THE EDITOR, Sir:
IN THIS climate of rampant murder and sexual misconduct, it is understandable that so many persons, including our leaders, are calling for capital punishment. There is no shortage of arguments for the death penalty on the air waves, in the print media, and the very embodiment of the argument in the actions being carried out in many of our communities when offenders are caught. I feel compelled to address this issue because I am convinced, as a Christian, that capital punishment is not the way to go.
Many persons argue on the basis of justice (the punishment should fit the crime), deterrence (others will think twice), and prevention (the offender will not be able to repeat a similar act). These arguments may sound good coming from someone who is not a professing Christian, but for those who are Christians this kind of reasoning is not in keeping with the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
REASONS FOR THE DEATH PENALTY
Persons who argue from the Bible and say 'an eye for an eye', and who highlight the fact that murderers were to be put to death according to the Mosaic Law (Numbers 35:16ff), should be reminded that the same Bible calls for the death penalty in a number of other cases. According to the Bible, the death penalty was to be administered in the following situations: a Jew converting to another religion (Exodus 22:20), a stranger entering the temple (Numbers 1:51), a person trying to convert a Jew (Deuteronomy 13:1-10), communicating with the dead (Leviticus 20:27), adultery (Leviticus 20:10), incest (Leviticus 20:11), homosexuals (Leviticus 20:13), fornication (Deuteronomy 20: 13-21), a stubborn and rebellious son (Deuteronomy 21: 18-21), and many more.
If we are to use the Old Testament to call for the death penalty, we should revert to the other laws as well and just stone ourselves. St. John 1: 17 states, "The Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." The Bible says love is the fulfilment of the Law. Where is the love in calling for someone to be put to death? We use the sacredness of life to call for capital punishment; does the act of murder take away the sacredness of the life of the murderer?
WHAT ABOUT FORGIVENESS
What about forgiveness? The woman who was caught committing adultery should have been killed according to the Law, but what did Jesus say? Stephen, while he was being murdered, asked for forgiveness on behalf of his killers. What about us?
Where we are as a nation now is the fruit of years of living outside the will of God. Continuing to live outside God's will by calling for the death penalty is not going to make things right. It is not even a step in the right direction. For too long we have centred our lives on things such as money, power, and prestige. God has been pushed to the margins and the only way to heal this nation is to put God at the centre of everything we do.
Christians, we should not follow the world. God is calling us to be different by following Him. Love and forgiveness is the way, not capital punishment. No one is irredeemable in the sight of God.
I am, etc.,
GARY GARDINER(Rev.)
garyogardiner@yahoo.com
21A Antrim Road
Vineyard Town, Kingston
Via Go-Jamaica
