Author Topic: Death penalty (Read 1340 times)

InfiniteFaith · « **on:** August 13, 2015, 06:18:20 PM »

Let's say that a person committed a sin that is worthy of the death penalty. Now let's say that the man repents and believes after the fact, and years have passed. Should the man still be put to death?

Matto · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2015, 06:36:20 PM »

I am not an expert so don't take me too seriously, but I have an idea about this. When you commit a crime you incur a debt that you owe to God because of this crime and it has to be paid back to God in this life or in purgatory or in hell. For those who commit crimes worthy of the death penalty, if they accept their punishment willingly and come to believe in God, when they are put to death (of course after confession, extreme unction, and communion) they can pay off their debt owed to God by their death and spend less time in purgatory and maybe even avoid purgatory and go straight to heaven.

That is just a thought though, so I may be wrong. I did not go look up the answer from a good Catholic source.

InfiniteFaith · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2015, 06:39:54 PM »

Quote from: Matto

I am not an expert so don't take me too seriously, but I have an idea about this. When you commit a crime you incur a debt that you owe to God because of this crime and it has to be paid back to God in this life or in purgatory or in hell. For those who commit crimes worthy of the death penalty, if they accept their punishment willingly and come to believe in God, when they are put to death (of course after confession, extreme unction, and communion) they can pay off their debt owed to God and spend less time in purgatory and maybe even avoid purgatory and go straight to heaven.

That is just a thought though, so I may be wrong. I did not go look up the answer from a good Catholic source.

So your answer is yes?

What about the woman who committed adultery in the new testament? Christ was asked if she should be put to death for it. He did not give them the go ahead to do so because they too were sinners.

I am not arguing against the death penalty by any means BTW. I am just wondering if maybe repentance could omit the death penalty.

Marlelar · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2015, 06:42:55 PM »

That is my understanding also Matto. A person is not punished for being an unbeliever, or unrepentant but for the action itself.

Unless someone is mentally challenged I don't think there is anyway he would not know he were committing a capital offense so he must pay the penalty no matter how remorseful he may be after the fact. I would pray for his repentance so that he could one day be in heaven.

Matto · « **Reply #4 on:** August 13, 2015, 06:45:25 PM »

Quote from: InfiniteFaith

So your answer is yes?

What about the woman who committed adultery in the new testament? Christ was asked if she should be put to death for it. He did not give them the go ahead to do so because they too were sinners.

I am not arguing against the death penalty be any means BTW.

I could say yes or no. Sometimes mercy is best and sometimes judgment. It is up to a good king or judge to decide in each particular circuмstance, not for me. My thought was just to present the case that their is some value in the afterlife of accepting a death sentence because it is better to suffer in this world than the next.

And even though in one case recorded in scripture, God allowed for the guilty to be spared death, the same God made that law that ordered her death and many (I would guess thousands) people were killed because of God's law. All throughout Catholic history, serious crimes were punished by death in Catholic countries.