the religious and capital punishment

[nailit]

I would like to hear religious peoples attitude towards capital punishment.
State sanctioned execution is obviously a contentious and contraversial subject at the best of times but Im more interested in the religious aspect of it.
If you are religious, what crimes would warrent death? Are there 'crimes' that your holy books once sanctioned death for that are no longer applicable? Would society be better of if we (in the western world) followed your religious laws concerning capital punishment?
Thanks.
(obviously, thread open to non religious as well...)

[ludwig]

// He frequently spoke in parables whose meanings had wider implications //

Just like Ken Livingstone. He could have saved a lot of trouble by just saying what he meant. That way we wouldn't still be arguing about it 2,000 years later.

[DaisyNonna]

Let God provide the punishment. Taking a life is a terrible decision to have to take.

[jomifl]

As the 10 commandments are the greater authority coming as they do directly from god(allegedly) and not from his mouthpiece(jesus)do not specify any form of punishment and do decree that 'thou shalt not kill' then It seems obvious that capital punishment is forbidden under god's law. So killing(whatever that means) is forbidden to Jews and Christians.

[EDDIE51]

You used to be burned alive just for being a Catholic instead of a Protestant or vice versa . The 'religious People' virtually invented the death sentence.

[ludwig]

It's not that simple jomifl. These things can be interpreted in different ways. 'Thou shalt not kill' can also be interpreted as 'Killing is ok' in the hands of the right scholar.
That's why they can't even agree whether it's ok to be gay or female yet.

[Andyvon]

Why are you couching your question in the past tense Nailit? Islam advocates capital punishment for religious reasons today - women stoned or beheaded for adultery, blasphemy in Pakistan, promoting another religion in Iran etc. Rather than posing the question as a rhetorical one to individuals who's cultures executed people in the past, shouldn't you be asking Muslims why their culture advocates and operates capital punishment for religious reasons today?

[naomi24]

The commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' falls short. What it really means is 'Thou shalt not kill unless God condones it' - which in many instances he does.

[jomifl]

Hi Ludwig ..let me out it this way..it really is that simple..anybody who tries to turn the lord's words through 180degrees is either an apostle of the devil or a trigonometricist and should be stoned to death (oops).

[naomi24]

//trigonometricist//

That's a big word for this time at night, Jom. Steady on there, old chap! :o)

[DaisyNonna]

How do you know what it really means Naomi?

[naomi24]

Daisy, well, since God commanded the slaughter of thousands of people, it stands to reason that when he wrote the commandments he couldn't possibly have meant simply 'Thou shalt not kill' - doesn't it?

[jomifl]

Naomi I have to disagree with you there. There were no conditional clauses appended to the 10 commandments, they stand as they are the word of god and anybody who tries to deny that fact is either a blasphemer or a jesuit as well as an inverting trigonometricist.

[naomi24]

You could have a point there Jom - and if you have, I'm happy to say I was wrong. I just can't figure out how he said one thing and then told people to do the opposite. Got any ideas?

[starone]

Although I am an atheist, I must admit the ten commandments are very good and it would be nice if we could live by them and keep to them. It's a pity everyone ignores them isn't it?

[jomifl]

Well Naomi , it is the bible...

[naomi24]

Hi Starbuck, it's a pity some people ignore the last six. The first four we could do without.

Jom, //it is the bible//

Oo-er! You haven't turned to religion have you? I knew there was something amiss when you used that big word earlier on. ;o)

[jomifl]

I only turn to the bible (metaphorically speaking as I don't own one having carelessly lost the gideon copy that I faithfully promised to read all the way through out of sheer gratitude for having been given it) for light amusement and to see if Sandy is being serious or manifesting another of his crises of faith ( that seem to occur ever more frequently).

[naomi24]

Naomi breathes a sign of relief. Phewwww! :o)

[jomifl]

Naomi, your concern is very touching (nothing to do with the laying on of hands), If I ever feel religion coming on,you will be my first recourse for moral strength.

[sandyRoe]

"He who touches pitch shall be defiled..." I am spending too much time in the on-line company of atheists for my own good. I need to find a hermitage where I can pray for the strength to resist the blandishments of the R&S section of AB.