The Bible is no excuse for capital punishment

For many years, the Bible, the greatest story ever told, has been reduced to a mere excuse to commit murder. This travesty has not been perpetrated by Muslims, or atheists, or any other group. Shamefully, it's been done by so-called "Christians".

I have always gotten the impression, based on my real world experiences and observations, that most Christians do not truly believe that which they preach. In no way is that more obvious than by the position many "Christians" take on capital punishment. The "Christians" who support this savage institution love to cite Exodus 21:12 and similar verses as the basis for their belief. These people are blind to an indisputable fact that they need to come to grips with: some biblical doctrines are outdated and simply have no place whatsoever in modern society. For example, Ephesians 6:5, Colossians 3:22, 1 Timothy 6:1, and Titus 2:9 all condone slavery. Deuteronomy 21:15 promotes polygamy. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says that a rebellious child is to be put to death. We don't enforce that biblical law. Otherwise, almost every teenager in America would have been stoned to death by now. These things are now outlawed because common sense and human compassion have pervailed over misguided religious beliefs. Ask yourself: do we really want to take the risk of interpreting the Bible literally?

No supporter of capital punishment is a true Christian, because they reject Christ's message of love, compassion, and forgiveness. The reality is that they are vengeful, bloodthristy sadists who claim to be Christian only when it is convenient for them. They praise God and quote scripture only when it serves their purpose. Mention any of the verses above, they have very little to say and, in some cases, become very combative.

The irony that these people fail to see is that Jesus Himself denounced the death penalty. In John, chapter 8, a woman is caught committing adultery. Those who caught her bring her before Jesus and say, "Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned, but what sayest thou?" Jesus replied, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

Are those who advocate the death penalty on religious grounds without sin? Is anyone of them as perfect as Christ? No, they're mere mortals, like everyone else, people who are imperfect and flawed, no matter how hard they try to make it seem otherwise. Their sins may not be as terrible as murder, but they are sins nonetheless. If Jesus spoke out against the death penalty, who are they, indeed, to call for such a vile act to be carried out? Is their arrogance and self-rightousness such that they persume their way to be better than that of the man they claim to have accepted as the savior?

Ironically, many "Christians" in support of capital punishment say that they are opposed to abortion, because they believe life is sacred. If they truly believe life is so sacred, why do they, in regards to capital punishment, advocate the taking of life from one human by another? A wise man once wrote, "People who reject aboslute standards of right and wrong are often inconsistant." Rather than having an absolute standard regarding the sactity of life, pro-death penalty "Christians" have instead created a double standard, one that makes their argument invalid. They fail to see that, like abortion, capital punishment is nothing more than legalized murder. Inconsistancy indeed. I smell the foul stench of hypocrisy.

The bottom line is, "Christians" in support of capital punishment use the Bible to add a sense of legitimacy to their views, but because of those views, they are no better than the than the ancient Romans who flocked en masse to the Colosseum [sic] to watch gladiator battle to the death and see slaves get eaten alive by wild lions. If executions were a "spectator sport", as they were in and before the 19th century, supporters would no doubt vie for a seat the way some members of my generation scramble to get their hands on the latest video game system. I can just imagine death penalty supporters licking their chops and salivating at such a thought.

In the end, we are faced with the sad fact that as the greatest civilization in the history of the world, we have resorted to barbarism. How pathetic. Indeed, we are not as civilized as we pretend to be.