- Mar 28, 2005
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We are actually on the same side, so there is no argument from me about what you are saying.Well, it was great to hear that you have testimonies of domestic abusers who turned their lives around through our Savior. Very encouraging.
However, I never suggested that there should be no penalty for crimes. Here is something I have seen over and over though, that it seems the Father does not ALWAYS want people to go to jail for their crimes. I have heard so many testimonies (one of my favorite sources is the Precious Testimonies channel, which has real get down and get real and sometimes get "dirty" confessions and testimonies.)
I have heard testimonies from high level satanists who apparently were into human sacrifice, bikers who committed murder. and so on And over and over they talked of illegal drugs they used. Messiah turned their lives around and He didn't tell them, "Turn yourself in and go to prison." Honestly I think that if everyone went to jail who has broken the law, especially those who do drugs, that the streets would be kinda bare out there! Ditto many schools, hospitals, well you name it. There wouldn't be room for them all.
It's up to the Father who goes to jail and who does not. Many have turned their lives around and have served their Churches and other believers. What good would they be in jail? Again, I'm not saying no one should go there. If someone is violent or threatening then that person absolutely needs to be incarcerated. Not just them of course.
But think about it. Where in the Bible do we see a system of justice such as in this country has, and most countries have? What we see are people living in cages, so often just learning more crimes and making more bad contacts, even getting drugs in prison. inappropriate content flows like water. there, not to mention horrific sex crimes. How is that helping anyone? What is the rehabilitation rate there? Well, it ain't good!
The Bible says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I'm sure many men and women in those cages would be happy to give up an eye or a tooth so that they could go home and be with their families and support them.
Again, if they are dangerous, great lock them up. Or if the Father wants them in jail for any reason, great, He's the Boss and it will happen. But I don't see that prison, generally, is the answer personally in all cases where the law has been broken. I see prisons as perpetuating more crime and more dysfunction.
it is just that I am coming from the direction of one whose professional career for 10 years was with the Ministry of Justice advising domestic violence victims.
All domestic violence is dangerous for the victim, and has the absolute potential to end up in homicide if effective intervention is not done. It starts with criticism and putdowns (psychological DV), to push and shoving, punching holes in walls, throwing meals, threats of violence, misquotes of Scripture (in the case of Christian offenders), and this is Threatening Language/Behaviour under the Summary Offences Act (in NZ, with max 1 yr in prison). Then it progresses to punching, hitting with fists or a weapon of some kind (Male assaults Female, Crimes Act, max 2 years in prison), then it can progress to stabbing, strangling, or shooting (Wounding with Intend to Cause Grievous Bodily Harm, I think 5 yrs max in prison), and this can lead to actual homicide (In NZ that is a life sentence).
Domestic Violence never goes away without effective intervention, and usually ends the relationship and a Protection Order from the court served on the offender (Max 2yrs prison for breaches). With a Protection Order, the offender is not permitted to abuse or threaten the victim in any way, and even criticism can be seen as a breach and the police can be called and cart the offender off in handcuffs. Also with a Protection Order, the offender and victim can continue living together, but the offender has to leave immediately the victim does not want him there. If he refuses to go, that is a breach, and the police can cart him away to end up back in Court on a criminal charge of breaching a Court Protection Order.
There was a case where a husband and wife attended the same church and one of the conditions of his bail was that he had no contact with his wife, so either he or she had to go to another church. I remember reading about a case, I think on CF a number of years ago that the wife had to leave the church because the abusing husband was the worship leader and the pastor refused to have him stand down because he believed that the wife was responsible for his actions!
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