Thou shalt not kill

I see an Oklahoma headline like this in the Huff Post and it just fries me! 

His Brother Admitted to a Murder. He Is Set to Be Executed for It. 

Readers of this blog site are aware of how strongly I oppose the death penalty. Before I get into some of my reasons, once again, I’d like to share some information with you. As of November 1, 2025, executioners in the United States have been the busiest they have been in over a decade. 

- The U.S. has carried out 40 executions so far this year.

-This figure is the highest since 2012, when 43 people were executed.

-October was the busiest month for executions since May 2011, with 7 executions.

- The number of executions is up significantly from the 25 carried out in all of 2024.

- At least six more executions are scheduled before the end of the year.

BUT

- The murder rate in non-death penalty states has remained consistently lower than the rate in states with the death penalty, and the gap has grown since 1990! 

As I’ve shared in earlier essays, my stand against capital punishment and the death penalty became even stronger after I witnessed an execution in 2006. Charles Anthony Nealy was not only a client of HFP…he was a personal friend, wrongly convicted. He was murdered by the State of Texas at the age of 42. 

Now, I know that some of my friends, also followers of Jesus, support the death penalty. To my chagrin, even my own denomination refused to alter its stance after a committee of devout professionals presented a strong case. The main verses in Romans used by capital punishment advocates are Romans 13:3-4, which state that authorities "do not bear the sword for no reason" and are "God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” 

I read a short piece recently, written by a Roman Catholic theologian, the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood that accurately reflects my opinion. He quotes from the King James version of the Bible when stating his position. “You can't follow Jesus and support the death penalty. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers a vision of justice that is profoundly counterintuitive. ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also’ (Matthew 5:38-39). Justice, in Jesus’ hands, is not about punishment but about transformation. Capital punishment, being irreversible and retributive, stands in direct opposition to this ethic.” 

My favorite Roman Catholic nun, Sister Helen Prejean, who came to Grand Haven some years ago to lecture in support of HPF, says: “In sorting out my feelings and beliefs, there is, however, one piece of moral ground of which I am absolutely certain: if I were to be murdered I would not want my murderer executed. I would not want my death avenged. Especially by government--which can't be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill.” 

Let the one without sin proceed with the execution. Rev Dr Jeff Hood

 

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