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GTA Space Ads - CAPITAL PUNISHMENT A CHRISTIAN DILEMMA?«Return to GTA Space Ads
CRIME RUNS RAMPANT
Today your chances of being the victim of violent crime are greater than being injured in an auto accident. Why is North America reeling under the massive assault of crime? Why do criminals go unpunished; why do murderers sometimes serve no time at all; sometimes serve only a few years for killing another human being?
A SPINELESS JUSTICE SYSTEM
Why are thousands kept alive on so-called "death rows" in prisons, their lives prolonged by appeal after appeal, while their victims have long been buried? It's time we learn what the Bible says about crime; what God thinks of weak, insipid judges, lawyers and a spineless, ineffectual, chaotic "criminal justice" system.
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON
King Solomon was well known for being a wise man. He had a good understanding of how to deal with this problem. He said, "When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong" (Ecc. 8:11). The law should be clear and easy to understand. True justice and fairness can be achieved only when the punishment fits the crime. When the law is not clearly defined, people argue over right and wrong. For example, many people debate over abortion, whether it's right or wrong. Actually, there is no debate. Abortion is an atrocity which is a sin against God and a crime against humanity. Life begins at conception. Therefore, abortion is murder.
THE CAUSE OF CRIME
God's laws were given to us for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they show us the difference between right and wrong. One book in the Bible contains more murder, mayhem and chaos than any other. The reason for that is clear. It was because "everyone did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25/. When our society rejects God's laws and principles, we are headed for disaster.
THE DEATH PENALTY
We need a system that puts the rights of the victim first. Some family members of victims want to take matters into their own hands because they have lost confidence in the justice system. That would not be necessary if the authorities would administer true justice. If a man raped and murdered a 12 year old girl, there are some in the system who believe they should rehabilitate him and let him go. But how would the girl's mother feel? It's only right and it's only fair for her mother to want an appropriate penalty to be paid. The question remains - is God for the death penalty? The answer is yes, because he instituted the death penalty in the first place.
PUNISHMENT SHOULD FIT THE CRIME
It is difficult to imagine the effect of a violent murder on the surviving family. The execution of a murderer, while it does nothing to bring back the dead, does have value in resolving the matter for those who love the victim. Did the victim's life have any value? Just what was it worth? Was it worth less than a life? The biblical system of punishment served to define the difference between right and wrong. Seen in this light, the death penalty is essential because it is the only way to define the evil of murder. Any lesser penalty diminishes the value of human life.
LIFE FOR LIFE
In the legal system established by God, the punishment did fit the crime. There was never a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict. If someone killed another person, they were guilty even if they were crazy or claimed to be. There was no need for a psychological examination. The victim was dead and the criminal must die. "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, bruise for bruise" (Ex. 21:23-25). If you come from the Judeo-Christian tradition, you cannot argue successfully against the death penalty by appealing to the sacredness of human life. The very fact that a human life is sacred to God requires that those who would take a human life must pay with their own.
SOLID ANSWERS - NO DILEMMA
When God's government is established on earth in the near future, there will be fairness and true justice. No more will a man escape justice if he is a celebrity and has lots of money. No more will people have to endure a so-called "trial" which is nothing more than a circus or a carnival side show. If punishment is to make a statement about crime, the death of the murderer must not be honorable. He must die in disgrace and in contempt. If he took a life in violence, his death should be violent. What our society needs is not to see a murderer interviewed on television, but to see his body swinging from a rope in a public square.
CHRIST TO MAKE WARS
The Bible states, "with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked" (Isa. 11:4). That means when Christ returns soon to this earth, his command will be to execute capital punishment on those who so richly deserve it. Christ will carry out the death penalty with his own hands. "With justice he judges and makes war... And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:11, 20). Today it doesn't matter if people think we will not have capital punishment in the future because it's going to happen anyway whether people believe it or not.
Note: At this point in the text, ad local contact information, a link to the web site and any information regarding the television or radio program heard in your area. You could also offer a booklet or tape here. Include the HQ address as part of this booklet or tape offer.
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