Old Testament in Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter

On Crime: OpEd: "An eye for an eye" LIMITS punishment, not ALLOWS it

Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and justifying their belief on an erroneous interpretation of Hebrew Scriptures. "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," their most likely response, overlooks the fact that this was promulgated by Moses as a limitation--a prohibition against taking both eyes or all of an offender's teeth in retribution. Also, we might remember Jesus' explanation that Moses gave these and some other aspects of the Torah to accommodate "the hardness of heart" of his listeners.

The Bible has numerous examples of mercy as an alternative to the prescribed death sentence, as when God permitted the first known murderer, Cain, to live. In another dramatic instance, Jesus forgave a women sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery.

It seems logical that all Christians would follow the example of Jesus Christ. In 1999 in St. Louis, the pope described capital punishment as "cruel and unnecessary."

Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 82-83 Sep 26, 2006

On Environment: God gave Man dominion over nature to manage, not to waste

I was born into a Christian family, nurtured as a Southern Baptist, and have been in weekly Bible lessons all my life.

At least one Sunday each year was devoted to protection of the environment, or stewardship of the earth. My father and the other farmers in the congregation would pay close attention to the pastors' sermons, based on such texts as "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." When humans were given domination over the land, water, fish, animals, and all of nature, the emphasis was on careful management and enhancement, not waste or degradation.

Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 16-19 Sep 26, 2006

The above quotations are from Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, by Jimmy Carter. Click here for other excerpts from Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, by Jimmy Carter. Click here for other excerpts by Old Testament. Click here for a profile of Old Testament.
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