Religion

[LHutton]

The method makes a hell of a difference.

I'm personally undecided on the death penalty. A life sentence makes a better penalty but it's fucking expensive and I don't really want to pay for it, not sure whether the deterrence value is any better either. So there are some good financial arguments for putting down the obviously guilty beyond all doubt. Keeping them alive is like a really expensive form of hoarding. That doesn't mean you make the death as slow and painful as possible, and the only people who'd volunteer for that are usually criminally-minded themselves.

[Crazed_Insanity]

If Jesus believes in stoning sinners to death, he would've allowed those folks to stone that adulterous woman to death.

If Jesus doesn't believe in stoning people to death at all, then he probably wouldn't ask those folks without sin to throw it first!

We definitely should be merciful to criminals who made mistakes. I'm personally against it death penalty, but I do find it appalling that California spent more money on prisoners than kids at school though...

I think even life sentences should be abolished. Why should the state waste money like that?

If some criminal is not mental and refuse to repent, I also don't see why the state need to treat him better than a homeless dude off the street....

[LHutton]

If Jesus believes in stoning sinners to death, he would've allowed those folks to stone that adulterous woman to death.

If Jesus doesn't believe in stoning people to death at all, then he probably wouldn't ask those folks without sin to throw it first!

Jeez Billi. I think when Jesus said, "let he who is without sin throw the first stone." He was basically saying that all of them were with sin and therefore nobody should throw it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

If absolutely NOBODY should do it, then why is it spelled out in the Old Testament? Why God commanded folks to do things that we absolutely shouldn't be doing? So I don't think it's an absolute no no. Otherwise David throwing a stone which killed Goliath should also be a no no!

Anyway, of course we're not living in the age of OT, but in an age of NT(or age of grace). I do agree with DN, as Christians, it does seem extremely hypocritical to be a proponent of death penalty. I guess only those who truly experienced God's grace and mercy can extend such things to other sinners.

[Freude am Fahren]

Maybe because it's a fairy tail written by a bunch of cave dwellers thousands of years ago?

[LHutton]

If absolutely NOBODY should do it, then why is it spelled out in the Old Testament? Why God commanded folks to do things that we absolutely shouldn't be doing? So I don't think it's an absolute no no. Otherwise David throwing a stone which killed Goliath should also be a no no!

It is an absolute no, because nobody is without fault.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Jesus is a man without fault. He could stone that woman but he just chose not to.

[overpowered]

[G'day Mate]

Jesus obviously didn't read Deuteronomy.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yes, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Also, wage of sin is death whether by stoning or otherwise. This is justice according to the bible.

However, Jesus didn't come to abolish the old law but to fulfill it. Prior to crucifixion, he probably busted an eye or even few teeth during the beating. He eventually even died for us... So we don't have to get what we deserved... Paying for what we owe in order to restore cosmic justice.