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Dear
Gramps, What is the church’s position on the death penalty? If the
atonement was made for all, why is it necessary for the church to believe in
sustaining the law for the death penalty rather than taking a position
against it, as it seems inconsistent with the principle of forgiveness? I
understand we uphold the law whereby we are governed but it would seem we
should be able to forgive all men and let the Savior do the judging when it
comes to the taking of life. Monika |
Dear
Monika,
In
the first place, as you pointed out, we believe in being obedient to the law of
the land. The fact that a criminal is bound by the laws of the land has nothing
to do with our attitude of forgiveness. We have no right or reason to condemn or
forgive someone who has committed an offense against someone other than
ourselves. We could only condemn or forgive if we were in a position of
judgment, which of course we are not. Your question should be, would I forgive a
murderer if he had killed my spouse or one of my children? Then it would be
meaningful to forgive the offense.
However,
apart from your attitude of forgiveness, especially if the offender is
unrepentant, society must be protected; and that is one of the legitimate
functions of government-- “to provide for the common defense and promote the
general welfare.”
You
seem to imply that in letting the Savior be the judge, we should hold no one
accountable for his or her actions. If such a course were taken, there would be
no punishment for breaking the law or for violating the legitimate rights of
another. It would give those with criminal intent a free hand, and would lead to
anarchy. We have a responsibility before the Lord to uphold righteousness and to
denounce wickedness. In the words of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural
address, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the
right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we
are in.”
Gramps