David Bryant - Letter October 28, 1995

Kill, Kill, Kill for Christ*

Letter to the Editor - October 28, 1995

*with apologies to the Fugs

Background:

This was in response to a letter published in the San Antonio Express-News making the usual poorly-researched argument that God enthusiastically condones revenge killing. Gee... THAT's the kind of divine being we can all get behind, right, kids?

The letter's author wrote, "If you believe in the holy Bible, it says 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'".

To the Editors:
Re: Jack W. Parker's October 28 letter, "Bible directs fate of killers":
The Bible does indeed say "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," regardless of Mr. Parker's puzzling assertion that this fact is somehow contingent upon whether or not I "believe in the holy Bible". What is clear is that Mr. Parker is unfamiliar with the part of the Bible he quotes. Otherwise, he would know that Exodus 21:22-25 specifically refers to the punishment of men that, in the course of fighting, have struck a pregnant woman and caused her to miscarry. What Mr. Parker was probably looking for is Exodus 21:12, just a little bit up the page.
Although it is true that by the first century C.E. the "eye for an eye" passage had taken on a more generalized meaning than originally intended, this usage was refuted by none other than Jesus himself in the Sermon on the Mount (~~Matthew 4:38~~ Matthew 5:38-39) [See note below - Ed.].
I find it troubling that those clamoring loudest for the use of the Bible as the supreme authority in American law are those with the least apparent grasp of its message. The Bible is the record and guide of a people's spiritual journey, not a barbaric justification for revenge. Jesus called his followers to a higher standard of morality than the letter of the law. "Thou shalt not kill" gives no special exemption to state executioners.
Sincerely,
David Bryant

My response was never published.
Isn't it interesting that people using the so-called "biblical" argument for capital punishment studiously ignore passages such as, "Judge not lest ye be judged"?
A further note: a couple of years after this was written, Texas Governor George "Kill them all; God will recognize his own" Bush, Jr. began his reign of terror, executing record numbers of Texan prisoners. Governor Bush seems to operate according to a perverse algebra: rushed executions = conservative votes.
Essentially, the Texas Governor's office is bought with blood.
**************************************** Note from 2009: I think I know why it was never published. The specific reference in the Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 5:38, not Matthew 4:38. I have corrected it above, but with an indication of the change. Mea Culpa, which is Latin for "putting my foot in my mouth". ****************************************
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