THE EDITOR, Sir:

Human-rights advocates and some liberal clergymen continue to inveigh against capital punis-ment. While I can sympathise with our human-rights friends, I cannot see from a purely social context how they make sense.

It is those churchmen who claim to speak for God and with biblical authority who worry me. If, indeed, as professed by many, we accept the Bible as final authority in matters of doctrine and practice, then where is the theological basis for rejecting capital punishment as unchristian?

A common argument advanced by those opposed to capital punishment is that it is not a deterrent to murder, despite the fact that no one is coming up with the empirical evidence to prove that theory. The fallacy of that argument, however, is that the primary purpose of capital punishment is not deterrence. Old Testament codes call for restitution in the case of most crimes, but Genesis 9:6 reminds us that God made human beings in His own image.

Death penalty

There is nothing as precious as a human life, and there is no price great enough to balance the scales when a murder is committed. By calling for the death penalty, we affirm the significance of human life, reminding everyone that nothing can make up for the taking of another life.

At the funeral of a prominent and hard-working Jamaican citizen, brutally destroyed by the wanton and unmitigated violence sweeping across the country, the clergyman in his sermon tells the vast audience, frightened and benumbed by the particularly vicious nature of the crime, that it is time we rise up and fight back. He then proceeded to trot out the foolishness that capital punish-ment is state violence and should not be considered. I was dis-appointed, to say the least, especially because for the next 15 minutes, he went on without offering a clue as to how we might fight back.

Misunderstanding

There seems to be a funda-mental misunderstanding (bibli-cally) of killing and murder. Genesis 9:6 clearly states that a person who kills should in turn be killed. The command in Exodus 20:13 states: "Thou shalt not kill". Two different words in both passages help us to resolve the supposed inconsistency.

Genesis 9:6 refers to pre-meditated violent killings of others (murder). The Fifth Commandment, (Exodus 20:13), however, is not a blanket commandment of all killings. In fact, Genesis 9:6 holds the properly constituted govern-ment responsible to take the life of the person who murders another:

" ... if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain." (Romans 13:4)

This is a New Testament confirmation of the Old Testament teaching on this particular subject.

I am, etc.,

LLOYD SPENCER (Rev)

Faith United Brethren

in Christ Church

4 1/2 Harwood Drive,

Washington Gardens

Kingston 20