Here are just
a few of my thoughts on public executions from a few social media posts I have
written in the last couple of days. I believe the death penalty is just and
righteous. I believe we have erred greatly in moving away form it in much of
society. Here are some of my thoughts on public executions in particular.
Are they
evil?
No, even
Jesus himself supported the death penalty.
When people
say Jesus did not support the death penalty or public executions, they are just
wrong. You don't even need to quote the Old Testament, which he as God the Son
inspired, to prove it.
Matthew 21,
Jesus words is one example. In this parable he is the Son, and he affirms his
Father's actions.
And since
virtually all executions were done in public in his day, and he never once
rebuked the practice, appealing to Jesus to call them morally wrong is simply a
false appeal. It is not an appeal to the Jesus of the Bible. But another Jesus,
recreated in the sentiment of the modern mind. Here are our Lord’s own words,
“33
Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and
put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it
to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew
near, he sent his servants[c] to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the
tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36
Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to
them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the
heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and
threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of
the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He
will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other
tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Allowing the
state the power to kill people in secret is far more dangerous, and far more
common (for example, abortion, euthanasia). We have an inverted sense of
morality today that causes us to have outrage at the wrong things.
Is deterrence
the only reason for them?
No. There are
other very good and righteous reasons for them.
Whether
public executions are a deterrent is debateable. I think in some periods of
history they have proven to be. For instance, after the peace of Westphalia
newly affirm states went around and very publicly rounded up roving gangs of
criminal men and executed them, as a warning to what would happen to people if
they rejected the state’s monopoly on violence. This worked at the time. But
perhaps there are times when it has not worked, the French Revolutions might
provide examples of that. But, either way, deterrence is not the only reason a
punishment should be meted out, vengeance is another very important reason:
1
Peter 2:13-14, "13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human
institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as
sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good."
Romans
13:1-5, "1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been
instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God
has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a
terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in
authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is
God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not
bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries
out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not
only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience."
People seeing
the government harshly punish those who have hurt them or would hurt them, has
a satisfying and calming effect on a society. Because it is just, righteous and
good to see evil punished. People want to know the government will protect them
from disorder. It is the government’s primary role.
The law has a
responsibility to seek vengeance against evil. This is a vital aspect of its
role. Christian societies have understood this, which is why every single
Christian society in history, until very recently, did public executions of the
evil.
This serves
the purpose of making sure citizens never feel any need or any desire to take
vengeance into their own hands. Christians know God forbids revenge, because
vengeance is his and his alone. The state is one of his arms of vengeance.
A lot of
people are increasingly becoming disenfranchised with the legal system because
genuine evil often goes unpunished. Even serious rapists and violent criminals
are often let off with minimal punishments. Famous cases go viral over social
media. This creates instability in a society.
Hence, the
government correctly applying vengeance is not just a deterrent, it is also a
pacifier of the decent population, as decent people are more likely to trust
and respect governments they know have their best interests in view.
Of course,
states can take this too far. They can become too harsh, too quick to use the
sword. This too is an evil. But a refusal to use it is an overcorrection.
Another evil of its own.
So, there are
multiple reasons to support the reapplication of such punishments by
governments. And I believe this high tolerance of crime period will end with
just such an approach, because the pendulum has swung so far in one direction
it will likely swing back hard the other way.
Governments
are running the calculation right now that rapid population growth is worth the
increased crime people are experiencing. But they are not accounting for the
unforeseen social effects this will have that will cause people to seek
governments that are much harsher on crime. The pendulum has probably started
swinging back as many governments across the West are making a tougher approach
to crime an election platform.
What about
spiritual reasons?
I genuinely
think one of the biggest problems of our modern affluent societies is how easy
it is for people to entertain themselves, drug themselves, amuse themselves,
drink themselves, and otherwise convince themselves that death is not a problem
they should really think about.
But the Bible
says that being forced to number our days gives us a heart of wisdom.
"10
The days of our lives are seventy years;
And
if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet
their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For
it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For
as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12
So teach us to number our days,
That
we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:10-12
I don't have
any intention of watching a public execution, especially not one from a foreign
country. But it would be good for a lot of people's souls if people were not so
sheltered from seeing the face of death, so much.
The way we
have sanitized it, moved it behind closed doors, made it the consideration of
people far off, or a different age, is not good for our souls.
It is not an
accident that a people who are so easily able to deny the reality of death so
easily in their experience of life, are so foolish.
"So
teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." I
genuinely and truly believe that there is a direct connection between how easy
it is to shut off our minds to the reality of mortality and how atheistic,
agnostic and apathetic we are to things of eternity.
Death is
unpleasant. Deeply sad. Deeply painful. And it is part of our lived experience
until Jesus returns. Something which is just and righteous and drives that
message home is good for people's souls. We should think about that.
