Pastor/judge threatened with impeachment

I don't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, if I supported the woman in Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses to homosexuals, then I guess I have to support tis guy to be consistent. But I get the feeling that his was a political decision, not one based on his religious beliefs or on the law.

 

From the article: “Making a public statement about a case in which he was still involved reeks of bias. Setting aside the merits of the case itself, Griffen attacked the integrity of our legal system by showing some parties can’t get a fair trial in his court.”

Agree with this. He needs to be impeached.

 

Agreed. I really do not know why a pastor would oppose the death penalty.

 

Christians who oppose the death penalty often do so out of an abundance of mercy, giving every opportunity for the condemned one to repentance. There are often other reasons, but that's the one I hear the most. I happen to know quite a few Christians who claim pacifism, which also includes opposition to the death penalty. While I appreciate the pacifist position, I don't agree with it.

When I talk to them about their pacifist position, I will often ask if they would call the police if there is a crime being committed in front of them - everything from a minor theft to murder or rape. In every case, they vigorously affirm that they would call the police. Then, I point out that all they are doing is asking someone else to use force on behalf of society and/or themselves. Therefore, they are not truly pacifists.

That usually ends the conversation because they don't want to talk to me about it anymore...

 

Maybe...."Thou shall not kill"

 

"Thou shalt not murder" would be more accurate.

 

You can oppose the death penalty for practical reasons, too.

For instance, I'm not philosophically opposed to the death penalty, but I mostly oppose it in practice. Why? I want people to have every opportunity to prove their innocence. Our justice system isn't perfect, and we've almost certainly executed innocent people. I'd rather give them life without parole, which allows for that opportunity to correct mistakes before they are permanent.

That being said, I don't really object to an execution of a murderer who is very clearly guilty. If the evidence of guilt is crystal clear, I wouldn't lose any sleep over a lethal injection.

 

Not according to my bible. It says "kill", no mention of murder.

 

Then you have a translation. The original Hebrew clearly states "murder".

 

The word "ratsach", commonly translated as "to kill" doesn't always mean murder, but most of the time, it does.

When you look at the context, as well as the harmony of scripture, it's pretty clear that it means "to murder" in this case.

 

So then what should a pastor do with Romans 13, which tells us that God has granted the government the authority to carry out capital punishment?

 

Yes thank you. I don't have my concordance with me but yes. Read the way it is originally written the KIV editors did a disservice with this one.

 

Then he obviously has poor interpretation of scripture.

 

How do you explain the killing of men, women, children, and babies that was directly ordered by God?