Pope Leo’s recent remarks linking abortion and the death penalty have reignited the age-old debate over whether someone can truly be “pro-life” while supporting capital punishment. However, BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says the answer is an unequivocal yes.
“When he’s talking about the death penalty not being pro-life, then what he is essentially saying is that God is not pro-life because God is the one that commands the death penalty,” Stuckey explains.
She points to Scripture, citing Genesis 9: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. For God made man in his own image.” According to Stuckey, this passage clearly supports capital punishment.
“The answer to, ‘Does it still apply today? Because is it still true today?’ is yes,” she says. “God still makes us in His image. We are still made in God’s image. So we read right there that the reason for the death penalty for murder is because of the value of human beings, and the value of human beings as image-bearers of God has not changed.”
Stuckey continues, “Then that means that that is still a good punishment for murder. That doesn’t mean that it has to always be the punishment for murder.” She acknowledges that throughout Scripture, God extends mercy to certain individuals, but this mercy does not “negate the command.”
She also highlights that in ancient Israel, God prescribed the death penalty for a variety of crimes. However, Christians are not bound by all the ceremonial and cleansing laws of ancient Israel because Jesus has become the ultimate sacrifice and cleansing.
This principle is not limited to the Old Testament. Stuckey points to the New Testament, specifically Romans 13, which states that the government is instituted by God “to bear the sword against the evildoer.” She emphasizes that this is “not just an analogy” but a “God-ordained government directive to restrain evil.”
Addressing a common objection, Stuckey clarifies the distinction between “thou shall not kill” and “thou shall not murder” from the Ten Commandments.
“Murder and killing aren’t the same thing. If you are killing someone in self-defense, that’s not murder. If it is a just war and you are killing someone, that is not murder,” she explains.
In conclusion, Stuckey declares, “I am actually pro-life for the same reason that I am pro-death-penalty, because I care about innocent life. Because human beings are so important and so valuable that the crime of killing one of us is so hefty that the only commensurate punishment for it is execution.”
https://www.conservativereview.com/the-bible-does-support-the-death-penalty-here-s-why-2674211567.html
