Stoned
I read in the News and Observer the other day that two men and a woman had been stoned to death in Iran for unlawful carnal knowledge. Yes, that's the official penalty for the crime of adultery in the modern-day Iranian theocracy.
Upon conviction, the condemned is placed in a white sack and buried in the ground (up to the waste for men and to the neck for women.) A circle is drawn in the ground around each person and the frenzied crowd commences to pepper them with stones until they are either dead or have escaped outside the circle. The stones, it seems, should not be so large that a person dies after being hit with two of them, nor so small as to be defined as pebbles, but must cause severe injury.
Click here to view this modern stoning.
And some in this country would worry that death by lethal injection might pain the condemned in some way!
Now those of you who would have the United States become a Christian theocracy, I only remind you that death by stoning is also prescribed by the Christian bible.
Well, yes. William O. Einwechter would. Writing in the January 1999 issue of the Calcedon Report this Mercersburg, PA preacher and religious rights activist advocates that children should be stoned to death if:
Upon conviction, the condemned is placed in a white sack and buried in the ground (up to the waste for men and to the neck for women.) A circle is drawn in the ground around each person and the frenzied crowd commences to pepper them with stones until they are either dead or have escaped outside the circle. The stones, it seems, should not be so large that a person dies after being hit with two of them, nor so small as to be defined as pebbles, but must cause severe injury.
Click here to view this modern stoning.
And some in this country would worry that death by lethal injection might pain the condemned in some way!
Now those of you who would have the United States become a Christian theocracy, I only remind you that death by stoning is also prescribed by the Christian bible.
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city.Surely, you say, no sane Christian would advocate that nowadays. Would they?
Deuteronomy 22:23-24
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her ... and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel's father shall say ... these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. ... But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die.
Deuteronomy 22:13-21
And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him.
Leviticus 24:16
If there be found among you ... that ... hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them ... Then shalt thou ... tone them with stones, till they die.
Deuteronomy 17:2-5
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers ... thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die.
Deuteronomy 13:5-10
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother ... Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city ... And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21
They found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. ... And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones.... And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Numbers 15:32-56
Well, yes. William O. Einwechter would. Writing in the January 1999 issue of the Calcedon Report this Mercersburg, PA preacher and religious rights activist advocates that children should be stoned to death if:
... a grown son (and by extension to a daughter as well) who, for whatever reason, has rebelled against the authority of his parents and will not profit from any of their discipline nor obey their voice in any thing.
The execution of the rebel in view is just, merciful, and preventive. Just, in that the transgressor deserves to die; merciful, in that his quick death prevents the destruction of the family, society, and others; preventive, in that it strikes fear in the heart of other would-be rebels and restrains them from taking a similar ruinous course.
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