36 Reasons Many Christians Oppose The Death Penalty

36 REASONS THAT MANY CHRISTIANS SUPPORT ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY

In John 8: 7 Jesus stands between a mob and a woman they are executing telling them to put down the stones
unless they are without sin.. preventing a capital punishment in progress.
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Micah says: GOD WHO IS COMPASSION IS THROWING OUR INIQUITIES
(SINS) INTO THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN


Most of the predominantly Christian nations of the world have outlawed capital punishment. From Matthew to John 8: 7 the Gospel is full of Christ's infinite mercy, compassion, the universal forgiveness of the Good Shepherd. The officially Episcopalian nation of the UK, the Quakers or Friends, the Mennonites, Pat Robertson, Catholic popes for
several decades, Sr. Helen Prejean, all US Catholic bishops are some of the hundreds of millions of Christians asking for a moratorium on or end to the death penalty.

Abba in Jesus' name cancel all executions everywhere
now and forever. There are many Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Sufis, Jains and other religions represented well in the abolition movement as well as many agnostics and atheists.

1. Jesus stopped a capital punishment in progress, as a woman was being stoned to death. He said that those without sin should cast the first stone. The Levitical law of the old Testament had mandated executions for adultery for both participants. It is interesting that only the woman was brought for stoning in this incident. Jesus
sacrificed Himself but He would not sacrifice others.
2. As Jesus had a Last Supper, so do all executed people. One mentally challenged man executed in the US was so unconscious he did not realize he could not save his dessert for later.
3. Paul held the coats of those who stoned Stephen and himself was involved in military campaigns against Christians. Yet no Christian asked for or was involved in his death, only Roman conquerors.
4. Cain, David, and Moses killed in jealousy, lust, and anger. God protected all of them from retribution. They received mercy.
5. Jesus says in the Sermon On The Mount:
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Exodus' Ten Commandments: "Thou Shalt Not Kill" has no listed exceptions such as "this does not include murder of prisoners called capital punishment or war."Governor Jesse Ventura would not execute in Minnesota, saying
the commandment is not asterisked with exceptions.
Earlier translations of the Bible say 'kill' and not 'murder', because all killing was forbidden, whether or not the Israelites were surrendered to this message from God.
7. Alcohol, drugs, some psychiatric medications and other substances make lesions in the aura, the electromagnetic field of the body. Through these, demons can enter and use the body as their weapon. When the demons depart, their victim is left to accept the consequences.
8. Jesus says there is more joy on heaven for the
hundredth lambs, than for anyone else. The people on death row, whether guilty or innocent, are hundredth lambs, whom we are commanded by Jesus to treat as our brothers and sisters.
9. Scripture: "Judge not lest ye be judged". Violence is learned behavior. Abusers, many studies say, were abused. The death penalty in punishing abusive abusers is akin to punishing the cue ball for the direction it is sent by the stick. Only God has all the data. No one else has enough factors to make an evaluation.
10. The parable of the eleventh hour laborer who received the same pay.. as those who worked all day.. indicates that what is restitution .. amends..repayment.. is a decision for God and not the courts.
11. Sr.Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking which was made into a movie with Sean Penn: (paraphrased) Those who believe in the death penalty identify the condemned with the worst moment of his (or her) life..None of us is the worst thing we have done. We do not rape the
rapist. We do not batter the batterer.
12. Someone from NPR has compared those governors who say they are upholding the law in executing .. to Pontius Pilate.
13. Luke 4: 18-19 Like the Sermon On The Mount this is one of many passages in which Jesus speaks of the divine mission of helping the poor. Virtually no millionaires are
executed in the United States, and proportionately fewer whites on death row than blacks.
14. Mary Alice Davis, editorial writer of the Austin American Statesman: The crucifix (is) the most famous symbol of capital punishment. (Christians believe that Jesus' sacrifice was voluntary, since He had the power to override decisions of the state.
15. In replacing the Levitical law of retribution with His
Law of Love, Jesus transcended Leviticus.
16. Isaiah: I delight not in your blood sacrifice.
17. Isaiah: "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord." Gone will be what is described as the pagan human sacrifice of witnessing the death row gurney, similar to the victim placed upon the altar.
18. Love the Lord Thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole soul. Love thy neighbor as thyself. thy whole mind, thy whole self. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
19. The question of whether or not to be obedient to civil law is one every Christian answers for himself or herself. Jesus said "Which of you having an ox in the ditch would not rescue it on the Sabbath?". Paul said to obey the authorities, yet J S has pointed out that Paul himself answered God in disobeying the Romans by continuing to preach. There are bribed legislators in many houses and senates. The letter of the law is one thing. The Spirit is another. The mind is one thing. The heart which enshrines God has the ultimate authority, for in it God whispers individual marching orders to each person.
20. Bettie Lou Beets, murdered by the government of Texas, quoted Jesus: What God hath joined together let no one put asunder.
21. "Father Forgive them for they know not what they do"
said Jesus as He hung suffocating on the cross. If Jesus could forgive crucifiers, He calls on you and me to forgive all. . Jesus in Spirit is here now. Does He say
"Let those without sin inject the first lethal injection.. let those without sin throw the first electric chair switch, pull the hanging lever?".
22. Isaiah 59: They hasten to shed innocent blood. (Gov. Ryan of Illinois in the US began a permanent moratorium on the death penalty after being convinced that at least 14% of those executed, per DNA evidence, were innocent.)
23. Deuteronomy states that more than 1 witness is
required to establish guilt or innocence, yet in Texas 1 witness only has sent some to death row.
24. Numbers also echoes Deuteronomy.
25. Because GOD IS LOVE, because Jesus and His angels have the keys to hell, many Christians do not believe in a permanent hell. But those who do are in their own minds sending unsaved prisoners to hell when they work
for the execution of rebellious prisoners. HE WRITES OUR SINS UPON THE SAND AND ENGRAVES OUR VIRTUES IN THE STONE.. HE WASHES OUR ERRORS
FROM THE LAND AND WRITES OUR LOVE IN THE HEART OF GOD.
26. In Matthew, Jesus says one should not swear or take oaths. Can a true Christian testify in court against someone, because that involves swearing?
27. One woman said "These are convicted criminals". So was Jesus Christ convicted of a felony by a combination of Caesar's pawn and those who rejected His message.
28. "Suffer the little children to come unto Me." The United States is one of the 10% of the world's countries still involved in government murder.. Others are predominantly Muslim nations, China. Most predominantly Christian nations in the world have banned the death penalty.
29. We are commanded to forgive 70 x 7 times, which many
interpret to mean we are commanded to forgive infinite times. It is for God and not us to render judgment.
30. In the Sermon On the Mount, Jesus said we should visit
the imprisoned, not murder them in the name of the state.
31. Matt 27: 16 "And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Jesus had the power to stop the release of the political revolutionary Barabbas who believed in the use of violence to overthrow occupying powers. But Jesus gave Himself in exchange.
32. In Matthew 12, Jesus quotes Isaiah and says "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
33. John 6: 66-68 Jesus knows that many disciples will leave Him as they are not strong enough for His teaching
of universal love and do not understand His message about communion.
34. Matthew 5: 38-44 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;'
35. The United States executes more people than any other country except
China
36a The United States has executed the citizens of Germany, Mexico, and Canada, despite protests of these governments that international law procedures were not followed.
36b. The unelected members of the Justice Dept. have sometimes swept into a community, says former Senator Russ
Feingold of Wisconsin, taken over the investigation of a murder, and pressed for the death penalty even when the people of that state have outlawed execution.

-S Shriver-
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