Should Christians Be Opposed to Capital Punishment?
http://www.otse.org http://www.clevedp.org http://www.kennyrichey.org http://www.amnesty.org
Most of the predominantly Christian nations of the world have outlawed capital punishment. From Matthew to John 8: 7 the Gospel is full of Christ's infinite mercy, compassion, the universal forgiveness of the Good Shepherd. The officially Episcopalian nation of the UK, the Quakers or Friends, the Mennonites, Pat Robertson, Pope John Paul II, Sr. Helen Prejean, all US Catholic bishops are some of the those who stoned Stephen and himself was involved in military campaigns against Christians. Yet no Christian asked for or was involved in his death, only Roman conquerors.
4. Cain, David, and Moses killed in jealousy, lust, and anger. God
protected all of them from retribution.
5. Paul, Cain, David, Moses, and others received mercy. Jesus says in the Sermon On The Mount:
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Exodus' Ten Commandments: "Thou Shalt Not Kill" is not asterisked
to say 'this does not include state murder'. Earlier translations of the Bible say 'kill' and not 'murder', because all killing was forbidden, whether or not the Israelites were ready for this message from God. While Moses (Exodus 6: 9) found that the Israelites, their Spirits quenched by slavery, were not ready for the highest teaching, we pray all are ready now.
7. Alcohol, drugs, some psychiatric medications and other substances make lesions in the aurejean: (paraphrased) Those who believe in the death penalty identify the condemned with the worst moment of his (or her) life.. None of us is the worst thing we have done. We do not rape the rapist. We do not batter the batterer.
12. Someone from NCR has compared those governors who say they are upholding the law in executing .. to Pontius Pilate.
13. Luke 4: 18-19 Like the Sermon On The Mount this is one of many passages in which Jesus speaks of the divine mission of helping the poor. Virtually no millionaires are executed in the United States, and proportionately fewer whites on death row than blacks.
14. Mary Alice Davis, editorial writer of the Austin American Statesman: The crucifix, the most famous symbol of execution
15. In replacing the Levitical law of retribution with His Law of
Love, Jesus transcended Leviticus.
16. Isaiah 1: 11: I delight not in your blood sacrifice.
17. Isaiah 65 : They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all mt God whispers individual marching orders
to each person.
20. Bettie Beets quoting Jesus: What God hath joined together let no one put asunder. No one but God has the power to put the body
asunder.
21. Father Forgive them for they know not what they do.. said Jesus
as he hung suffocating on the
cross. If Jesus could forgive crucifiers, He calls on you and me to
forgive all. . If Jesus were here now, perhaps he would say "let
those without sin inject the first lethal injection.. let those
without sin throw the first electric chair switch". 22. Isaiah 59:
They hasten to shed innocent blood. (Governor Ryan of Illinois in the
US began a permanent moratorium on the death penalty after being
convinced that at least 14% of those executed, per DNA evidence, were
innocent.)
23. Deuteronomy states that more than 1 witness is
required to establish guilt or innocence, yet in Texas 1 witness sent
some to death row.
24. Numbers also echoes Deuteronomy.s Jesus
Christ, convicted of a felony by a combination of Caesar and
those who rejected His message.
28. Suffer the little children to come unto me. The United States
is one of a handful of nations still executing juveniles. Others
are Iran, Yemen, Nigeria, and perhaps China. Half of those
executed have been in Texas. 29. Most predominantly Christian
nations in the world have banned the death penalty. 106 nations
(perhaps more) have outlawed state murder.
29. We are commanded to forgive 70 x 7 times, which many
interpret to mean we are commanded to give infinite times.
It is for God and not us to render judgment.
30. In the Sermon On the Mount, Jesus said we should visit
the imprisoned, not murder them in the name of the state.
31. Mat 27:16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
Jesus had the power to stop the release of the political revolutionary
Barabbas who believed in the use of violence to overthrow
occupying powersg Civil War). C. The United
States is one of six countries which still execute juveniles. Iran,
Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia also execute juveniles. D. The United
States has executed the citizens of Germany, Mexico, and Canada,
despite protests of these governments that international law
procedures were not followed. E. The United States has executed
retarded people, F. While twelve states and the District of Columbia
have outlawed the death penalty, the unelected members of the Justice
Dept. have sometimes swept into a community, says Senator Russ
Feingold of Wisconsin, taken over the investigation of a murder, and
pressed for the death penalty even when the people of that state have
outlawed it. G. Many Christian denominations have taken permanent
stands against the death penalty. G1. In "The Kingdom of God Is
Within You" Leo Tolstoy whose nonviolence ignited Martin Luther King
wrote that Christians should not be involved in executions. H. One
state e been subjected to medical
experimentation and to mind control projects. III PROTECTION FROM
RAPE, VIOLENCE, THEFT: All prisons need to upgrade protection from
violence, rape, and theft at the hands of other prisoners and guards.
IV LEGAL RIGHTS: . universal access to DNA testing if wished .
universal access to good lawyers and law support Internet tools, law
books etc. . Redress from prosecutorial persecution . reasonable
access to governor, prosectors, parole board, attorneys, media etc. V
COMMUNICATION TOOLS: need to be accessible to all. . Mail privileges
should be respected. . MCI as of this writing is the worst offender
in profiting by exorbitant collect call rates. Television, radio,
computers, stamps for mail, etc. VI DIETARY FREEDOM: . dietary
freedom: vegetarian, kosher, no pork, diabetic and other diets should
be respected. A wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables should be
available to all. VII: INTIMACY: Conjugal rights besides keeping dou
for ending executions everywhere.
Listen on web to show on abolition of death penalty
http://www.wamu.org Diane Rehm Show archives
A recent ABC poll had 45% in favor of state sanctioned murder
and 43% opposed
A Maryland study on racist execution patterns showed that 80%
of the victims in Maryland are black, but virtually all of
the blacks on death row in Maryland were sentenced not for
allegedly killing blacks but whites
The Innocence Project has freed many through DNA tests, attorney
services etc.
Prosecutor Gilchrist in Oklahoma tampered with evidence in
at least 16 cases in which some were sent to death row or
executed.
Some are asking for the resignation of John McAdams, execution
proponent, since he is on the faculty of Marquette. The vast
majority of Catholics follow Christ in opposing the death penalty.
1. The death penalty is not a deterrent say European Union studies
2. Around 108 nations in the world have banne d sBR>http://www.amnesty.org
http://www.aclu.org
http://www.ccadp.org
http://www.cuadp.org
http://www.tcadp.org
http://www.otse.org
http://www.egroups.com/messages/ohioabolition
http://www.smu.edu/~deathpen
http://www.prejean.org
Beautiful words: mercy, compassion, acquittal, amnesty, absolution,
forgiveness,
exoneration, freedom, transformation, reform.
