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God's Justice
in relation to
Capital Punishment

Having once received truth, permanent condemnation is the reward for intentional voluntary sin.

"If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains
sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to
consume the adversaries." [Hebrews 10:26-27]

"If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed;
For in the image of God has man been made." [Genesis 9:6 ]

Injustices on the Part of Man are not Valid Excuses for Breaking God's Command

Humanists and Modernists believe that they are wiser than God!

KAROL WOJTYLA, who currently occupies the office of pope, in his Christmas Day message (1998 A.D.), Urbi et Orbi, issued a dramatic appeal to all nations to abolish the death penalty. I submit that his appeal was hypocritical and an offense against God.

  1. He is hypocritical in that he has not made his position an infallible teaching of the Catholic Church –– he is incapable of making such declaration since infallible teachings are guaranteed to be in accordance with God the Father's will by the protection of the Holy Spirit –– and is therefore either using his position as pope to promote his own opinions, or, as one possible alternative, has acquiesced to threats against his life or status.

  2. He is offensive to God in that he is in opposition to God's expressed will (a heretical act) that has long been understood to say that anyone guilty of taking the life of an innocent person, in the first degree, must be put to death. This well established Old Testament position was accepted in New Testament writings, and has been accepted by the Catholic Church from its infancy until the current expansion of humanism.

      "Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest
      letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law,
      until all things have taken place." [Matthew 5:18]

      "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest
      part of a letter of the law to become invalid." [Luke 16:17]

The law Jesus referred to were teachings of the Old Testament with particular reference to, "The Law of Moses." Saint Paul made the following clear statement in regard to the approved Scriptures – now referred to as the Old Testament,

      "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation,
      for correction, and for training in righteousness," [2 Tim. 3:16]

The authenticity of the Old Testament should not be questioned at least in regard to matters of faith and morals as Jesus and His disciples frequently quoted from many of the passages in a fashion that should be seen as giving them unquestioned authority through the auspices of God the Father. While the New Testament messages were yet to be enumerated, it should be clear that the teachings and writings of the apostles were also to be honored.

      "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were
      taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." [2 Thes. 2:15]

While covenants may be broken, God's commands concerning faith and morals are unalterable. God is not whimsical. He does make one set of rules for one person and another set for another person. God's teachings apply to all who know them or should have known them.

Pope vs. Death Penalty

Few Catholics, including Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), seem to understand the difference between authoritative teaching and the various levels of personal opinion.1 The pope and many Catholic cardinals and bishops are in opposition to capital punishment. This early command of God has been approved by the practice and teachings of the Church from its foundation.

In the minds of many a pope is believed to speak infallibility. However, this concept is untrue except under a very limited set of conditions that are always under the control of the Holy Spirit. When a pope speaks personally or is addressing a group of people his words are to be given thoughtful consideration, but, there is no requirement to blindly accept that what he is saying is in accordance with God's will.

Having accepted the Catholic understanding that popes have been authorized by Jesus to make infallible universal declarations on matters of faith and morals that are duly recorded and witnessed, I present the following position:
    In order to avoid being considered a hypocrite for asking people to go against Scriptural requirements concerning the death penalty, Pope John Paul II should "attempt"* to make an infallible declaration against the death penalty. The teachings of God are infallible. They can be further expounded but never diminished or reversed. God is consistent not capricious.
*   The word "attempt" is used as a qualifier as it is believed that he will not only
     be unable to make such a declaration, but that by making the attempt he
     risks the loss of both temporal and eternal life.

Should he not make his position an infallible teaching of the Church, he should publicly acknowledge his error and do public penance. One of the earliest commands of God was -- "If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; For in the image of God has man been made." Genesis 9:6. (God's Word should be considered as unchangeable even by an "enlightened" generation.) Since this teaching must be viewed as an infallible teaching, the only rational way to oppose capital punishment would be to change infallible teaching.

Capital punishment called — "cruel and unnecessary"

John Paul II's belief that capital punishment is "cruel and unnecessary2 " is illustrative of an increase in the acceptance of humanism and a diminished belief in God. When comparing a simple execution, even of the most heinous type, with the eternal torture of Hell it should be clear that capital punishment is not cruel for it serves good ends.
  1. It stops forever the destructive activity of the individual.
  2. It has allowed the perpetrator time to repent and die at peace with God.
  3. It gives recognition to a sense of justice in the world.
  4. It gives the individuals and community harmed by the act a sense of closure and safety.
  5. It sends a message to others that the particular activity has dire consequences.
  6. It reestablishes a sense of order in the world.
  7. It reestablishes peace with God when humanity disallows grave injustices to continue festering through acts of giving only token punishments for grave offenses against God and man.
  8. The concept of spiritual values of justice being of greater importance than humanistic values concerning limited life is reinforced.

An innocent person condemned to death, no matter the reason, is always under the protection of God. If the person's eternal spirit suffers agony then it should be understood as applying against punishment due in Purgatory. Any temporal suffering received by an eternally dammed person is just and is of less severity than will be received in Hell. Those who unjustly condemn will suffer greatly at the hand of God in the next life. In this life such people, when exposed, are to receive the same punishment as was unjustly given.

"If an unjust witness takes the stand against a man to accuse him of a defection from the law, the two parties in the dispute shall appear before the LORD in the presence of the priests or judges in office at that time; and if after a thorough investigation the judges find that the witness is a false witness and has accused his kinsman falsely, you shall do to him as he planned to do to his kinsman. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst. The rest, on hearing of it, shall fear, and never again do a thing so evil among you." [Deut. 19:16-20] [See also: Dan. 13:61f / Susanna 1:61f]

The wisdom of God – known to us through His just laws – must never be referred to as unnecessary. God is the creator and has the perfect right to take life when He so chooses, and, He also has full right to order that it be taken under certain conditions. To believe otherwise is illustrative of either a weak faith, or a total lack of faith in God.

The Catholic Church teaches that God is immutable (unchangeable). When both the consistent practice of the Church and the Sacred Scriptures3 – given full approval by the Church – teach in favor of capital punishment for grave crimes, then it must be understood that those in opposition to those teachings have set themselves up as false Gods, the gravest of all crimes as established in the First Commandment.

  1. Levels of Authority and Belief –– Sequential authority structure in Catholic Church
  2. John Paul II trip to St. Louis, USA in January 1999.
  3. 1.  "The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death," [Mt. 26:59] — Implicit recognition of justifiable capital punishment.
    2.   "What (then) will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others." [Mk. 12:9] — Parable of what the God who always sets good example will do when justice comes to the world.
    3.   "If I have committed a crime or done anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape the death penalty; but if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar." [Acts 25:11] — Saint Paul's clearly acknowledges the existence of deserved death sentences and that he would not seek to escape a justified sentence of death.
    4.   "Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." [Rom. 1:32] — Statement of Saint Paul that the death penalty is a just decree of God for various offenses.
    5.   "Anyone who rejects the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses." [Heb. 10:28] — A statement of the priestly writers that the death penalty is not only just, but that it is to be carried out without pity in relation to the perpetrators – this would seem to include the concept of lack of sympathy for those associated with the guilty party.
    6.   "Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor shall not be harmed by the second death." [Rev. 2:11] — Unnecessary concern should not be expended upon bodily death – for everyone dies – but rather on eternal punishment that is known as "the second death."
    7.   "The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.)" [Rev. 20:13-14] — Both good deeds and bad deeds have their eternal ramifications.

                  Father David C. Trosch
                  30 November 1999
                  Feast of Saint Andrew

You Shall Not Kill            Pope and Bishops Index            John Paul II vs. God

Which is the real Pope John Paul II ?        Do Not Murder

Pope versus Death Penalty        The Adulterous Woman

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