Other capital crimes?

Dear Editor,

In regard to Kevin Dunn's letter to Open Forum last week in favor of abolishing the death penalty.

We are told in scripture that "No verse is of private interpretation." In other words you can't build a doctrine out of just one or two verses of scripture. It must agree with the teaching of all the rest of scripture.

The 10 commandments were given in Exodus 20. In Exodus 21 we see the death penalty instituted in verse 12, "He who strikes a man so that he dies, shall surely be put to death."

In vs 14, "If however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you (the government) are to take him even from my altar, that he may die."

If you read through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, you will find a number of instances where the death penalty was to be instituted for various crimes such as adultery, rape, homosexual acts, wanton disobedience to parents, etc., etc.

The whole congregation were to pick up stones and stone the person to death. "Thus shall you put away evil from among you."

In Leviticus 20:9 " If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him."

When God instituted human government, He also instituted the death penalty. This penalty was never negated in the New Testament.

It certainly is a deterrent to crime. When one of the states or cities in the south gave permission to its citizens to shoot an intruder, crimes in that city went way down. Life is precious!

For many years I have read through the Bible each year and I would urge you to do the same.

Two or three chapters a day in the Old Testament and one half to one chapter in the New Testament will do it.

 Sincerely,

Paul Schneider  

McCook