Opus 2016-189: Revenge or Rehabilitation?

What do we do about crime and criminals?  We hear a lot of different solutions and issues from a demand to build more prisons to the claim that the system is racist.  Some are concerned about overcrowding.  Others think prisons are too comfortable.  Historically the solutions have been much more severe than we practice today.  Most cultures did not have the resources to build huge edifices and worry about exercise yards or balanced nutrition.  Jails were short term holding tanks with justice waiting in the door.  Execution and slavery were common ways of dealing with people who could not fit into society. 

Now we lock people away, sometimes for life.  Why?  What is the purpose of incarceration?

If you Google it you find a lot of opinions.  Certain basic reasons come up:  Punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation and protecting society are some.  Back in the 60's and 70's the psychologists and social workers managed to turn the emphasis in modern prisons toward rehabilitating the criminals and away from punishment. 

What is the Christian approach?  Too often “Christians” simply adopt the popular approach that the current cultural icons are advocating and ignore the complete teaching of scripture.  It is easy to cherry pick verses and ignore anything that does not make you conform with social pressure.  Thus with the current push toward rehabilitation we hear the verses about love, forgiveness and turning the other cheek.  Those exist.  That is part of the balance, but only one side.

There is also the truth that the law and its enforcement are meant to compel the deviate to curb their excess.  The Bible does not rule out the ideas of fear and punishment.  I am currently reading through Deuteronomy and came across a statement that was repeated at least four times.  After bringing up punishment involving the death penalty we come across statements like this:

(Deuteronomy 19:20 KJV)  And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

You see similar words in 13:11, 17:13 and 21:21.

Punishment has a role in justice according the Bible.  Fear has a role.  The Bible says that recognizing the potential for pain, suffering and paying the price will serve to keep those inclined to evil from inclining. 

Fear and punishment do work as deterrents.  You may disagree but don’t do so on the basis of the Bible and Christianity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-237: Principles Versus Rules

“People who want to ignore the principles can focus on the rules.”

I don’t know if I heard that, word for word, or came up with it myself.  It is true either way. 

Principles require mental engagement.  Life is not simple.  Conditions change.  Serendipity is more than just a word from the 60's.  “Drive safely” is a principle.  “Speed limit of 55" is a rule.  It is possible that in the rain and wind that 55 is not safe.  The legalist will insist on driving 55 plus the 5 mph grace.  The engaged driver will slow down.

We find this in politics.  We find it in business.  We find it in the church.

Take for instance the ban on murder.  If you are quoting the King James Bible, like people tend to do even when they don’t know it, it comes out like this.

(Exodus 20:13 KJV)  Thou shalt not kill.

That sounds like a simple rule.  The problem is that it would outlaw all war, capital punishment, self defense, and in extreme applications, a good steak.  For you that might not be a problem.  It is still not accurate.

Engage your mind.  Does that make sense?  Now dig a little deeper.  What the modern translations say is different.

(Exodus 20:13 NAS77)  "You shall not murder.

Now we scratch our head and say, “That is a horse of another color.”  In the Hebrew definition of this word it uses words like premeditated, murder and assassinate.

The law, the Bible in which many of our legal principles originate, and common sense have their rules but they are to be understood by the principles under them.

It is hard to be a thinking citizen.  It is hard to be a real follower of Christ.  It is easy to be a robot.

Happy thinking.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-225: Monday Pulpit: Debate on the Death Penalty

I teach a Sunday School class of high school and college students.  One of the issues that comes up fairly regularly is the issue of capital punishment.  There are a lot of Christians in the world that have decided that the death penalty is too cruel and should never be invoked.  Many refer to the words of Jesus, such as,

(Matthew 5:38-9 KJV)  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Sunday, at the church we were visiting, the pastor was demonstrating how God set up a form of representative government in the elders of Israel.  In the process he pointed out that one of the responsibilities of the elders was to punish murderers.  You can review Deuteronomy 19 for the way in which cities of refuge were set up for people guilty of manslaughter.  The Bible covers the nuances.  But if you keep reading you find that in cases of first degree murder the penalty was death.  Even if such a criminal made it to a city of refuge he was to be executed. 

One of the key arguments today is that life is precious and we should not take life, even in punishing murderers.  That was addressed also.

(Deuteronomy 19:13 NAS77)  "You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.

I use the NASB here because I think it is a little more clear.

Notice that one reason given is so that things will go well with the rest of society.  Maybe we need to look at our practices and ask if banning the death penalty is just another ingredient why God may not be smiling on us any more.

This is not offered as a final and conclusive “gotcha!”  It is simply one more piece of the puzzle we must consider as we try to remove the false teachings of the pagan, new age culture that have inserted themselves in our sense of right and wrong.

homo unius libri