The Death Penalty
Last week an Australian was executed in Singapore for drug smuggling. Many people consider this horrific. Personally, I think Singapore is right to follow through on itslaws. Whether in this recent case there was cause for clemency, I don't know for sure. However, though I support the use of the death penalty, when I heard on the radio reports of moving "the body",emotionally I found it repulsive. And yet...
Here are my questions...
1) Does the lack of death penalty in Australia and New Zealand contribute to the lack of fear of "possible" eternal judgment? In our minds, do we as a society have nothing to hang hell on and so think the worst that can happen to us is not really that bad or permanent?
2) Is the argument that "civilised" countries do not use the death penalty (sorry America) merely man protecting himself against thoughts of the seriousness of sin?
3) Is the anti-death punishment feeling merely part of the "no conequences" philosophy found in the anti-smacking philosophy in child-rearing/schools?
4) Does the lack of the death penalty in Australia/New Zealand cheapen mercy? Instead of thinking that mercy is an undeserved reprieve, it becomes a right that the death penalty takes away.
I don't like the death penalty - I much prefer mercy - but I think it is something that a state can legitimately use. There are consequences to actions, and Biblically this is one of them.
Here are my questions...
1) Does the lack of death penalty in Australia and New Zealand contribute to the lack of fear of "possible" eternal judgment? In our minds, do we as a society have nothing to hang hell on and so think the worst that can happen to us is not really that bad or permanent?
2) Is the argument that "civilised" countries do not use the death penalty (sorry America) merely man protecting himself against thoughts of the seriousness of sin?
3) Is the anti-death punishment feeling merely part of the "no conequences" philosophy found in the anti-smacking philosophy in child-rearing/schools?
4) Does the lack of the death penalty in Australia/New Zealand cheapen mercy? Instead of thinking that mercy is an undeserved reprieve, it becomes a right that the death penalty takes away.
I don't like the death penalty - I much prefer mercy - but I think it is something that a state can legitimately use. There are consequences to actions, and Biblically this is one of them.
posted by Ali at 8:48 AM
1 Comments:
I too believe the death penalty is justified by Scripture. Albert Mohler did a radio show on it the other day, and he pointed out that the deterrent force of the death penalty in the USA has been severely undermined by the fact that it is so rarely used, and even when it is used it usually takes years, even over a decade, for the sentence to finally be carried out. People don't fear a penalty that is so unpredictable as that.
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