DEATH AND ATONEMENT, part 4 of Chapter 7 of Blood Atonement by OGDEN KRAUT

 

[89]         It is inconceivable that anyone could believe that these laws governing society were righteous under Moses, but considered evil or done away by Christ. Tolerance or intolerance of sin indicates the measure of a person’s righteousness or unrighteousness.

(4) Thievery and Robbery

If you want to know what to do with a thief that you may find stealing, I say kill him on the spot and never suffer him to commit another iniquity…. if I caught a man stealing on my premises I should be very apt to send him straight home, and that is what I wish every man to do, to put a stop to that abominable practice in the midst of this people.

I know this appears hard, and throws a cold chill over our revered traditions received by early education. I had a great many such feelings to contend with myself, and was as much of a sectarian in my notions as any other man, and as mild, perhaps, in my natural disposition, but I have trained myself to measure things by the line of justice, to estimate them by the rule of equity and truth, and not by the false tradition of the fathers, or the sympathies of the natural mind. If you will cause all those whom you know to be thieves, to be placed in a line before the mouth of one of our largest cannon, well loaded with chain shot, I will prove by my works whether I can mete out justice to such persons, or not. I would consider it just as much my duty to do that, as to baptize a man for the remission of his sins. That is a short discourse on thieves, I acknowledge, but I tell you the truth as it is in my heart. (Brigham Young, J.D. 1:108-109)

DEATH AND ATONEMENT, part 3 of Chapter 7 of Blood Atonement by OGDEN KRAUT

 

Although it is written that Judas “hanged himself” (Matt. 27:5), we also read that “his bowels gushed out.” (Acts 1:18) What sort of hanging was that? How could he be hanged about the neck and his “bowels” gush out? This is a conflicting story [84] which was clarified by Heber C. Kimball, when he said:

Jesus said to His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth and if the salt loses its saving principle, it is then good for nothing but to be cast out.” Instead of reading it just as it is, almost all of you read it just as it is not. Jesus meant to say, “If you have lost the saving principles, you Twelve Apostles, and you that believe in my servants the Twelve, you shall be like unto the salt that has lost its saving principles: it is henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men. Judas lost that saving principle, and they took him and killed him. It is said in the Bible that his bowels gushed out; but they actually kicked him until his bowels came out.

I will suffer my bowels to be taken out before I will forfeit the covenant I have made with Him and my brethren. Do you understand me? Judas was like salt that had lost its saving principles good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men. It is just so with you men and women, if you do not honour your callings and cultivate the principles you have received. It is so with you, ye Elders of Israel, when you forfeit your covenants. (J.D. 6:125-126)

THE RIGHT TO ADMINISTER ATONEMENT

Although atonement by the shedding of blood might be a doctrine and principle of the Church, it is not to be administered by the Church. This is left to the government, whether it be man’s government or God’s. It is a religious doctrine but a political law. [77] If states or government do not choose to adopt this law into their penal codes, then they are not administering law as close to the laws of God as they should.

The Lord gave this directive concerning the capital punishment of a murderer.

And it shall come to pass, that if any persons among you shall kill, they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness; and it shall be proved according to the laws of the land. (D.C. 42:79)

DEATH AND ATONEMENT, Chapter 7 of Blood Atonement by OGDEN KRAUT

 

Page 67

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are; for blood it defileth the land; and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. (Num. 35:33)

There are some crimes committed against the laws of man which are so serious that they are punishable by death, or capital punishment. Some sins against the laws of God are also serious enough to warrant the same punishment. Crime is against civil law, but sin is an ecclesiastical offense. In some instances a religious sin can be more serious than a civil crime. Murder is considered a crime in society, and also a sin against the law of God.

However, sometimes a sin against God is not a crime against society, such as swearing or profanity, or not keeping the Sabbath Day holy. And, conversely, there are times when a crime against society is not a sin against God; for example, exceeding the speed limit on the highway, plural marriage, or fishing without a license. Yet there are also certain transgressions which break both the laws of God and the laws of man. Murder is one of these evils, along with robbery, rape, assault, etc.

CAPITAL PUNISCAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN SCRIPTURE, Part 3 of Chapter 6 of Blood Atonement by

OGDEN KRAUT.

 

 

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE BOOK OF MORMON.

 

The law of capital punishment for murder was clearly identified with the early writings of the Nephites. It read, “Wo unto the murderer who deliberately killeth, for he shall die.” (2 Nephi 9:35) And again, “If a man murdered, he should die.” (Alma 42:19)

Sin was as grievous with the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, as it was with the Israelites in the Old Testament. It follows then that punishment for sin should be the same. All of the laws of God are instituted with blessings or punishments affixed no matter when they are given. The law of God is always the same.

One of the Nephite leaders was a prophet-king who taught them the law and the subsequent punishments that were attached to disobedience of that law.

CAPITAL PUNISCAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN SCRIPTURE, Part 2 of Chapter 6 of Blood Atonement by

OGDEN KRAUT.

 

CONTINUATION OF THE LAW IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

 

The law of capital punishment was believed and practiced by the Jewish people as long as they had their nation. The story is given in the Apocrypha (during the time between the Old and New Testaments) about Andronicus, a man of Jewish nobility who was not exempt from punishment for the crime of murder:

And being kindled with anger, forthwith he took away Andronicus his purple, and rent off his clothes, and leading [53] him through the whole city unto that very place, where he had committed impiety against Onias, there slew he the cursed murderer. Thus the Lord rewarded him his punishment, as he had deserved. (II Maccabees 4:38)

Some suppose that when Christ came, He did away with the Old Testament law of capital punishment. But He said that He did “not come to destroy the law.” If anything, the punishment for sin was more severe, because the laws were more exacting. Just because a man claimed to be a Christian did not give him the right to get away with murder. Forgiveness of sin is a personal matter, but transgression against the law is quite another. This will be mentioned further in the concluding chapter. True law is, in reality, the legal directive of God, and no one else has any right to change or interfere with the law that God has given. The Apostle James condensed this into a short sentence by saying: There is one law giver, who is able to save and to destroy.” (James 4:12)

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN SCRIPTURE, Chapter 6 of B L O O D

A T O N E M E N T

by

OGDEN KRAUT

 

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezek. 18:4)

Men’s laws should conform with the laws of God, but they seldom do. There have been but few times in history that God has been able to convince man to obey His laws. It would do well for society to look into the scriptures to understand the reason, the evidence, and the purpose for many of God’s laws especially those relating to capital punishment. Perhaps it might be asked, “Who has the right to dictate or administer capital punishment But by the same reasoning we might ask, “Who is truly authorized to set free a murderer?” The answer is evident in the scriptures; hence, their value as a guide for the establishment or abolishment of capital punishment.

OLD TESTAMENT LAW

There is an abundance of references to the law and the practice of capital punishment in the Old Testament. That law was instituted from the very beginning and continued throughout to the New Testament. One of the first laws that God instituted among men was capital punishment. It read:

Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man. (Gen. 9:6)

This law was reiterated by Moses, and it never was repealed by divine decree because it is an eternal law.

THE VENGEANCE OF INNOCENT BLOOD, Chapter 5 of BLOOD ATONEMENT

Pages 35 to 44

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As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. (Jer. 26:14-15)

When innocent blood is shed, it is called murder. But, when the wicked have their blood shed, it is called an execution. A person guilty of a capital crime should receive capital punishment; then justice has been served. However, if an innocent person is murdered, then, according to the scriptures, his “blood cries from the ground for vengeance”. When innocent blood is spilled, retribution must be made; for justice has been robbed and demands satisfaction.

  According to the scriptures, every innocent man who has been murdered, has blood that cries from the ground for “vengeance”. That blood remains in a constant appeal to God for justice–and the Promise is that it will be reconciled somewhere in the eternal scales of justice.

TESTAMENTS AND TESTATORS, Part 2 of  Chapter 4 of BLOOD ATONEMENT

by

OGDEN KRAUT

 

 

 

If Adam would have been mortal as other humans, he could and should have atoned for his transgression as other men. If he sinned as other men, then his sin would have been his own, but it fell upon every one of his children. But Adam could not atone for that transgression with his own blood; therefore, Christ had to atone for it and became God, the Redeemer. It took the blood of a God to atone for the transgression of a God. The Gospel “covenant” was established by Adam, but it did not become fully in force until the blood of Christ was spilled.

Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. (Heb. 9:18-20)

Christ sealed up both the New and the Old Testaments by the shedding of his blood. Paul wrote:

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise, it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Heb. 9:15-18)

TESTAMENTS AND TESTATORS, Chapter 4 of B L O O D

A T O N E M E N 

by

OGDEN KRAUT

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Rev. 6:9-11)