CMV: If you call yourself a Christian, yet believe in the death penalty, you should re-examine your faith.

The Ten Commandments say "do not kill." This is an immutable truth that is a bedrock of modern Christianity. Jesus also permits no exceptions for persecution or self-defense. <br><br>Additionally, the US imprisons a considerable percentage of innocent people. In some areas, such as rape, the inquiry is as high as 8-10%. So, if you believe in the death penalty, you are permitting the government to murder citizens. What kind of Christianity is this? There's a reason the Catholic Church is against the death penalty.<br><br>Furthermore, most Christians do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not only do many Christians believe in the death penalty, but they also believe in many other things that Jesus spoke against, such as usury and accumulation of wealth. Jesus was against the accumulation of wealth in all cases (for example, he believed in redistribution of wealth, and he believed in helping the poor). He also believed in keeping the sabbath, which most Christians ignore. Lastly, Jesus was a pacifist, and believed in not taking up the sword. Christians must re-examine their faith and realize that many have become godless capitalists who ignore most aspects of Christianity and are not really Christians.<br><br>EDIT: I am very impressed by the quality of the discussion. I have been using the term "Christianity" to really mean "Jesus Christ's teachings in the Bible," but I understand that Christianity has many many different denominations and interpretations of the Bible. I have been using examples that were most pertinent to my specific belief system, Catholicism. I understand that many of you cannot be swayed by the teachings of the Bible and will attempt to change my view with empirical evidence. Thank you for being very respectful and for giving me the greatest carmv of my life.