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).

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