🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4142@master.CNA.TEK.COM> mikeq@freddy.CNA.TEK.COM (Mike Quigley) writes:
>
>As noted by one TV reporter, many of those gathered outside the prison
>to SUPPORT THE HANGING where CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISTS and RIGHT TO
>LIFERS!
>
>So much for thou shalt not kill and sanctity of life!
>
>Mike

Normally I just watch these debates and say nothing.  However, Mike is not
representing the Biblical perspective correctly here.  Two points:

  1. A correct translation of Exodus 20:13, which appears in the King James
     (*not* the language in common use today, incidentally!) as "Thou shalt
     not kill" is given in the New American Standard Bible, one of the most
     scholarly (and correct) translations, as "You shall not commit murder."
     The only other modern translation I have here at work, the New
     International Version, says "You shall not murder."  An execution, such
     as occurred this morning, does not fall under this provision.  See next
     point.

  2. If you are going to take things in the context of the Old Testament,
     which is where Exodus is located, capital punishment is the *only*
     punishment given for many crimes.  "You shalt not commit murder" is
     totally consistent with capital punishment in the Old Testament.

The issue gets a bit more clouded in the light of the New Testament.  However,
read Romans 12:17-13:7.  Two bits from there which together would seem to
support the government's right to carry out capital punishment:
  12:19 - "Do not take revenge... but leave room for God's wrath."
  13:4  - "He [authorities] is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring
	   punishment on the wrongdoer."
Please read the entire passage to get the context before responding to what
I've included here.

Another comment...  The "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot
for foot, burn for burn, bruise for bruise" provision (Exodus 21:24,25) was
a *limiting* law.  Feuds which boil up with each side doing progressively 
more violent things to the other side were effectively eliminated by this.
It was *not* a way of justifying major revenge.

David Eby
Tektronix, Inc