[Vision2020] Government killing, etc.

[Donovan Arnold]

Luke writes:

"I do believe in the death penalty, and I don't dodge the fact that there is 
controversy over this topic throughout our nation. But the death penalty is 
a side issue; we would not need it if the ten commandments were followed 
from the beginning. It is not the law of God that leads to confusion;it is
man's sinfulness, and in many cases his refusal to follow God's law that 
bring about the controversies."

First, I don't buy the concept that government sanctioned killing is a law 
of God. From my understating God was very forgiving, and said let vengeance 
be his, not ours. We have every right to protect ourselves from people that 
may do us harm. But the death penalty is not protecting us, it is only used 
as an act of vengeance.

Second, it contradicts itself and generates more sin and violations of Gods 
law. If a jury, a judge, and a prosecutor convict and send a person to death 
for a murder they did not commit, are they not sending a person to death 
that is innocent? If so, then are they not committing a murder if they 
intentionally kill a person that is innocent? Under God's law, thou shall 
not kill, they have broken this. In doing such they are now themselves 
murderers. One could argue that the jury did not know for sure that the 
person did or did not really commit the crime. Which brings me to my point, 
only God can actually know this, so therefore, it is he, and he alone, that 
should take vengeance. I feel that someone that wants the death penalty when 
they know that we can not possibly know for 100% certainty if they are 
guilty, still wants to go ahead with it, are taking on the roll of God, that 
to me is spitting in the face of God. It is our job to protect the innocent 
and to prevent murder. It is not our job to seek vengeance through a flawed 
system of justice.

Third, the death penalty allows us a way out for helping people and taking 
on the serious issues that cause people to become murderers. By saying that 
we will simply kill those that kill is not addressing the issue but rather 
covering the symptoms of the problem. Your average person is not a murderer. 
It is easily understandable what generates a murderer. The problem is not 
easy to solve, but that does not mean that we should ignore it.

Finally, the notion of "Killing people to tell people that killing people 
wrong" is such a contradicting logic that it can not stand up to any 
reasonable audience expect one that is full of vengeance and vindictiveness 
that wishes to stand in the place of God himself.

Donovan J Arnold

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