Death penalty

I have long been an advocate of the death penalty, but I have changed my mind. It just doesn’t make sense to me anymore to take a life to get even for taking a life. To me it is nothing more than trying to achieve vengeance and God instructed us to leave that to Him. McVeigh’s death did nothing to bring back any of the 168 people that he murdered six years ago. I doubt if the surviving family members got much satisfaction or closure from his death. I’m sure they will continue to mourn their losses just as if nothing has happened. I cannot get this thing off my mind. I agonized over it all weekend, dreading yesterday.
The worst thing about it is considering the everlasting fate of someone who publicly disavows God. I strongly feel that we should not judge anyone. The Bible warns again and again not to judge and I am not trying to judge Timothy McVeigh. I do not know if he became a Christian before he died or not. I pray that somehow he was converted and became reconciled to God prior to his death. That is one of the primary reasons that I no longer believe in the death penalty. Many people have come to know God in prison, they have turned from their former ways and have led others to Christ. Their sins, no matter how bad can be forgiven and they can be spared an eternity of total separation from God. The death penalty removes that possibility.

I’m certainly no bleeding heart liberal, but it is a fact that many of these criminals were raised by people who had no business being parents.
If it were not for the grace of God we might have been raised like that.
Put a dog on a chain and beat him every day from the time he is a pup and he will be mean. Take that same dog into your home and treat him with love and gently train him to act right and he will become a loving family member. People are the same.

What about punishment for their crimes? Of course they should be punished. Personally I think that people like McVeigh should be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, BUT I would add that they should serve that time working six days per week at hard labor. The death penalty is too extreme. Why? Christians realize that a sentence of death is really not a sentence of death. There is an afterlife, and it is either paradise or Hell. Imposing a death penalty upon a non-Christian in effect puts them directly into Hell. That is a frightening thing to me and I do not want any part of it.

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Hebrews 10:30
For we know Him who said,
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay”
says the Lord. And again, “The
Lord will judge His people.”
It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.




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