Andrew Chan's letter to his younger self

[PopClick]

Hey everyone, I saw this story online and thought it was very interesting and thought-provoking.

Documentary filmmaker says Andrew Chan hoped his story could save the life of at least one person - 9news.com.au

Andrew Chan was a drug smuggler who was sentenced to death. While he was on death row, he wrote a letter cautioning teenagers about making the same mistakes he had made. He expressed much regret, and stated that his life was "a perfect example of an absolute waste". I couldn't find the full text of the letter online, but regardless I thought the story was heartbreaking and also very thought-provoking.

I am posting it in the teens forum because teenagers were the target audience Mr. Chan had in mind when he penned the letter, but not because I think the teens here particularly need to read it.

 

[zoii]

Hey everyone, I saw this story online and thought it was very interesting and thought-provoking.

Documentary filmmaker says Andrew Chan hoped his story could save the life of at least one person - 9news.com.au

Andrew Chan was a drug smuggler who was sentenced to death. While he was on death row, he wrote a letter cautioning teenagers about making the same mistakes he had made. He expressed much regret, and stated that his life was "a perfect example of an absolute waste". I couldn't find the full text of the letter online, but regardless I thought the story was heartbreaking and also very thought-provoking.

I am posting it in the teens forum because teenagers were the target audience Mr. Chan had in mind when he penned the letter, but not because I think the teens here particularly need to read it.

So is the death penalty ever justified? Isn't it just a government sponsored breaking of a commandment

 

[AgeofKnowledge]

Capital punishment is justified in scripture within explicit boundaries though one must be careful to acknowledge distinctions between the Old Covenant with its Mosaic law that God had with the ancient state of Israel and the New Covenant present today.

In either case, the reason human life was/is so valuable is that men and women are made in the image of God. This is why in scripture we find the life of the murderer owed to God.

Capital punishment for first-degree murder was, and continues to be, mandated. To fail to carry out this mandate is ultimately to attack the value, worth and dignity of all. Esoterically, it undermines other struggles as well including those for racial equality, women’s rights, civil rights and human embryo rights—all are equally based on the fact that persons are made in the “image of God.”

Jesus himself accepted the principle of capital punishment when he reminded Pilate that [legitimate] government was divinely conferred (See here for more info on the difference between legitimate and illegitimate government). The same position is elsewhere supported in the New Testament by Romans 13:4, Acts 25:11, etc...

Any government, that qualifies biblically as a legitimate government, has the authority to implement capital punishment in the case of first-degree murder.

With respect to capital punishment for other criminal offenses, the argument for capital punishment is not as clear-cut.

So is the death penalty ever justified? Isn't it just a government sponsored breaking of a commandment

 

[zoii]

Capital punishment is justified in scripture within explicit boundaries though one must be careful to acknowledge distinctions between the Old Covenant with its Mosaic law that God had with the ancient state of Israel and the New Covenant present today.

In either case, the reason human life was/is so valuable is that men and women are made in the image of God. This is why in scripture we find the life of the murderer owed to God.

Capital punishment for first-degree murder was, and continues to be, mandated. To fail to carry out this mandate is ultimately to attack the value, worth and dignity of all. Esoterically, it undermines other struggles as well including those for racial equality, women’s rights, civil rights and human embryo rights—all are equally based on the fact that persons are made in the “image of God.”

Jesus himself accepted the principle of capital punishment when he reminded Pilate that [legitimate] government was divinely conferred (See here for more info on the difference between legitimate and illegitimate government). The same position is elsewhere supported in the New Testament by Romans 13:4, Acts 25:11, etc...

Any government, that qualifies biblically as a legitimate government, has the authority to implement capital punishment in the case of first-degree murder.

With respect to capital punishment for other criminal offenses, the argument for capital punishment is not as clear-cut.

Thou shall not kill. .... theres no "yes but under certain circumstances its fine." Still i wonder how id feel if someone close to me was murdered.

 

[AgeofKnowledge]

The Bible wasn't written in the English of the reign of King James. It was written in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.

Modern translations (ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NRSV) have it as "You shall not murder" because the word in the Hebrew in Exodus 20:13 is תִּרְצָח (ratsach) and it's context is murder not kill.

Here, see for yourself: Exodus 20:13 Hebrew Text Analysis and Strong's Hebrew: 7523. רָצַח (ratsach) -- to murder, slay

Murder is the unlawful taking of life. Killing is the lawful taking of life. God has said, "You shall not murder," not "You shall not kill." For example, self-defense is justifiable (see Exodus 22:2, etc...).

You are making a false assertion from ignorance. As an M.Div., I am qualified to correct and educate you on such matters.

Read: https://carm.org/questions/you-shall-not-kill-yet-god-kills

Even the liberal online encyclopedia Wikipedia gets this right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_kill

Thou shall not kill. .... theres no "yes but under certain circumstances its fine." Still i wonder how id feel if someone close to me was murdered.

 

[zoii]

Hey everyone, I saw this story online and thought it was very interesting and thought-provoking.
S
Documentary filmmaker says Andrew Chan hoped his story could save the life of at least one person - 9news.com.au

Andrew Chan was a drug smuggler who was sentenced to death. While he was on death row, he wrote a letter cautioning teenagers about making the same mistakes he had made. He expressed much regret, and stated that his life was "a perfect example of an absolute waste". I couldn't find the full text of the letter online, but regardless I thought the story was heartbreaking and also very thought-provoking.

I am posting it in the teens forum because teenagers were the target audience Mr. Chan had in mind when he penned the letter, but not because I think the teens here particularly need to read it.

Ok, so i guess your telling me God supports executions coz they are lawful..... I didn't realise that n I have to say it makes me feel a little ill.

 

[AgeofKnowledge]

Well, as stated, the morality of whether or not a legitimate government can execute someone depends on the crime. First-degree murder is a no brainer but this certainly is not so with many other offenses various governments have deemed "capital."

Indonesia is under no biblical mandate to execute Andrew Chan for drug trafficking and are not doing so from that point of view.

As Wikipedia states:

"Indonesia’s legal system is based on Dutch Colonial Law, Adat Law and National Law. After Indonesia gained independence in August 1945, it adopted the Dutch HIR as its code of criminal procedure. In 1981, Indonesia replaced HIR with the KUHAP. The KUHAP improved upon the HIR by adding adversarial features to the criminal procedure. However, the KUHAP does not sufficiently protect human rights and its safeguards are often ignored in practice because there are no penalties for failing to comply with the Act. In response to dissatisfaction with the formal procedures in the Act, a working group drafted a new statue to replace the KUHAP in 2000. However, Indonesia has not adopted the working group's recommendations to date."

Understand? Indonesia has an antiquated criminal justice system which does not sufficiently protect human rights and lacks common safeguards found in Western nations and have not implemented recent recommendations to update it.

Ok, so i guess your telling me God supports executions coz they are lawful..... I didn't realise that n I have to say it makes me feel a little ill.