about all I can say right now.
    I've thought about this a few times too.

    Acts 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
    I wonder what the church would do if the prisons were emptied and everyone started showing up in church. Are we ready for that much revival?

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    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    I think there are two criteria for when capital punishment should be allowed, one is that the death of an other human being is involved, the other is that it is abundantly clear that the accused is indeed the perpetrator. The very public terrorist Anders Behring Breivik is an obvious example, there is no chance of a miscarriage of justice in that case, there is no need for death row for years. In all cases where there is even a small doubt the maximum should be an actual life sentence.

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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    I always wondered if Ted Bundy repented for the horrific murders he did on all those women and to that 12 year old child. My mind can't fathom how a person like that could make heaven. But God's mercy and pardon would apply to Bundy if he truly repented. Anyways, in this 4 min clip with Dr. Dobson, Bundy says he's remorseful, and even mention's "God's help".
    Bundy was such a con artist and a slick willy, its hard to tell if what he is saying in the interview is really coming from his heart. Someone said there will be two surprises in heaven when we get to glory. 1. There will be people there that we never expected to be there. 2. I'm there!

    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

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    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    If Ted Bundy did repent and take up the faith then he was born again and became a new creature in Christ. Only that part of him got to heaven, which is the same as with you and me. His debt to society did however remain and that was different to yours and mine.

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