Pro - "Wages of Sin is Death." (Romans 6:23)
Against - "You shall not Kill." (Exodus 20:13)
Explanation:
It is lawful to kill, when it is God's will. Meaning, if it is reasonable. God's Death Penalty is reasonable because he is the owner of life. The logic or reason is that only God can kill because he is the owner of life.
It is unlawful to kill, when it is NOT God's will. Meaning, if it is unreasonable. Man is not reasonable to kill, because he is not the owner of life. Man is reasonable only to kill, if he is instructed or given authority from God to kill or to impose death penalty.
How man would be able to know that it is God's will to impose death penalty?
The Biblical Answer is: "DECISION PROTOCOL"
The voice of the true Church is the voice of God (Luke 10:16; Matthew 18:17-18; 1 Timothy 3:15).
Therefore, the voice of the true Church must be needed in determining to know God's will in imposing death penalty.
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Luke 10:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 “Whoever listens to you (Church) listens to me (Christ); whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Matthew 18:17-18 New International Version (NIV)
17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
1 Timothy 3:15 New International Version (NIV)
15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
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"You should not decide until you have heard what both have to say."
(Aristopanes - The Wasps)
"Hear the other side."
(St Agustine - De Duabus Animabus Contra Manicheos)
"Come now, and let us reason together."
(Isaiah 1:18)
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If we are only listening to our respective Pastors, Priests or Ministers. And being bias to the other sides of BELIEFS or RELIGIONS. Or without seeing, the other sides, how can we be sure, that our religion is really the one religion founded by Christ as recorded in the bible, and attested by the accounts of history?
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If our debates, beautiful to look at, meaning, full of love and respect, to opponents and viewers. The public would appreciate it and remarked, that it is an ART or EDUCATIONAL. But, if our debates, is full of hates, disrespects, ad hominems. The response to the public is either, it's funny or negative (ugly, unattractive, embarrassing, humiliating).
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Someone told me, that, DEBATES on RELIGION is a WASTE OF TIME!
My response:
Listening each others' point of views about faith, is NOT a waste of time, if done, with LOVE, HUMILITY and PATIENCE. It is all about the love of truth, to prevail. The love of striving the unity of faith which our Lord wants us to happen (John 10:16; 17:11,21-22).
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God's covenant with Adam was a marriage; the covenant with Noah was a household; the covenant with Abraham was a tribe; the covenant with Moses made the twelve tribes into a national family; the covenant with David established Israel as a national kingdom family; while Christ made the New Covenant to be God's worldwide or "catholic" (from the Greek, katholikos) family to include all nations, both Jews and Gentiles.
~ Dr. Scott Hahn ~
Former Presbyterian Minister Who Became Catholic
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A catholic who is intentionally arrogant in defending the catholic faith, is not actually defending the catholic faith. He is actually destroying it. While a catholic who is humble in defending the catholic faith, he is not only defending the catholic faith, he is making the catholic faith more beautiful.
Lord God, please, help me to become a humble defender of the catholic faith. Please, please, God!