I'm on the coast of your mind

Capital punishment has been the center of a long debate. Do murderers, rapists, child molesters, etc. deserve to die? Should we use death as a punishment? I find many people divided on this issue, Christian and non. Some argue that these people did something horrible to someone else, so they they deserve to have it done to them. Some argue that we shouldn't kill another person, no matter what their crime may be.

My own father has told me that if someone ever killed my mother or one of his children, then it would be for the killer's own safety that he/she be put in prison for life. If my father knew the killer were free, then he would seek justice on his own. While I know that if I was in that postition, it would take God himself to stop me from killing that person, hearing that my father would seek justice on his own terrifies me.

Why does it terrify me? Because I believe it is wrong to cut off a human life. Yes, murderers, rapists, and child molesters DESERVE to die, but if we should die for our sins, then all of us would be dead. I don't believe we should judge who lives or dies. It feels so wrong. In executing a criminal for taking a life, we commit the same sin as that criminal. That criminal will have his/her punishment, after his/her life ends, without our help. But then a person may repent of his SINS, and have forgiveness from God, yet we killed this person, and took away that chance.

But then I must also say a sin is technically different from a crime. They are the same except for punishment wise. There is always forgiveness for our sins, but not necessarily for our crimes. Also, God doesn't want us to wait for tomorrow, or the day after that, or whatever other chances we may recieve, he wants us to repent today, asap. We can't rely on being here tomorrow to get our heart right with God.

I do not want my father to seek justice for me by killing another person/person himself. I said before that only God himself could stop me in that situation. Well, God does stop me. If justice is to be had for the crime, then the criminal must be punished by the law, not a relative/friend/spouse/whatever. If justice is to be had for the sin, then only God may seek it.

My stance on capital punishment: not for it, unless there is absolute proof, such as a video showing the crime, or a public crime. Because I believe in eternity, I can trust that person to be punished for what he/she did. If you can't stand the fact that someone guilty of a crime such a murder/rape/child abuse only got life in prison without parole, then that's your problem. You need to move on, otherwise it will destroy you also.

What do y'all think about capital punishment?