Reply #37: Is this the passage you're referring to? [View All]

[moggie]

Deuteronomy:

21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
21:19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21:21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

That sounds more like a way to ensure that everyone witnesses the execution, pour encourager les autres. Many societies have had public executions, for this reason. But have you ever heard of a society which had the death penalty, but where those making the decisions were so wise and virtuous that they never used it, in stark contrast to our experience of human nature across the world?

Today, some of the world's most secular societies have abolished the death penalty, and even corporal punishment, which the bible enthusiastically advocates (without requiring the involvement of the town elders: if you want to beat your kids, go right ahead). Are they going against God to do so?