Not to be terribly difficult, but the eye-for-eye (EFE) bible quote is generally misused by everyone. I’m even convinced that Jesus was addressing that same misunderstanding.
EFE is about civil punishment if one checks the old testament. It refers to a punishment being commensurate with a crime. You don’t take a life for a tooth. Justice requires taking no more than a tooth for a tooth.
So, Jesus was addressing people misusing a legal prescription and saying it meant they could take revenge for harm they perceived having happened to themselves. Jesus is saying that in personal relationships that forgiveness is better than vengeance.
He is not talking about international relations or about criminal law. In THOSE areas the wisdom of EFE still applies. A punishment/retaliation should be in proportion to the crime. We still practice this in our law and it is reflected in our Constitution that forbids cruel and unusual punishment. It is preserved in just law theory that calls for proportionality of response.
That’s not to say Trump understands all this, but he might. I have no way of knowing.
Agree.... I think Trumpy uses it to justify “I’m a counter puncher. If they hit me, I hit them back even harder.” It is how he lives his life. But I’m just guessing about Trumpy based on what I’ve seen of him and what I’ve heard him say.
Wait?? We are/were supposed to put out a literal eye or knock out a literal tooth?! Just checking.
I agree. I’m glad Trump used this quote the way he did. Sends a strong message to everyone. Not just terrorists. I dont know if he understood the verse the way it should be interpreted, but he certainly got people looking it up for context.