The following guest sermon was submitted by ULC Minister Zach Atkins. All ULC Ministers are invited to contribute their own sermons for consideration/publication. To submit a sermon, please email it to sermons@ulc.org.
This sermon is probably hard to hear for many. If you are triggered in any way by heinous acts of crime or the subject of capital punishment, it might be better to stop reading. This sermon is partially in response to a fellow minister who I greatly respect and value their opinion. I will preface this with support for a woman’s right to choose, I am not debating their stance on that, only about capital punishment as it relates to biblical and religious history. You can find their sermon here.
Perspectives on Capital Punishment
I have studied capital punishment extensively. Capital punishment has been utilized in almost every society since the beginning of time, across multiple faiths. The Bible contains many examples of people being executed and being given mercy as well. Jesus defended the woman from stoning by her community: when the woman's accusers continue to demand her execution, he states that the one who is without sin is the one who should cast the first stone at her. Jesus says that he does not condemn her and tells her to go and sin no more.
The woman he was defending is accused of adultery, not murder or rape. I am not aware of any example of Jesus ever saving a murderer or rapist from capital punishment. Coker vs Georgia abolished the death penalty for the crime of rape. Erlich Anthony Coker was serving multiple life sentences for murder, rape, robbery, and arson. He escaped prison and kidnapped a woman and raped her. He was sentenced to death for this. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court where his death sentence was overturned. He was already serving multiple life sentences for his previous heinous acts. I can’t imagine how the victim must’ve felt knowing that her attacker (who is a previous murderer) had escaped prison before and now would not be put to death.
God's Justice vs Man's Justice
I do not believe that most people who commit heinous acts should be subjected to capital punishment. But I do believe that in humankind’s legal systems, it does and has always had its place. God’s justice is not man’s justice and I believe even people like Coker can have a sincere change of heart, but even with that change of heart comes taking accountability for your actions and victim’s peace of mind that you’ll never hurt them again. Many people have faced execution with dignity and repentance for what they have done, not fighting their sentence at all. Instead accepting their fate as part of their change of heart.
I know this is a very dark subject and I hope I have been able to provide some clarity on this matter. My ministry focuses on incarcerated, addiction, and mental health affected persons. I would be happy to have further discussion about this matter with anyone interested.
22 comments
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Reverend Marika
I am against the death penalty since our legal system is flawed. The Innocence Project has freed over 300 individuals from death row prisons around the United States using DNA evidence. Given how messed up the legal system is, how obvious it is that innocent people are being convicted of crimes they did not commit, I believe a life sentence without any chance of parole is appropriate.
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James Mounts
Marika is right on. Given that witnesses, policemen, jurors, judges, et al. are human--not to mention corrupt--we should not be taking actions which cannot be reversed. We must leave room to say "oops."
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Merlin
Remember what “God” told Aaron to do to Jericho. Men, women, children and animals. Their only sin was being there. Death has always been the ultimate deterrent. Thus a revengeful “God” of the Old Testament .
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Tecla Caryl Loup
I should think that life without parole would be hell on earth and therefore suitable punishment.
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Rev. Michelle Love
Some people would see it as three hots and a cot and would be perfectly fine with it. There are people who deliberately commit crimes because they literally cannot afford to live anywhere else.
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Clay Serenbetz
My trouble with capital punishment in our society is that it is not fairly administered, as follows: 1. It is beset by racial and economic biases: Capital punishment is often used against the most vulnerable in society, including the poor, ethnic and religious minorities, and people with mental disabilities. Thus, capital punishment is unjustly administered. 2. Mistakes can and do happen and the innocent are put to death and are no longer able to reverse their unjust punishment; 3. For those who support banning abortion, arguing for capital punishment is hypocritical. If all life is sacred, then ALL life is sacred.
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Colleen McAllister
The Bible specifes the death penalty. Old Testament.
Christ suggested mercy and forgiveness.
In all but the most heiness crimes life imprisonment should suffice.
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Lionheart
The Bible also states God condoning the stoning of people to death, and all the guy did was pick up sticks on the Sabbath. (Old Testament). I guess your god saw that as a heinous crime then, Lady Colleen. I bet you still worship that monster…..right?
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Rev. Michelle Love
It was a man asserting himself as God who condoned the practice of stoning people to death. Also, I would like to remind you that calling a person's God a monster on a church blog is neither respectful or constructive. Consider reading the code of conduct for the comment section and then the Bible so you can gain a true understanding of what is being discussed.
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Lionheart
Anyone who creates a genocide, ie flooding the earth, killing nearly all of its inhabitants, which would have included, babies, toddlers, children, pregnant mothers, et al, is in my book a monster. What would you call it?
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Rev Dr N
There are fore's and against's regarding this type of punishment. The most heinous crimes of course the families would want to see the perpetrator lose their lives as their family member had but.... sadly, over centuries there has been far too many mistakes, the wrong person convicted and all the families of the wrongly accused get is " sorry about that" and their lives matter no more. So, in the main, the perpetrator yes should face harsh punishment but am really unsure as to whether capital punishment is the answer, I think I would have to say...no.
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
As long as the Christian God supports the use of capital punishment (such a Christian God obviously supported the death penalty when he authorized its use against his one and only son);the death penalty will continue to have the support of the majority of the USA’s Christian’s. Christians opposed to the death penalty— should convert to my denomination in the ULC, in which I’m a bishop, but refer to myself as a minister/chaplain, while I’m doing missionary work, involving the abolition of the death penalty. Just because the Christian God supports the death penalty doesn’t mean you’re stuck with doing so also.
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Daniel Gray
What heinous act? A person killed another person and they deserve to be tried and punished according to our laws. I am sure they didnt give a frogs butt hair when they killed the other person. So if you committed murder and were tried and found guilty from all the available evidence, then you deserve the punishment coming to you after you have exhausted your appeals. And if its an open and shut case, then you get no appeals and you go directly to your states death row. Then you can appeal your judgement to the higher authority. And if you dont believe in one, then I guess you are sorta SOL now aren't you
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Nicholas J Page
I can't comment because here in the U.K we don't have the death sentence but I admit I'm amazed that criminals know that countries have the death penalty and still want to commit crimes against the state knowing there is a big possibility of being caught and then sentenced to death.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
I am pro—death-penalty when there is irrefutable proof of guilt. Examples include the Aurora Theater shooting, the Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs, and the Club Q shooting.
I’ve heard it said that the death penalty doesn’t discourage anyone from killing. It does, however, prevent the guilty person from ever killing again.
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Clay Serenbetz
There are plenty of examples where individuals were later exonerated for murder. If you thought there was "irrefutable" proof and executed them, how would they benefit from subsequent exoneration? Just curious, are you pro-life?
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
The Christian God, after he found out that ‘death penaltying his only son, didn’t stop the killing of one Eartly person by another, could have asked his father, to ban the use of the death penalty, on Earth— but he didn’t; so until he does, remember that “The Christian God works in strange ways his wonders to perform; so you’ll just have to wait a little longer for him to do so.
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Rev. Michelle Love
Jesus would never defend a rapist or a murderer because it is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments, Thou Shalt Not Kill. Murder is the killing of the physical body and rape is the killing of one's soul.
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Lionheart
Well, Lady Michelle, Jesus’ dad, (or was his dad him?), was totally okay drowning most people on earth, which one could attribute that to murder, much like when he murdered the children of the first born due to his anger management issue with Pharaoh. I’m not sure God raped anyone, however, he did somehow impregnate a 13 year old virgin, and covered it up with some wild story about a messiah, which of course no one would believe…..oh but wait…..they did. Weird, right?
Then, to cover up his sins of killing people, god concocted the 10 Commandments to make it seem he was all about love. And then…..he gave them to a guy called Moses, of whom no one has yet ever proved was real, (much like God), to share with the world.
I know it’s very far fetched, so you’ll have to take my word for it, but people actually believe this.
Thank you for your comment though. 🤭
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Rev. Michelle Love
Lionheart,
The great flood was supposed to be a reset. People were performing bestiality and spawning atrocities that were represented in literature by creatures such as the mermaid and the centaur. God fixed man's DNA so this would never happen again.
In regards to the babies that were murdered in the slaughter of the innocents, do you really think it was God that came down and did that or a ruler who had asserted himself as God who ordered the hit so that his rule on the throne would not be threatened? God's first rule was Thou Shalt Not Kill. He is the Creator, not a murderer.
Also, God was never credited with impregnating Mary, whose age is never mentioned in the Bible. She was "touched by an angel" which I interpret as being molested by an Anglo Saxon.
A lot of the Bible is written in riddles. It is up to us to use discernment to decide what actually makes sense. Take another look and I think you will agree.
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Lionheart
Thank you for your comment, but I don’t agree with it. Apologists views, and their interpretations, in an attempt to vindicate the god they like to believe is real, and worship, is for me a cop out.
Fortunately, there is no demonstrable evidence to prove any of the worlds gods, that mankind has created, even yours, are real. Even those supposed omnipotent gods don’t seem capable of proving they are real.
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Leviticus has a bazillion crimes that demand you get stoned to death. Perhaps they forgot about the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and the Burning Times. Christians love to kill.