True Christians should support the death penalty.

1 Peter 2:13-14--- "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well." Heb. 9:22--- "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." These arguments my opponent has conceded. His silence on them give them to me without question. VOTERS: PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS. I have yet more verses to back my claim... 2 Thes. 2:15--- "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." That includes the death penalty. After all, "the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood", and the law was a bunch of teachings passed on to us. Mark 12:9--- "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." Note that Jesus says this in one of His parables. Jesus never gives bad examples. You might want to look at the verses surrounding verse 9 just to understand the context. Get this one... Rom. 1:32--- "Although they know GOD'S RIGHTEOUS DECREE that those who do such things DESERVE DEATH, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." God's righteous decree. Yes, the same God who supports the death penalty in the Old Testament. God teaches charity and peace, but also justice. If you think you can find a way around the other verses I quoted (and I don't think you can) You cannot find a way around Romans 1:32. It puts it plainly. God's righteous decree = some people deserve death. In the New Testament too. "Take a look at John 8:1-11...'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'" Jesus is teaching us His Great Work: He came to seek and to save those who are lost. Also... " He builds upon an uncontested maxim in morality, that it is very absurd for men to be zealous in punishing the offences of others, while they are every whit as guilty themselves, and they are not better than self-condemned who judge others, and yet themselves do the same thing: "If there be any of you who is without sin, without sin of this nature, that has not some time or other been guilty of fornication or adultery, let him cast the first stone at her.' Not that magistrates, who are conscious of guilt themselves, should therefore connive at others' guilt. But therefore, (a.) Whenever we find fault with others, we ought to reflect upon ourselves, and to be more severe against sin in ourselves than in others. (b.) We ought to be favourable, though not to the sins, yet to the persons, of those that offend, and to restore them with a spirit of meekness, considering ourselves and our own corrupt nature. Aut sumus, aut fuimus, vel possumus esse quod hic est—We either are, or have been, or may be, what he is. Let this restrain us from throwing stones at our brethren, and proclaiming their faults. Let him that is without sin begin such discourse as this, and then those that are truly humbled for their own sins will blush at it, and be glad to let it drop. (c.) Those that are any way obliged to animadvert upon the faults of others are concerned to look well to themselves, and keep themselves pure (Mt. 7:5), Qui alterum incusat probri, ipsum se intueri oportet. The snuffers of the tabernacle were of pure gold." Perhaps he refers to the trial of the suspected wife by the jealous husband with the waters of jealousy. The man was to bring her to the priest (Num. 5:15), as the scribes and Pharisees brought this woman to Christ. Now it was a received opinion among the Jews, and confirmed by experience, that if the husband who brought his wife to that trial had himself been at any time guilty of adultery, Aquae non explorant ejus uxorem—The bitter water had no effect upon the wife. "Come then,' saith Christ, "according to your own tradition will I judge you; if you are without sin, stand to the charge, and let the adulteress be executed; but if not, though she be guilty, while you that present her are equally so, according to your own rule she shall be free.'" " This is actually me talking again... Above is a quote from Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible. I could not summarize it and do it justice, so bear with me. It give a good explaination of the situation, and shows that Jesus is not discounting the death penalty. "Jesus knew that all men was guilty of death by the law, so he took that punishment for all man-kind." Tool the punishment of eternal damnation from some, yes. He did not take away our accountability to earthly governments. "Tell them that Jesus Christ did not support the use of the death penalty they call you a liar!" I have never called you a liar, and anyone who does is wrong to do so. I think you are misinterprating scripture, but you are by no means a liar. "Well the law of the land says the death penalty is to be used in certain cases, but guess what that is only if the law of the land is not in contradiction to the laws of God." Rom. 1:32--- "Although they know GOD'S RIGHTEOUS DECREE that those who do such things DESERVE DEATH, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." GOD'S RIGHTEOUS DECREE. "Jesus taught about charity and love for our fellow man. Turn the other cheek. No more "eye for an eye" philosophy." Yes He did, but He also taught about justice. Turn the other cheek is in reference to revenge. If someone does us wrong, we are not to seek revenge. I have already addressed this; the same goes for "and eye for an eye". Thank you for the fun and lively debate! I really enjoyed it! VOTERS: READ THE WHOLE DEBATE BEFORE VOTING!!!!! Thanks! Renzzy