Beliefs

Monique · #1 05-19-2000, 01:50 AM

Wassup Yall. I was sitting in my room reading an old vibe magazine when I ran across something that had me crying like a baby. Do yall recall the incident when the 8 year old boy and his mother was shot and killed? It was the saddest thing that I have every read. Can you picture an 8 year old child shot, bleeding, crying out for his mommy only to have a bullet but in your head?
I think one of the other reasons why I cried so much was because my youngest brother is 9 and just the thought of ANY of my brothers being shot is scary? Something has to be done;which brings me to my Question.
Do many of you believe in the death penalty?
If so what about the Bible thou shall not kill. But also in the Bible eye for an eye.
If this was your child,brother or friend what would your decision be? Before he was killed I have always said that I'm against the death penalty but now.....

sorry so long but this really disturbed me

#2 05-19-2000, 09:34 AM

Not that that post has anything to do with fraternities or sororities, but yes, that is an unfortunate incident. Too many guns around our young people.

mgdzkm433 · #3 05-19-2000, 11:41 AM

I think the more and more they push gun laws, the more and more they are getting away from a very serious problem. Values and Morals. I think we need to focus more on Values with today's children than anything. They see all this violence happening in the schools around them and in their own schools. More violence in the home (or at least more is coming out in public). But parents aren't focusing on telling and teaching their children what is right and wrong as much as they are trying to find someone to blame. We need less focus on where the blame is, and more focus on helping our children understand WHY these things are wrong. We need to spend more time with our children, and less time saying "It's the government's fault" or "the media shows too much violence." If we spent more time with our children, they wouldn't be so influenced by the tv or they would know better than to believe the tv or imitate what they see on tv. There are always going to be "problem" children, that's a fact. But not all children are this way or have to be this way. All children need is a guiding hand to help them understand and learn. Today we put our children in front of the tv because we don't want to fool with them. The tv serves as a babysitter for a lot of children. We can only blame ourselves. I believe we need to stop trying to find someone else to blame and start tring to fix the problem. This is just my opinion.

daruler · #4 05-19-2000, 11:06 PM

I don't claim to be a Bible scholar, but in reference to your question about thou shalt not kill vs. eye for an eye...The eye for an eye law was something that was around in the Old Testament. When Jesus came, thereby taking on the burden of our sins, there was no longer a need for that type of law. Thus thou shalt not kill, I think, would be the law speaking from a Christian view on death penalty. Also, the Bible says "Judge not, least ye be judged" and that vengance is the Lord's. Being a Christian, I believe that the death penalty is wrong. But this country, although founded on Christian priniciples, has seperation of church and state. Therefore ideally the government shoudn't make the decision on whether or not the death penalty is right/wrong based on the Bible. (Of course, many of our laws are in fact based on biblical law. And also if there was complete separation of church and state then defendants and witnesses in court wouldn't have to swear on the bible..but I digress.) Religion aside, I also think that the death penalty is wrong because how many innocent men and women are killed each year for crimes they did not commit? If even ONE person dies unfairly, then in my eyes the death penalty is dramatically flawed. this post is long enough so I won't even get into the racial disparities so prevalent in the death penatly.

#5 05-20-2000, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Monique:
If so what about the Bible thou shall not kill. But also in the Bible eye for an eye.

Ghandi said an eye for an eye will leave everyone blind.

kammye · #6 05-20-2000, 10:42 AM

Actually, the 10 commandments (thou shalt not commit murder)is under the old law as well. You were right when you said "When Jesus came, thereby taking on the burden of our sins, there was no longer a need for that type of law." Galatians provides a good insight into the new law and in verse 5:14 it states, "The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself. In essence, the 10 commandments is not needed because if you love your neighbor with the kind of love that God requires, then the laws spoken of in the 10 commandemnts won't be a problem. I would never even consider killing someone because of the love I have for them.
Anyway, didn't mean to preach or anything. Have a good day!

mgdzkm433 · #7 05-22-2000, 09:08 AM

Well, I have to agree with what was said that even if ONE person that is innocent dies by the hand of the courts that we all are partly to blame (in a round about way). In the Wiccan Rede, it states ". . .lest ye harm none, do what ye will." This means that do what you want as long as you harm none. . .that includes all life, not just human. Another rule wiccans follow is the three fold law. Whatever you do will come back to you three fold. So in theory, whatever you get in return for your actions. . .you deserve. I thought that this might be an interesting view on this conversation. I think people, if they murder, they deserve to suffer the same fate that they gave to someone else, or a worse fate. So, I guess you could say I'm all for the death penalty.

Eli · #8 08-09-2000, 01:10 AM

Im open to all religions... (well, i wont lie, Im not "as open" to Penecostals or Southern Baptists. Too many "rules." (Don't flame me for beig honest about my feelings).)

Im all for the death penalty, too. I think people on the death penalty are put to death too easily (lethal injection). I agree, put 'em to death the same way in which they killed others.

Easy E

mwedzi · #9 08-09-2000, 04:24 AM

I am for the death penalty in theory, but I think the way it is put into effect has some problems. If there were only some way to know for sure, but . . .

Anyway, if some innocent dies from the death penalty (and I was just watching a Texas judge saying he thought there were several that came in just under his court), that is very terrible. All the same, if someone killed someone I know and love, I would want to see them dead, and that's no lie. And of course the life of a stranger is worth as much as the life of someone I know, but if it were someone I knew, that would bring it really close to the heart, you know?

Perhaps retribution leads to no good. Of course we should never lose sight of the real problem which is morals and values (and not necessarily in any religious sense of the word, as I am not religious but I still know it is wrong to just go out and kill someone). America spends so much money on imprisonment and to try and make sure they aren't executing innocents, it takes many years for someone to actually be executed under the death penalty. It's a very inefficient way of dealing with serious crime. But sometimes I think America has gone too far to go back

America seems so screwed up some times I just wouldn't even know where to begin for fighting crime, as all methods I have heard up to this point seem insufficient.