Baptist view of capital punishment

[LuxPerpetua]

The reason I'm asking is that I know that the Lutheran church is, like most Baptists, very much against abortion but it approves of the death penalty as an "instrument" of government. So, I was wondering if the Baptist position is similar or not. I was raised Southern Baptist, and to my knowledge, this was never discussed in church, although we did get quite an earful about abortion. To this day, I'm unclear as to which side most Baptists lean in this regard. Any and all info would be helpful and appreciated.

My browser has been having trouble pulling up links lately, so if you do post a link (for the benefit of others besides myself) could you also summarize the content for me, pretty please?

Blessings and peace all!

 

[Gold Dragon]

I do not believe that the bible opposes capital punishment as a valid form of societal justice as evidenced by the number of sins in the Jewish law that are deserving of stoning.

However, I also think Jesus' handling of the woman caught in adultery is a good example to consider for this topic.

John 8:3-11

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him,

"Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?"

They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them,

"He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her,

"Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?"

She said, "No one, Lord."

And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."

From this Jesus never denies that stoning is a just form of punishment for the woman. However he sees a better way. A way of grace that results in transformed lives.

I personally am not against capital punishment but I am also not for it because there may be better ways. I wouldn't mind if criminals were given the death penalty and then extended grace some way as a powerful image of Christianity. Families of victims probably wouldn't be supportive of this scenario.

I would have no problem if capital punishment was eliminated, which it is in Canada.

 

[RadG]

Another passage New Testament that shows an approval of Capital Punishment is in Acts 25. This is where Paul appeals to Caesar. In verse 11 he states that he doesn't object to being given the death penalty if he deserves it. Also our salvation relies in part on capital punishment. However like the guy before me I am not really for the death penalty but I am also not against it (But I would want to be sure that the person is really guilty of his crime). By the way I was shown the passage in Acts when a Sunday School teacher was doing a lesson on the Christian's view of Capital Punishment.

 

[TwinCrier]

There is a clear distinction between the shedding of innocent blood, such as a preborn baby, and the execution of a guilty offender of a crime unto death. If you reward a murderer with a life sentence, they have little reason to evaluate their life and get right with God.

 

[Kristi1]

God says an eye for an eye...

I stand in the middle on capital punshment, meaning I do support the death pentaly, however who am I to Judge those people, I cannot Judge then. Matthew 7:1.

I am 100% Prolife, I believe any abortion is Murder!!, plain and simple!!!


Remember God Loves you and so do I,

KristiAnn
AKA
MsGuidedAngel

 

[ZiSunka]

Any taking of human life sends the message that humans are disposable, that when we don't want them anymore, either because they are inconvenient or because they have done something terrible they should be gotten rid of.

Christ did away with the OT call for the death penalty when he forgave the woman taken in adultery. He exposed the inequity and cruelty of capital punishment. Not all who commit the same sin are punished the same way. Those we hate more receive death, but those with whom we are more sympathetic we pardon from the consequences their crimes have warranted.

Humans are never disposable. Every one of us is created in the image of God, everyone of us deserves death by God's standards. When is it okay to kill some, but pardon ourselves?

 

[Cright]

My personal opinion is that I'm for the death penalty. I do not believe that the bible opposes this form of punishment. I also do not believe that it should be used lightly. There should be eye-witnesses and DNA to get this type of punishment.

Abortion is absolutly wrong, no gray area there.. it's very plain.. I am pro-life all the way. I think that even with out any Christian influence in my life I would still be pro-life as I can't imagining that I would ever believe that the fetus is not a baby and the act is not murder.. seems really absurd to me!

just my $.02

Carina

 

[Kristi1]

My personal opinion is that I'm for the death penalty. I do not believe that the bible opposes this form of punishment. I also do not believe that it should be used lightly. There should be eye-witnesses and DNA to get this type of punishment.

Abortion is absolutly wrong, no gray area there.. it's very plain.. I am pro-life all the way. I think that even with out any Christian influence in my life I would still be pro-life as I can't imagining that I would ever believe that the fetus is not a baby and the act is not murder.. seems really absurd to me!

just my $.02

Carina

You know that Abortion is MURDER, it's a life once one cell and two cells, this is a life that God made for!!!!!!

Any Abortion in always MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exodus

CHAPTER 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.


Holy Bible -- King James Version

God says this, and I believe what He says!!!!!!!!!!!!


Remember, God is our Father in Heaven, He knows who Kills little babies!

Also remember God Loves you Unconditionally!!!

Love Always, \o/

KristiAnn
AKA
MsGuidedAngel

 

[SumTinWong]

I am Pro-Life. Period. I don't think it is right to kill an innocent child in the womb or to kill anyone when they are "bad". Whether it is right or wrong is irrelevent, though. Obviously if someone were to hurt my family I might change my mind...

George Carlin once remarked that it was funny that most Conservatives are all for the sanctity of life while you are in the womb, but once you are outside the womb you are fair game...

Jesus said there was a better way than an eye for an eye. Does anyone remember what that is?

 

[OracleX]

I am not sure if it is a Baptist view or not but it is mine that capital punishment has its place.

There is cause and effect. There are consquences to actions. Yes there is forgiveness and there is grace, but that does not mean we are excused from the consquences of the choices we make.

 

[SumTinWong]

There is cause and effect. There are consquences to actions. Yes there is forgiveness and there is grace, but that does not mean we are excused from the consquences of the choices we make.

Yes there are consequences to our actions but where did Jesus ever say when your fellow human being kills one of yours, kill one of his? When were we given the right to be the judge and jury? Didn't God say "vengence is mine"?

 

[Heatherondo]

This is something i have a very deep conviction about.

I believe that murderers need to be inprisioned for the saftey of the public, but i think that capitol punishment is just a legal form of murder.

Commiting a crime, does not take way their humainity.

I do not believe Jesus would be pro capitol punishment if he walked as aman here today.

Killing anyone is murder plain and simple. It appalls me to see Christians so gung ho about it, i have seen some extremes of this. They misquote the bible verses that say and eye for an eye, when we know Jesus himself rebuked that very concept.

TO think someone else desrves to die, IMO, is murder i your heart.

I have had people i have known murdered, my ex husband was shot at and robbed at gun point several times in our marriage in his work.

I would plead for the death penalty not to be sentenced even if my own mother or child were murdered.

I dont feel like it accomplishes anything but adding more sin into the lives of ppl

Killing someone for killing someone else just makes two families lose a loved one instead of one, its vengeful and hate driven.

 

[SumTinWong]

Not too mention if they are dead they have no chance of accepting Jesus as their Saviour which should be our primary concern.

 

[OracleX]

Not too mention if they are dead they have no chance of accepting Jesus as their Saviour which should be our primary concern.

Not that OT laws are all in place now but the same could be said about back then. Why would God put the death penality on sin in the OT and not give people a chance to change their life? Did God forgive sins in the OT? Was there grace in the OT? What is the difference?

Again, Christ died for our sins but that does not mean that we are immune to consequences.

Even those who do receive the death penality sit on death row for many many years at time. They do have a chance to repent. They do have a chance to seek forgiveness. If anything it makes a clear calling for evangelism to death row inmates because they do have a somewhat know date for when they die.

Don't get me wrong ... I am not saying to fry j-walkers. There are those who crimes are extreme to society who earn the right for the death penality.

This debate goes hand in hand on whether Christians should go to war or not.

 

[SumTinWong]

Even those who do receive the death penality sit on death row for many many years at time. They do have a chance to repent. They do have a chance to seek forgiveness. If anything it makes a clear calling for evangelism to death row inmates because they do have a somewhat know date for when they die.

What if the next day was the day they would have said yes to Jesus? I think about it this way: What if the day before I was saved, my life ended?

Don't get me wrong ... I am not saying to fry j-walkers. There are those who crimes are extreme to society who earn the right for the death penality.

I believe that the Grace of God covers everyone that asks, and I personally will not write off anyone, until they die. I know one thing I won't be the one who takes that last chance from them.

 

[OracleX]

What if the next day was the day they would have said yes to Jesus? I think about it this way: What if the day before I was saved, my life ended?

That is not different from anyone else out there - even the victims of those who lives are taken.

I believe that the Grace of God covers everyone that asks, and I personally will not write off anyone, until they die. I know one thing I won't be the one who takes that last chance from them.

So did God's law in the OT write people off whos crimes earned them the death penality?

 

[SumTinWong]

That is not different from anyone else out there - even the victims of those who lives are taken.

So because they robbed someone of the chance you think that gives us the right to rob someone of the chance to go to heaven? Sorry man, I can't be that way. I aint standing up in front of the Almighty and saying I took the revenge that was rightfully yours.

So did God's law in the OT write people off whos crimes earned them the death penality?

I guess I do not understand your question in light of my response. Can you clarify what you mean?

 

[Cright]

You know that Abortion is MURDER, it's a life once one cell and two cells, this is a life that God made for!!!!!!

Any Abortion in always MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





God says this, and I believe what He says!!!!!!!!!!!!


Remember, God is our Father in Heaven, He knows who Kills little babies!

Also remember God Loves you Unconditionally!!!

Love Always, \o/

KristiAnn
AKA
MsGuidedAngel

This was written in responce to my quote on page 1, I don't know if you were supporting what I was saying (because I agree w/ you)... or if you misunderstood and thought I did not belive abortion to be murder.
Just wanted to make sure it was clear that I think abortion IS murder and that capital punishment IS punishment.. and that they are different.

Thanks,
C

 

[OracleX]

So because they robbed someone of the chance you think that gives us the right to rob someone of the chance to go to heaven? Sorry man, I can't be that way. I aint standing up in front of the Almighty and saying I took the revenge that was rightfully yours.

I was not talking about revenge but justice. There are laws on earth that must be followed and Christ has told us to submit ourselves to these laws. This is not about revenge but justice. The death penality is something that IMO is earned by those who break the law. If anything, those who are on death row are probably gonna think more about life after death then those who serve a life sentence. This is also partly why there is strong prison ministries in states that hold the death penality.

Again .... not revenge ... justice.

I guess I do not understand your question in light of my response. Can you clarify what you mean?

OK in the OT when God laid down the laws of the land, there was the death penality for certain sins. In some cases yes God executed these death penalities Himself and swallowed up those who broke the laws. But others, God left it up to those who were in power to excute justice. So in the OT when God had the death penality in place for different sins, was He robbing those people the chance to turn thier life around? You need to remember that God does not change. The difference between the OT and NT is the cross, but does that mean that the death penality was no longer needed? No we do not stone witches anymore, but did the cross do away with justice on earth?

Again this is my opinion. Do you think that Christians should go to war? Is there a difference between the death penality and killing someone in a war? Maybe a good one for a new thread.

 

[OracleX]

This was written in responce to my quote on page 1, I don't know if you were supporting what I was saying (because I agree w/ you)... or if you misunderstood and thought I did not belive abortion to be murder.
Just wanted to make sure it was clear that I think abortion IS murder and that capital punishment IS punishment.. and that they are different.

Thanks,
C

I agree with you Cright. There is a big difference here.

Abortion is murder plain and simple. A most disgusting type of murder.

Capital punishment is punishment. It is justices for crimes committed here on Earth. There is judgement and justice on Earth, and there will be the final judgement and justice before God.