Baptist View on Capitol Punishment

[righteousdude2]

I guess I failed miserably to get the type of data and comments that I needed for my book (in a different post on sin).

So, I'll start over... I'll go sin by sin, to get your comments and most importantly, the numbers from a poll. Your answers are needed, and your participation in the poll is essential if I'm going to get the kind of data I need to draw conclusions from for my book.

Again, if you comment, please let me know if it's OK to use your comment. Your name will not be used in any way.:thumbs:

THANKS!!!

Shalom,

Pastor Paul :type:

 

[Dr. Bob]

Killing Washington DC has crossed my mind.

After all, that WOULD be "capitol" punishment. :type:

 

[saturneptune]

The thought has crossed my mind many times to take every politician now in power, especially at the federal level, every lobbyist, and any other such vermon, and indict them for stealing from the American people and economic terrorism. Upon conviction, take everyone of them, and put them in the care of the famous Arizona sheriff. Pay him one million dollars a year to take the job.

 

[Jim1999]

It was common among Baptists of old to accept capital punishment and generally based on Old Testament teaching.

It was thought to be a deterrent to capital crimes. As John Diefenbaker pointed out, theft was punishable by public hanging, and whilst three men were being hanged, many viewers had their pockets picked. Some deterrent.

Then, an 18 year old lad was the last person to be hanged in England. Twenty-five years later, the Parliament send a letter of apology to the family for the error of hanging an innocent lad!

Nine men sat on death row in Illinois until a law students proved all of the innocent by dna. They were released and Illinois held off on capital punishment.

A young lad was found guilty in Canada of murdering a young girl. He was sentenced to be hanged. His sentence was changed by Prime Minister Diefenbaker to life. It has taken some 45 years to prove his innocence, and after living an honourable life is is finally free. He would have been hanged!

On the other hand, the last hanging in Canada, was two men who did kill a police officer in Toronto. There was absolutely no doubt about their terminating the police officers life. Did this justify capital punishment for the crime?

Personally, I have opposed capital punishment on biblical grounds, believing that the Bible teaches forgiveness and not capital death.

In Canada, I would say the majority of evangelical Baptists still support capital punishment.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Peggy]

I consider myself pro-life from conception to natural death. The death penalty is not a natural death.

I know the state is given the authority by God to use the death penalty under certain circumstances, but I don't see how that is a deterrent for crime. People commit heinous crimes even when they know there is a possible death sentence.

Life in prison without possiblilty of parole is a living death sentence. It is punishment, it keeps the perp out of society, and may bring him to repentence and salvation.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I suppose that even today with DNA testing, there can be mistakes made and innocent people sent to prison, but it is not as common as it once was when the testimony of one person could convict someone, fingerprints were unknown, DNA was unknown, and someone was convicted because he had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or he looked like the actual guilty person. It is said that we all have a double in this world. I feel sorry for anyone who looks like me. :laugh:

I forgot to mention: I am for capital punishment. It might not prevent others from committing murder, but you can be absolutely sure that the executed person won't do it again.

 

[Cutter]

The State has the authority and the right to render capital punishment, therefore I believe the right should be exercised for the safety of the citizens and as a deterrent to crime. If other criminals do not learn from it, the vermin that committed the crime, worthy of execution, will not be able to do it again.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

 

[Dale-c]

an eye for an eye.

I did not like the options. What about the new testament promoting it?
have you not read Romans 13?
Why would a ruler bear a sword?

Peggy, we are sinners and all will sin regardless of consequences but I guarantee you that the more often we execute murderers, the less murder there will be. And it IS biblical.

 

[Crabtownboy]

The State has the authority and the right to render capital punishment, therefore I believe the right should be exercised for the safety of the citizens and as a deterrent to crime. If other criminals do not learn from it, the vermin that committed the crime, worthy of execution, will not be able to do it again.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Do you have any sympathy for those who are on death row but are innocent. With DNA testing more and more people are being found to be innocent of the crime that put them there. There is no doubt that some innocent people have died on death row.

 

[Dale-c]

Cutter, that is a great point.

Those that will not be deterred by others hanging will then be hanged themselves. After that, they will never kill again.

If you are pro life then you are anti murder. If you are anti murder then you should accept what the Bible says about murder and that is that if a man shed a mans blood, then by man shall his (the murderers) blood be shed.

Of course you can show instances of bad justice but how does that make a case against capital punishment?
For every 1 man who has been executed wrongfully, I bet there are 5 men who have been put in prison innocently.
Now are you going to say we should have no prisons either?

 

[Dale-c]

Crabtown, of course we have sympathy for those who are convicted but are innocent.

My dad is a county jail chaplain and he says he is convinced that many people in jail did not actually do what they were charged with, but they usually did something else equally as bad that got them in trouble in the first place.

Also, you know it takes years to execute someone, right?


The fact that they mess up sometimes means that they need to be more careful, not put the murderers back on the street.

 

[Timsings]

I am absolutely opposed to capital punishment. My reading of the Bible tells me that all human beings are sinful, finite beings. Our knowledge is always incomplete. Our ability to know is always incomplete. Therefore, we are always in danger of making mistakes, and we are willing to rationalize our mistakes to achieve our own ends. Capital punishment is an absolute act because we cannot reverse it. Therefore, human beings have no business carrying out absolute actions. When we do so we presume to have the kind of knowledge that God claims. That makes our attempts to carry out capital punishment a form of idolatry.

Tim Reynolds

 

[JOAN OF ARC]

.
Is Biblical per the Old Testament.
.

 

[Trotter]

I am for it and think that the list of acts that can merit it should be enlarged.

 

[jaigner]

I consider myself pro-life from conception to natural death. The death penalty is not a natural death.

I know the state is given the authority by God to use the death penalty under certain circumstances, but I don't see how that is a deterrent for crime. People commit heinous crimes even when they know there is a possible death sentence.

Life in prison without possiblilty of parole is a living death sentence. It is punishment, it keeps the perp out of society, and may bring him to repentence and salvation.

This is a great post, in my opinion. Good job.

 

[Deacon]

I'm for capital punishment but our legal system is has been perverted, justice is uneven ... so for the present time it should only be used sparingly.

Rob

 

[Alcott]

There is no doubt that some innocent people have died on death row.

If I were innocent of the crime that convicted me, I would prefer the death penalty to even a few months in jail/prison/death row.

 

[Dale-c]

Timsings, that all sounds great except for the little fact that the same Bible that you speak of is what instituted capital punishment.

You can't deny capital punishment is is in the Bible.

 

[Timsings]

Timsings, that all sounds great except for the little fact that the same Bible that you speak of is what instituted capital punishment.

You can't deny capital punishment is in the Bible.

While it is true that capital punishment is not only in the Bible, but also prescribed in the Bible, it is also true that it was not instituted by the Bible. It existed as a legal remedy long before the Bible, even before the time of Abraham. What the OT did was to tone down the practice. "An eye for an eye" was actually a progressive improvement over the normal practice at the time. That suggests that there might be more grounds for eventually doing away with the practice than those I've mentioned already.

Tim Reynolds

 

[Mexdeaf]

I guess I failed miserably to get the type of data and comments that I needed for my book (in a different post on sin).

So, I'll start over... I'll go sin by sin, to get your comments and most importantly, the numbers from a poll. Your answers are needed, and your participation in the poll is essential if I'm going to get the kind of data I need to draw conclusions from for my book.

Again, if you comment, please let me know if it's OK to use your comment. Your name will not be used in any way.:thumbs:

THANKS!!!

Shalom,

Pastor Paul :type:

You do realize that the BB is a very small microcosm of Christianity? I hope this is not the only source that you are drawing stats from.