Some Questions on our Death Penalty

When so much of our societal support for the death penalty is framed around ancient concepts described in the Bible, you'd think our basis for it would be better than when we used the Bible to support slavery and racism.

-Is there a more appropriate last meal for a Christian?
-Is our death penalty really based on the Bible, or simply on ancient ways of punishing people?
-Is there actually room on our "justice system" for repentance?
-Should there be room for repentance in our "justice system"?
-Are we more interested in revenge killings than in rehabilitating criminals?
-Do we understand the implications of Jesus' death at the hands of the "justice system" of another political power in regard to how it should impact our own political system?
-Would you choose Holy Communion as your last meal?
-Does it bother us that the inmate executed claimed to the end that he was innocent?
-Why is it that so many of our inmates on death row are not white?
-Why is it that 82% of the time the victim's race influences whether or not the accused is sentenced to death?
-Why do we still support the death penalty when so many death penalty cases have been overturned for faulty evidence?
-What do we really expect to gain from state-condoned killing of people?
-Does the death penalty really make us safer?
-When all the studies show that a death penalty does not inhibit crime, what do we really expect to gain from it?
-Moses' took Hammurabi's code that limited revenge to "one eye for one eye," but why did Jesus take the concept of revenge to "turn the other cheek," "love your enemies," and forgiving "seventy times seven times?"
-Is there really room in the New Testament for support of the death penalty?
-What drives us to promote the state's right and desire to kill?
-Why do we reward prosecutors who are "tough on crime," when there are demonstrably better ways to reduce crime?
-If you found yourself on death row, would Holy Communion be your last meal request?

—©Copyright 2017 Christopher B. Harbin
http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/

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