Does your religion support the death penalty?

[Sky Dancer]

My faith leaves the final judgment to God and supports equitable consequences for breaking the laws that society deems necessary to protect and defend the rights of those in a just civilization.

I couldn't serve on a jury in which a verdict could result in the death penalty for most crimes. I think Jesus was pretty clear that the old laws of an 'eye for an eye' were not sanctioned by God and needed to be redesigned.

But as some have noted, if there is no ultimate penalty, there is no incentive not to kill any witnesses. If there is no ultimate penalty, there is no incentive not to brutally torture, maim, and mutilate a victim. In my opinion there is a huge difference between the robber who shoots a victim in a moment of high stress or the violent reaction in a crime of passion and the guy who inflicts as much fear, grief, pain, and suffering upon his victim as possible. To me there is a difference between the guy who strikes and kills his neighbor in a moment of rage and the trucker who kidnapped and brutally raped a young girl, cut off her forearms, and left her naked in the middle of the highway to bleed to death or be struck by traffic. (She survived. I hope he didn't.)

So while my relgion does not take a position on this, my faith does permit me to support the death penalty in those extreme cases

Interesting. Your faith allows one man, an executioner to kill another, even in your faith vegeance belongs to God.

Of course, I may not have understood your view at all. I frequently don't.

 

[MizMolly]

Ironic that a lot of so-called Christians want to leave the judgement to God yet they are the first to judge other human beings for being "sinners' in their eyes.

 

[Newby]

Ironic that a lot of so-called Christians want to leave the judgement to God yet they are the first to judge other human beings for being "sinners' in their eyes.

Everyone is a sinner, which is what Christians believe, so how can they judge others of what they themselves are guilty of?

 

[LumpyPostage]

Which religions have 'an eye for an eye'? Does it relate to the death penalty? I have a friend who knows nothing about Buddhism and she mistakedly thought Buddhists were 'eye for an eye' proponents.

"Eye for an eye" is a poor translation of the Hebrew texts in Leviticus and elsewhere that say fines should be commensurate with damages. It is not literal.

So it's not Jewish.

Jesus said an eye for an eye was not the best idea. Everyone should turn the other cheek.

So it's not Christian.