Sorry....pollyanna kumbaya Christianity based on good works is indeed indicative of our lapse into lack of strength etc
You mention the Christian foundations of our founders
Good point.
They would have hanged this animal within hours publicly as a warning to any other animal.
Forgive the man who brutally raped and murdered your sister because his repented?
Nuts.
That’s Gods job.
Good point.
They would have hanged this animal within hours publicly as a warning to any other animal."
That's exactly right.
The only reason I myself would even think twice about calling this guy an animal is because of the unfairness and insult to the beasts God made.
Nuts.
That’s Gods job.
Then what's your interpretation of "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" and "Love your enemy, do good to those who persecute you"?
You call it "pollyanna kumbaya Christianity". I call it basic Christianity. It's not Pollyanna at all. It's one of the hardest things about being a Christian. In a case like this it requires heroic virtue. I'm not talking about "Can't we all just get along?". I'm talking about a genuine desire for the sinner's good. If you don't understand that basic fact of Christianity, then you don't understand Christianity at all.
I used to think that the most common sins were sins of the flesh. I'm coming to believe that they're a refusal to forgive someone who has repented for doing us harm.
True forgiveness and true justice are quite compatible. In fact, they require each other. Forgiving a criminal for the wrong he has done does not mean letting him off the hook. That's a gross misunderstanding of both justice and forgiveness. Rather, forgiving a sinner means to genuinely desire and work for the repentant sinner's ultimate good, which is union with God in heaven. And that requires justice. It is unjust to refuse to punish the sinner. It is unjust both to society and to the sinner himself. He needs to pay for his crime. So no, I'm not being Pollyanna-ish about this at all. Much less kumbaya.
And by the way... I do support the death penalty. Read my previous comments about forgiveness and justice. I believe the death penalty has a way of concentrating the criminal’s focus on his ultimate destiny, and makes him more likely to repent than spending years in prison, which is more likely to harden him in his sinfulness than it is to make him repent.