Top 10 of the year candidate for sure!!!
:first:m.a.s.,
You are about to be exposed as someone who does not know his Bible, preferring to build a case on desire instead of digging to find truth.
1.) Jesus Abolished the Death Penalty
From Matthew 5:
5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’* 5:39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 5:40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 5:41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 5:42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.
5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor,* and hate your enemy.*’ 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus teaches that killing a killer (an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth) is not the way of God's children; rather, one should love one's enemies, bless them, and do good to them. This passage is the reason I did not examine many proponents’ Old Testament arguments, as Jesus manifestly has come to change the old law.
Jesus manifestly has come to change the old law? How do you explain the fact that Jesus' words, that you hope are contradictory to the Old Covenant, actually come from the Old Covenant itself?
“You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Lev. 19:15, 18“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deut. 6:4-5You think, just because Jesus said something that sounds different than what is most commonly known about the law, that Jesus REVERSED the law. Jesus gave instructions to people, who did not have authority to carry out the government-assigned duty of capital punishment. They were to love their enemies, love their neighbor as themselves, etc. The government is to purge evil from the nation by destroying the evil.
Ummm...the text says, "This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him." How could they accuse Him? If He told them not to stone her and that was it, they might accuse Him of ignoring His own people's law. If He said to stone her, then He would be in trouble with the Roman government. Because you ignore much of the Bible, then you missed this one:2.) Jesus Opposes the Death Penalty by Example
John 8:
8:3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the midst, 8:4 they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. 8:5 Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such.* What then do you say about her?” 8:6 They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of.
But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger.
8:7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” 8:8 Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
8:9 They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. 8:10 Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”
8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
Proponents argue that Jesus answered the Pharisees in this way because they were trying to find a basis to accuse him. I don't know if proponents mean by this that Jesus was lying or stretching the truth, but I believe Jesus was truthful and practicing what he preached in Matthew 5. He explains that all have sinned, and thus no one has the power to exercise capital punishment. This powerful example clearly shows Jesus’ opposition to capital punishment.
The Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful [under Roman rule] for us to put anyone to death." John 18:313.) The Death Penalty Violates the 10 Commandments
Exodus 20:13 states, "You shall not murder." Simple logic shows that a system of capital punishment will commit murder.
1.) Human justice is imperfect, and innocent people will be given the death penalty.
2.) Murder is defined as unlawful killing, and killing innocent people is unlawful.
3.) Therefore, human justice of capital punishment will murder people.
Simple logic shows that by supporting the death penalty, one supports murder. Proponents say that the death penalty is the most powerful way to control crime, but statistics prove that claim a lie. By examining countries that have abolished capital punishment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_capital_punishment_by_nation) and the homicide rates of those countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_homicide_rate), it is incredibly obvious that murder can be controlled without capital punishment.
That's weird. On one hand, you say that Jesus eradicated the law by saying "no eye for eye and tooth for tooth". Then you say, that the actual law didn't even support the death penalty. So...what was Jesus eradicating?
Pick a page, at random, out of Exodus. There is a VERY STRONG chance that you'll happen upon the death penalty being punishment for breaking some of Israel's laws. How would the law contradict itself?
Now for the coupe de gras...a hidden message in your conclusion...
Well, thanks for coming clean, Mike. I wish you would have been clearer earlier on, though.Conclusion
The passages offered by death penalty proponents are ambiguous and interpreted with the presupposition that God wants humans to employ capital punishment. However, Jesus clearly teaches, and shows by example, that the will of God, spoken through Jesus, is against the human use of capital punishment. Proponents probably think, at this point, "But the Bible does not mention incarceration for capital crimes." That is true, but the Bible also does not tell us to have a Congress, President, Supreme Court, democracy, tickets for speeding, or many other laws, because the Bible is not a book of political philosophy. A country's laws should be influenced by the will of God, but the Bible does not give step-by-step instructions on running a government. Incarceration is more Christian, as it prevents unlawful government murdering, and offers hope for restorative justice. Thus, I believe Christians should oppose the death penalty.
I hope that my argument will help those Christians who, in their conscience, know that capital punishment is wrong, by explaining the evidence, from Jesus’ teachings in the Scripture, which manifestly opposes capital punishment.
Sincerely,
Mike
chickenman :chicken:
