From: ptfarre@afterlife.ncsc.mil (Peter Farrell)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Death Penalty
Date: 12 Jan 93 10:10:03 GMT
Organization: The Great Beyond

In article <Jan.11.03.34.27.1993.21025@geneva.rutgers.edu> dvp@oasis.icl.co.uk (Dave Parry) writes:
>Whilst I accept the need for the death penalty, I find it harder to
>accept that, as a blanket statement, that God says all who murder
>should die in return (paraphrasing of course). The problem I find with
>so many of God's biblical statements in the bible is that they appear
>to only deal with black and white situations. If God is all knowing
>and understanding, then surely he knows that each individual is a
>product of his/her environment and the conditioning they have been
>exposed to. Now I know that doesn't excuse people from knowing the
>difference between right and wrong, but I believe that some people,
>because of their 'conditioning', are better able to resist temptation,
>are better able to walk the 'right path' and hence should (ultimately)
>be judged taking everything into account. 
>
>For example; the commandment states: "Thou shalt not steal"
>
>Person A is born into a comfortable, loving home, has a happy
>childhood, wants for nothing. As a teenager, he gets bored easily and,
>for kicks, goes shoplifting.
>
>Person B is born into a ghetto, one of many children, all who are
>hungry. He learns fast that you have to be quick and sly to survive.
>He believes that it's every man for himself and believes that only the
>strong survive. he steals, he robs, he mugs etc. etc. 
>
>Who has commited the greater sin? Are each to be damned?
>
>I can't believe that God works in absolutes like this and therefore
>can't accept that biblical law, with all it's apparent savagery, is
>the 'answer'.
>
>Just a thought.
>
>Dave

This is a classic example of how moral relativism has crept into the
church; situation A is posited and the question is put: do we REALLY
have to kill this guy?  does God REALLY work that way?

I usually refrain from posting to this group as of late; but this
requires public response.

Observe that Jesus, as God, is also the being who gave the Law itself
with all its harsh consequences and requirements.  Let anyone out there
find us an example (NT or otherwise) where Jesus says our actions have
no moral consequences.  Let anyone out there find us an example where
Jesus explicitly repudiates the death penalty.  Let anyone out there
find us an example where Jesus teaches that as a result of his example,
the state should henceforth cease performing retributive justice on
behalf of murder victims and their families.

It never ceases to amaze me how some people find the concept of traditional
Biblical justice to be so difficult.  This is PRECISELY why He had to
come and die on our behalf.  The answer to situation A (or B or C) is
YES. God IS that absolute.  He is absolutely God. He is absolutely
righteous; no shortcuts, no deals, no plea bargains, no excuses. It is
either wholly grace by which a person is saved, or it is the Law, a
code which no mortal being can surpass.

May those of you who stumble over this never have to find yourselves
the victim of a violent crime.  For some, however, that may be the
only chance they ever have of (rightly) changing their minds.



-- 
Peter Farrell			| "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, 
ptfarre@afterlife.ncsc.mil 	| shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he
				| who does the will of my Father in heaven."