As humans, I think we can intuitively identify double standards and sadly, we are surrounded by many in society. Our young are beginning to call this out, but are the adults in the room?
I am curious to read how the msm in NZ will report on the UK’s recent Supreme Court judgement that women are women, and trans with gender certificates to say they are women, are not!
Your position on the death penalty sounds consistent, but I don’t think it is. I presume that you are not a fan of kidnapping; so are you against prisons? We humans distinguish between the reasons for capturing someone and locking them up. Similarly, there are justifiable arguments for the death penalty, even though we may be “pro-life”.
Thanks Anthony. There are arguments for the death penalty, I just don't think they wash with a consistent ethic of life. I can see why you would argue the kidnapping v prison dynamic but death is both final and an affront to the inviolability of life (if one agrees with this idea). Consistency doesn't mean everything is the same though. It is consistent to say kidnapping is wrong, while restraining someone in prison is morally acceptable.
If we are to be consistent, in the OT God commanded the death penalty be given for various reasons. God does see life as being sacrosanct!
However, He also commanded Saul to wipe out all the Amalekites; women, children & babies included! 1 Sam 15
Moses had the Levites kill 3000 Israelites for rebellion! Ex 32:28-34
For those who want to say that was the OT era, so what! Mt 5:17-20
In the NT era Christians were carrying out the death penalty for a variety of despicable reasons!
Yes, we can exercise grace but as Jesus said to the woman caught in the act of adultery .. "10 Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and DO NOT SIN again.”
Grace has its limits, Mt 25:24-30, Mt 22:1-14, Rev 21:8, Mt 8:10-12, Heb 10:26-31
Yes life is sacrosanct, but so was the life of the person who was murdered!
1 Cor 13:16 "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are".
God works through people & the justice system He had man establish on earth as with Moses! Ex 18:13-27
There should be a media 'watchdog'! If the media are found to be lying, deliberately misleading, propagandising, censoring, & biased in their reporting, the 'watchdog' group should be able to 'impose sanctions, fines & suspension' of those violating the concept of a 'free & fair press/media'!
The Left have had so called 'fact checkers' like Snopes who themselves need to be 'fact checked'! It will take a group of 'impartial politically blind people' to be on such a group, & there would be oversight, so that they too would be held accountable!
Yes, it does start getting complicated!
Accountability & transparency should be a given for any truly 'democratic society' = Answerable to the people!
Currently no one is, with Parliament even rejecting the common sense 'Treaty Principles Bill', essentially the Principles that have underpinned our Westminster Parliamentary system since the Magna Carta! What does that say about where we are going?
Just wanted to mention that, I do think you can argue that the death penalty, when upheld correctly, should only take the lives of people above broken specific laws, as opposed to those innocent unborn children, or sick people who are suffering. So I think you can hold a another view while being consistent. I know one of the bible teachers I most respect believes the death penalty to be biblically sound, though I think there are many issues surrounding it and am not pro- penalty myself as I think there's too much room for human error in various ways.
I think one can make arguments for the death penalty, including how it is distinct from other pro-life positions. It's not my philosophical view on it, as the inviolable right to life exists in this situation too. But again, it is a debating point :)
not undermining at all; this is all about discussion. My view of the consistent approach is one thing, but as we are discussing, others will have a differing view and that's healthy.
I'm assuming God is pro-life except when an individual, a group, or a nation opposes His Will! Then it is just a matter of scale! Ex 21:23, Hosea 8-14, Lk 19:41-44, Lk 19:27, Josh 1-6
The consistency is found in whether we have violated laws which God deems punishable by death!
The issue is there are double standards across the board, people 'cherry picking' & being 'intellectually dishonest' to support their worldview!
Should all atheists be judged by what Stalin, Mao & Pol Pot did, similarly for what Christian leaders & Christians may have done in its 2000 year history, including today!
Jesus met a 'double standard' in the attitude & actions of the Scribes, Pharisees & Sadducees! Mt 23, Jn 8:39-47, Mt 3:7-10
We see it in Parliament right now with the rejection of David Seymour's Treaty Principles/Articles Bill!
Basically they rejected the whole premise of 'Westminster Parliamentary Democracy', as those very 'Principles/Articles' which Queen Victoria promulgated as the basis for the 'Treaty' originally came from the Bible =>the Magna Carta & from there, an 800 year old 'tradition'!
This is a 'double standard' on steroids!
Which means we just lurched towards tyranny with Luxon also having said, "We will spike this Bill", along with a flawed 'submission process'!
Fallen man is the embodiment of the 'Double Standard', speaking with 'forked tongue'! Hence the serpents split tongue! Jn 8:44
Without a return to 'morality & ethics' centring on God's Word, His Treaty/Principles/Covenant with us, Dan 11:32, we are doomed to failure as history shows!
As in the Garden, Satan deceived God's children through deception, lies & misdirection! All of which is playing out today in spades!
We are responsible & accountable to reform what is a corrupted system & governance of this nation!
"Evil prospers when good men do nothing"!
The real issue is, people don't know or understand God, nor His Word! Hosea 4:6, Rom 3:10-18
Confusion certainly in our media over ( if lookedcat without rsinbow tinted spectacles) clear issues as they 'disingenuously' ha) currently swim with a tide including Mermaids miasmic dogma and PATHA paths.
I am curious to read how the msm in NZ will report on the UK’s recent Supreme Court judgement that women are women, and trans with gender certificates to say they are women, are not!
my pick, is they will largely ignore and bury the story.
Your position on the death penalty sounds consistent, but I don’t think it is. I presume that you are not a fan of kidnapping; so are you against prisons? We humans distinguish between the reasons for capturing someone and locking them up. Similarly, there are justifiable arguments for the death penalty, even though we may be “pro-life”.
Thanks Anthony. There are arguments for the death penalty, I just don't think they wash with a consistent ethic of life. I can see why you would argue the kidnapping v prison dynamic but death is both final and an affront to the inviolability of life (if one agrees with this idea). Consistency doesn't mean everything is the same though. It is consistent to say kidnapping is wrong, while restraining someone in prison is morally acceptable.
If we are to be consistent, in the OT God commanded the death penalty be given for various reasons. God does see life as being sacrosanct!
However, He also commanded Saul to wipe out all the Amalekites; women, children & babies included! 1 Sam 15
Moses had the Levites kill 3000 Israelites for rebellion! Ex 32:28-34
For those who want to say that was the OT era, so what! Mt 5:17-20
In the NT era Christians were carrying out the death penalty for a variety of despicable reasons!
Yes, we can exercise grace but as Jesus said to the woman caught in the act of adultery .. "10 Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and DO NOT SIN again.”
Grace has its limits, Mt 25:24-30, Mt 22:1-14, Rev 21:8, Mt 8:10-12, Heb 10:26-31
Yes life is sacrosanct, but so was the life of the person who was murdered!
1 Cor 13:16 "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are".
God works through people & the justice system He had man establish on earth as with Moses! Ex 18:13-27
There should be a media 'watchdog'! If the media are found to be lying, deliberately misleading, propagandising, censoring, & biased in their reporting, the 'watchdog' group should be able to 'impose sanctions, fines & suspension' of those violating the concept of a 'free & fair press/media'!
The Left have had so called 'fact checkers' like Snopes who themselves need to be 'fact checked'! It will take a group of 'impartial politically blind people' to be on such a group, & there would be oversight, so that they too would be held accountable!
Yes, it does start getting complicated!
Accountability & transparency should be a given for any truly 'democratic society' = Answerable to the people!
Currently no one is, with Parliament even rejecting the common sense 'Treaty Principles Bill', essentially the Principles that have underpinned our Westminster Parliamentary system since the Magna Carta! What does that say about where we are going?
TYRANNY I would suggest!
Just wanted to mention that, I do think you can argue that the death penalty, when upheld correctly, should only take the lives of people above broken specific laws, as opposed to those innocent unborn children, or sick people who are suffering. So I think you can hold a another view while being consistent. I know one of the bible teachers I most respect believes the death penalty to be biblically sound, though I think there are many issues surrounding it and am not pro- penalty myself as I think there's too much room for human error in various ways.
I think one can make arguments for the death penalty, including how it is distinct from other pro-life positions. It's not my philosophical view on it, as the inviolable right to life exists in this situation too. But again, it is a debating point :)
I also realize that this is not the main point of your article! And I don't mean to undermine that.
not undermining at all; this is all about discussion. My view of the consistent approach is one thing, but as we are discussing, others will have a differing view and that's healthy.
I disagree.
No, not really. ;)
Yes, that there is a distinction is the point I think all pro- life people, being consistent, could probably agree on!
And the Flood Judgment also comes to mind! Self-defence as well! What was WW1 & 2 all about!
Very different ethical considerations to the death penalty.
I'm assuming God is pro-life except when an individual, a group, or a nation opposes His Will! Then it is just a matter of scale! Ex 21:23, Hosea 8-14, Lk 19:41-44, Lk 19:27, Josh 1-6
The consistency is found in whether we have violated laws which God deems punishable by death!
The issue is there are double standards across the board, people 'cherry picking' & being 'intellectually dishonest' to support their worldview!
Should all atheists be judged by what Stalin, Mao & Pol Pot did, similarly for what Christian leaders & Christians may have done in its 2000 year history, including today!
Jesus met a 'double standard' in the attitude & actions of the Scribes, Pharisees & Sadducees! Mt 23, Jn 8:39-47, Mt 3:7-10
We see it in Parliament right now with the rejection of David Seymour's Treaty Principles/Articles Bill!
Basically they rejected the whole premise of 'Westminster Parliamentary Democracy', as those very 'Principles/Articles' which Queen Victoria promulgated as the basis for the 'Treaty' originally came from the Bible =>the Magna Carta & from there, an 800 year old 'tradition'!
This is a 'double standard' on steroids!
Which means we just lurched towards tyranny with Luxon also having said, "We will spike this Bill", along with a flawed 'submission process'!
Fallen man is the embodiment of the 'Double Standard', speaking with 'forked tongue'! Hence the serpents split tongue! Jn 8:44
Without a return to 'morality & ethics' centring on God's Word, His Treaty/Principles/Covenant with us, Dan 11:32, we are doomed to failure as history shows!
As in the Garden, Satan deceived God's children through deception, lies & misdirection! All of which is playing out today in spades!
We are responsible & accountable to reform what is a corrupted system & governance of this nation!
"Evil prospers when good men do nothing"!
The real issue is, people don't know or understand God, nor His Word! Hosea 4:6, Rom 3:10-18
Confusion certainly in our media over ( if lookedcat without rsinbow tinted spectacles) clear issues as they 'disingenuously' ha) currently swim with a tide including Mermaids miasmic dogma and PATHA paths.