p.s.
Contrary to what many believe, the Christian faith is not a long list of rules for the pope to toy with. The 7 sacraments were created by God and are one of the main functions of the Church. They bring grace to humanity. Communion, Penance, Marriage, Baptusm, not ours to modify. The death penalty is a man made penal action for justice and protection of society, no comparison to REVEALED TRUTH.
“Communion, Penance, Marriage, Baptusm, not ours to modify. The death penalty is a man made penal action for justice and protection of society, no comparison to REVEALED TRUTH.”
Interesting take.
I think that the death penalty is derived from God’s instructions to Noah:
Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds man’s blood,
By man his blood shall be shed;
For in the image of God
He made man.
However, some debate about whether Christians should support the enforcement of this moral principle when Christ extended mercy to some who, under the Law, were worthy of death.
Personally, I believe that killing is justified in war, when defending yourself or what is under your care, and when capital crimes have been committed (and then only by those who are authorized by the legal code in force to do so). I think that even though the death penalty can often be a tragic outcome, it is generally better than the alternative in which severe crimes increase due to the lack of punishment for such crimes. In other words, capital punishment can be by itself a merciful act.
I am more interested though in trying to understand the Catholic view on the possibility of the Church changing essential doctrine. I have been under the impression that it is considered impossible for this to happen from the Catholic perspective. So I am less concerned about settling the specific debate over the death penalty than how such disputes among professing Christians are resolved.
The ongoing debate between Catholics and Protestants seems to always come down to whether the Bible is the final authority or the “Church” when it comes to settling such issues. The idea that the Pope could possibly change a major doctrine seems to be inconsistent with what I thought was the ultimate point of disagreement. But I may be misunderstanding the Catholic perspective on this—not trying to put words in their mouths.
Please don’t call it the Christian faith. There are things like penance which are not at all biblical.
On that note, people are going to see the catholic church show it’s true colours more frequently.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Follow him. There is no other way.