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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1987-06-17, Page 17From the Minister's Study THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1987. PAGE 17. Decision on capital punishment must not be emotional BY REV. BONNIE LAMBLE WALTON-BLUEVALE PASTORAL CHARGE In Acts 7 we are introduced to a young man named Saul who stood nearby as Stephen was stoned to death. If we read a little further we learn that Saul actively persecuted the church dragging off men and women and commiting them to prison. We have here an interest ing portrait of a young man who was deeply and fanatically com mitted to preserving his religious tradition. As a Pharisee, Saul believed in a very strict observance of the Jewish religious law. He saw the Christian church as a dangerous threat to his religious beliefs and he acti vel y sought to destroy it. It is important to note that Saul at this point did not listen to the more moderate position of his teacher Gamaliel who had suggested that if the church was just a human undertaking, it would fail on its- own, but if it were from God, they would not be able to stop it. It is probable that Saul could not listen to the reasonable position of his teacher because he was in no stateofmindto hear reason. He was deeply afraid of the enthusi asm and growing popularity of the church. He had to stop it any way he could, or what would be left of his own tradition, his own position? Fueledby his own deep fears he lashed out trying to destroy the enemy. Ican’thelpbutthinkthat there is a parallel to this story going on in our country right now. Many people are alarmed and afraid of the violence in our society. And our fears are triggering an emotional reaction. We want to lash out at those we perceive as the enemy. We think that we may be safer if we bring back the death penalty. Now the problem with that type of thinking is that it is based on emotion and not so much on fact. It is perfectly normal to feel fear and anxiety about violence in our society. It is normal to feel a sense of shock, outrage and anger about murder, particularly the murder of a child or a police officer. It is a horrendous experience. But no matter how strong and deepour feelings are, it is just plain dangerous to act on the basis of feeling alone. Statistics showthat the death penalty is no deterrent. The homicide rate in Canada has dropped since the death penalty was abolished. It may very well be that in a society that condones killing by having the death penalty, there is less respect for the value of human life and thus more violence. A return of the noose would then most likely mean an increase in violence in Canada. Nobody needs that. AsChristianswe are called to wrestle with the issue in terms of our faith. What is justice? 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When Cain murdered his brother, God sent him away but God protected his life. When Jesus encountered the woman taken in adultery he protected her from a death sentence. Saul’s emotional reaction against the church was his own doing. It was not God’s will. As it turned out God had other plans for Saul and for the church.. We need to be careful that our decision aboutcapital punishment is not just an emotional reaction that is our own doing. Our Christian faith affirms that life is a gift from God and that it is wrong totake a life. Let us seek God’s guidance as we try to deal with the problems of violence. But let us choose other means than the return of capital punishment. Blyth Christian Reformed Church HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH Rev. Roger Gelwicks Worship Services 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sunday School 11:00a.m. The Church of the “ Back to God Hour” and “ Faith 20” Back to God Hour 10:30a.m. CKNX, Sunday Faith 20 5:00a.m. weekdays, Global T. V. 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