Political Science Assignment

[Sean]

I am taking Political Science - American Government this semester. Elaborating on my most recent Assignment regarding "Civil Liberties and Civil Rights" the following is one of my assignments... ( below in blue )

Chapter 5, Part I Discussion
In this scenario, you are a state representative considering a vote regarding whether to abolish the death penalty. After reviewing the issues at the Death Penalty Information Center, and with your best reasoning skills, worthy of a "delegate of the people", cast your vote according to your conscience and defend your decision.

Here is my request from you... Do you SUPPORT the Death Penalty, or do you OPPOSE ?... OR, maybe you are on the fence and have reasons to support your middle-ground ?

[SERay]

This is a very controverisal subject... at least since the beginning of mankind

According to Numbers 35:31 there are criminals which "deserves to die". The fact that God commands the death penalty is an expression of God’s holiness and righteousness. God has set certain principals from the attributes of his own spiritual essence. When the created man breaks these, God imposes punishment. During the time of the Patriarchs, when the Creator used his own arm to delve out justice, the death penalty for crimes such as murder, assault, cursing and sexual sins, showed that God values the moral order of mankind and the immutable aspects of his Holiness.

These divine orders give safety and dignity to mankind. It shows us that God cares for us ordinary people, that He wants to protect us and that He wants us all well. Without moral decrees and punishment of said violations from a tort to murder, we would be creatures lacking responsibility that could do whatever we wanted without consequence. God so loves mankind and therefore the decreed capital punishment as a defense, as a confirmation, as recognition of the high dignity and value of mankind. The death penalty, more than anything else, confirms that we are moral beings and as a consequence of that we can be held responsible for our actions.

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." Genesis 9:6

As we learn from the Christian faith there are many commandments in the Old Testament that are invalid today. For example, different commandments concerning sacrifice, food, days, times of celebration and the circumcision. These commandments were meant for the house of Israel and were for a specific timeframe. But the commandment found in Gen 9:6 is generally applicable to its character, in the same way as the Ten Commandments are. It is a moral principle that does not change and is eternal. This commandment declared by God can only lose its validity if God’s attitude towards capitol violations changes and if man no longer is "in the image of God". In other words the commandment has an eternal character.

The previous verse, Gen 9:5, says: "And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man."

Here God gives another reason for the death penalty, namely "accounting", in this context it means retribution. God "demands" death for one who sheds blood and, according to the following verse "mankind" is supposed to fulfill this demand. It is the high value of mankind, created in the image of God, which motivated the retribution. To be created in the image of God means that mankind is the object of God’s concern. Accounting and retribution from the one who has killed has its source in God’s beating heart that cares for the victims of crime. A society without the capital punishment denies this love.

This is subject that could take many hours to elaborate on every argument. I will end my commentary by noting that capital punishment is the code of purification upheld by every culture or faith whose premise observes mankind as a moral being. The New Age, Gnostic and the Eastern philosophies who deem man to be gods do not hold to the concept that each is responsible to a higher power, because they deem themselves to be the higher power—judge, court and jury.

If we look at nature, it’s natural laws teach us of moral cleansing by purification. If a rotten apple is left to rot with good apples, it will cause rotting to quickly spread to all. Whereas, it is our propensity to gravitate to our own fallen nature, and by example in a short time, we can be persuaded to follow. This requires us to understand that every man has the capacity to break all the Ten Commandments, given the right situations and environments. Our moral code is preserved by choice of path and people in which we come into fellowship, and ultimately the heart we cultivate depending on what spirit resides.

Many Christians have a loped sided view of the Creator's character and moral constitution, and think like the hippies of the 60's, God is love and peace. That in Christ through grace, mercy and pardon are the new mandates. That is true in a theological sense regarding the Gospel, however by grace do we do away with the law? No, grace takes away the condemnation of the law, but it does not do away with the law. Ananias and Saphira is the perfect example in Acts 5. They lied and the Holy Spirit smote them dead on the spot as an example to all.

Paul accurately taught that it only takes a little leaven to cause the whole loaf to rise (1 Cor. 5:6). Paul also wrote in 10-13 to “put away from yourselves the evil person” or remove them from your midst. On and on the scripture repeats the necessity of purification for spiritual sanctification. Christians are called out to be separate and not to strike hands in agreement with the wicked or the world. Purification of humankind is a Holy mandate, that can easily be perverted like the Arian race did during the Third Reich. However, we cannot focus on mankind’s perversion of God’s perfect statutes. This is a matter of principle, not accounts of history. Hope this helps