1 Death Sentence > 11 Life Sentences
by Derek W. on March 2nd, 2006
There’s an AP article about how this serial killer—who murdered a total of 29 different people—has received 11 consecutive life sentences.
Last year there was another trial where a serial killer recieved 10 consecutive life sentences, and I expressed my dismay in a blog post, asking:
What on earth do ten life sentences accomplish that one life sentence doesn’t accomplish?
I didn’t understand then, and I still don’t understand now. We need a death sentence, and we need it for these serial killers who think nothing of brutally slaughtering 10 or 20 people for absolutely no reason other than their own perverse enjoyment and pleasure. And we need people who will enforce the death sentence, and not doctors who refuse to participate, thus allowing cold-blooded murderers to continue to live.
5 Comments
Sam Ashwood
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:54 pm
I am in total agreement. If these killers were disposed of quickly, it may serve as a warning to those who may think about committing mruder in the future. As it is, the process of justice is either snailishly slow, or the murderer doesn’t even suffer the extremest penalty. There is no deterrent effect, and when people like these serial killers don’t suffer the death penalty, there is no justice. I believe there’s a verse in Ecclesiastes that says something like “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of men are fully set in them to do evil.” Boy, is that ever proving true in our day.
Tanaya Marcía Davis
March 4th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
What on earth are we accomplishing by killing people that have killed others? How is that showing them that killing is wrong? If they get punished for killing someone, then the person that kills them should be punished as well. It is not our place to kill anyone no matter what they did. Killing them will not bring their victims back to life. These murderers are still God’s children even though they obviously have serious issues. Locking them up for life to protect others is good enough. But everyone has a right to live no matter what they’ve done in the past. It is not our place to take anyone’s life.
Killing people to show that killing is wrong is hypocritical. What we should be doing is trying to educate these people and help them even if it takes the rest of our lives. If they die in jail still feeling that what they did is okay then they will deal with God and He will judge them. We are only supposed to try to help them see what is right according to God’s Word and that does not include killing them.
What will you tell God about supporting such an act? How can you explain or justlfy that? What did you accomplish? Sounds like taking the easy way out to me. Try the hard way: teach these murderers and try your best to bring them back to God so that they can repent and be able to live a better life for God instead of dying at the hands of someone who was too lazy to try to help them. There is a reason why murderers exist just like there is a reason for everything that we see in the world as wrong: it is to teach the majority something for our purpose of serving God. People are used in weird ways and I believe murderers are used to give us an opportunity to minister to them and in turn help us grow through helping them.
Read “The Purpose Driven Life”. It is a great book. Maybe you will change your view on justice. No one gives justice but God. We are not to judge anyone. That is not the Christian way.
Sam Ashwood
March 5th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
“Killing people to show that killing is wrong is hypocritcal.” This is a dangerous statement. Executing murderers is instituted by God. See Genesis 9:6. This is the God who said, “I am the Lord, I change not” ((Malachi 3:6). Therefore, He holds the same view of murderers as in the Old Testament. I’m not telling God anything by supporting the death penalty for murderers. God has told us something. He didn’t tell it to us in “The Purpose Driven Life.” He told us in the Scriptures. Nothing in the New Testament tells us murderers should not be put to death. Every good theologian agrees that the part of the Law Christ fulfilled was the typical law, not the moral law. God said that whoever sheds man’s blood should have his blood shed. That still holds true today.
You’re mistaken about us never being able to judge anything, either (btw, you were judging me for supporting the death penalty). John 7:24, Jesus tells us, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” For more of what righteous judgment implies, I have an article you may be interested in: http://www.virtuemag.org/articles/to-judge-or-not-to-judge
Finally, I’ve heard that the people being “The Purpose Driven Life” deny hell. It’s hard for me to count such people Christians, since the doctrine of hell is so clear in Scriptures, and was spoken of by the Lord Jesus on numerous occasions (see Matthew 25:31-46, Mark 8:36, 9:42-48). God is the final giver of justice, but He has instituted government among men to vindicate His justice in the earth. Part of that justice is executing those who wrongfully take life. A government that does not avenge murder sins against God (Numbers 35:33,34).
Derek W.
March 6th, 2006 at 11:54 am
I’m inclined to agree with what Mr. Ashwood just pointed out. There is clearly a Biblical mandate for capital punishment in the Old Testament, and while not quite as clear, the mandate is still there in the New Testament. We only need to point to passages like, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”
It is important to point out that the above passage is NOT from Leviticus or Deuteronomy, where we find the civil and ceremonial laws that God gave the Israelites. Rather, the above passage appears in Genesis chapter nine.
We can also point to the “an eye for an eye” principle that is found in the Bible, as well as other passages in Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the New Testament, we may point to Matthew 26:52 and Romans 13:2-5 (“But if you do wrong, be afraid, for [government] does not bear the sword for nothing”). There are probably other passages I’m forgetting at the moment.
Tanaya, you write: “What will you tell God about supporting such an act?” But based on the above Bible references, I think the question should actually be: “What will you tell God about not supporting what God mandates?”
I’m not against showing mercy or trying to bring these people to Christ, but that does not mean we rule out the death penalty as an option when it is appropiate. And I think you misrepresent the issue when you say, “Killing people to show that killing is wrong is hypocritical.” Capital punishment isn’t about showing that killing is wrong, it’s about punishing someone who has broken the most FUNDAMENTAL moral law that has always governed our world and unjustly taken someone else’s life. Murder is by far the absolute worst crime someone can commit. Words cannot describe how reprehensible murder is.
I appreciate your comments! Thanks for taking the time to post.
Anonymous
March 30th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
I would’ve said something but Sam and Derek have already said everything there is to say. Good job!