Death penalty and Christians

Governor Newsom closed the the death chamber at San Quentin prison and stayed the execution of prisoners on death row. The previous 3 governors are Catholic, like Newsom but only the Republican [Schwarzenegger] allowed an execution. Pope Francis says the death penalty is inadmissible under any circumstance.

Can a Christian ignore the 6th Commandment ["Thou Shalt Not Kill"]?

 

Hardcore Christians read this as "Thou shalt not murder". So they feel free to kill
as long as the government allows.

 

Trump criticized the governor but there are 21 states plus Puerto Rico that don't allow the death penalty.

The Green states don't have capital punishment. Blue/ Yellow indicates that the death statute remains but not practiced. Purple that only allow executions under special circumstances. Red states allow/ implement death sentences.

 

The real 6th Commandment is to observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the endif the year = Exodus 34:22.

"Thou Shalt Not Kill" is not one of the actual Ten Commandments.

 

There are slight differences but Jewish and Christians view the 10 Commandments as "divine authority"

"Most traditions of Christianity hold that the Ten Commandments have divine authority and continue to be valid, though they have different interpretations and uses of them.[73] The Apostolic Constitutions, which implore believers to "always remember the ten commands of God," reveal the importance of the Decalogue in the early Church.[74] Through most of Christian history the decalogue was considered a summary of God's law and standard of behaviour, central to Christian life, piety, and worship.[75]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments

 

The actual translation is "Thou shalt not murder". A state execution of a murderer isn't murder, any more than when police kill a criminal in self defense, or our military kills ISIS vermin. Another kooky statement from the Pope, the Bible orders the death penalty in certain cases. Did Jesus or Paul every say anything against it? Francis has also weirdly proclaimed that life imprisonment is a form of torture and "a hidden [form of the] death penalty".

 

I don't believe in papal infallibility but the pope is expected to enlighten the church similar to Vatican councils.

 

I heard there have been 300 popes in 2000 years, yet only seven binding statements made by all those popes. I heard if the pope speaks from Peter's chair and says it is binding then it is binding (7 times this has happened), but everything else they say or write you are free to accept or reject.

 

Thou shalt not murder. Lawful execution is not murder.

 

The OP can't have it both ways, on the one hand they expect Christians to support the Bible in the 10C misinterpretation and the Pope, then skeptics complain when Christians express their beliefs politically.

 

"Ex Cathedra" is considered to be the voice of the apostles. Francis wasn't defining doctrine but the belief that killing a child of God [all people] is contrary to the Gospel.

 

One of many Catholic unbiblical doctrines. A theological statement is either sound or it is not.

BTW, Paul publicly corrected Peter, supposedly the first pope, on his bad doctrine. I guess Peter wasn't speaking Ex Cathedra.

 

No argument about questionable dogma. Catholics even have difficulty accepting papal infallibility.

When did Paul correct Peter?

 

Peter was siding with the 'judaizers' who thought Gentile Christians should follow Jewish OT law.


Paul Corrects Peter at Antioch
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I told him face to face that he was wrong. 12 He used to eat with Gentile followers of the Lord, until James sent some Jewish followers. Peter was afraid of the Jews and soon stopped eating with Gentiles. 13 He and the other Jews hid their true feelings so well that even Barnabas was fooled. 14 But when I saw that they were not really obeying the truth that is in the good news, I corrected Peter in front of everyone and said:

Peter, you are a Jew, but you live like a Gentile. So how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?

15 We are Jews by birth and are not sinners like Gentiles. 16 But we know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith.

17 When we Jews started looking for a way to please God, we discovered that we are sinners too. Does this mean that Christ is the one who makes us sinners? No, it doesn’t! 18 But if I tear down something and then build it again, I prove that I was wrong at first. 19 It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so that I could live for God.

I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. 21 I don’t turn my back on God’s undeserved kindness. If we can be acceptable to God by obeying the Law, it was useless for Christ to die.

 

Based on the scripture you cite, Paul is confronting Peter's awkwardness of associating with Gentiles when Jews are around. It isn't a correction of doctrine.

 

Francis questioned the Christianity of Trump for example since the president lies repeatedly and intentionally hurts people. The pope wasn't condemning Trump but reminding us that his behavior is unworthy of a Christian.

 

There is only one real set of Ten Commandments in the Bible and they are found in Exodus 34:11-28. All of the biblical stories are based on one or more of them. Therefore if you don't know what they are then it is impossible to understand the stories. The miracles are based on Exodus 34:10.

 

Paul didn't believe in the Jesus character because Paul could never do what the Jesus character said a person with faith could do.

 

Intentionally? They say its a mark of insanity to know what people are thinking. The Pope says "Who am I to judge?" when it comes to moral issues like homosexuality (Isn't that his job?) but often judges those with a different political opinion. Crazy.

 

Cite, or did you just make that up? He met Jesus on his Damascus road conversion.

 

As a shepherd, Francis is addressing fellow Christians. Trump claims to support Bible literacy in public schools but clearly does not live his life according to the Scriptures. Not that it matters but Trump does not go to church like previous presidents. Francis is holding Trump accountable.

 

Neither do active homosexuals, but Francis won't judge them.

Who holds Francis accountable? Trump isn't a Catholic, so isn't accountable to him anyway.

 

Archbishop Gomez [Los Angeles] today:

"The death penalty violates the condemned person’s dignity and deprives that person of the chance to change his or her heart and be rehabilitated through the mercy of God. With advances in law enforcement and criminal justice, we do not need to execute criminals to keep our society safe or prevent violent offenders from committing further violence. So, ending the death penalty is a step forward. But it is only a first step."

 

Archbishop Gomez' personal opinion is noted, and rejected.

 

Many non-Catholic Christians accept the pope as the first among equals in tending the flock.

"The Pope & I Agree: Trump is Not a Christian" https://www.tremr.com/chrisbiehn/the-pope-amp-i-agree-trump-is-not-a-christian