Punishment Revealed

by Jor-El Irizarry

Punishment for crime is not what it used to be. In ancient times, death was a common type of punishment. But thanks to new ethical values, that has changed. European countries have abolished the death penalty; South American countries have done the same. Only some states in America have death penalty laws, but even those states do not torture the sentenced. The civilized world has come to agree on the premise that cruel and unusual punishment is not acceptable. But what would happen if western countries lived under sacred book laws? The answer to that question is easy; we would still be committing the cruel act of stoning people to death.

When Westerners hear about stoning to death, they usually think about Islamic countries. That is because we know that stoning is commanded in the Koran. But the Koran is not the only “holy” book that orders such punishment. Stoning to death is also commanded in the Bible. Many “sins” are punishable by stoning. I will provide some examples, but this is not intended to be a complete list of the offenses that require stoning in the Bible. I will not quote the exact words; I merely present the idea. My reason for doing so is not to hide any relevant information, but rather to motivate you to read those texts for yourself. End-notes are provided to help you find the passages. Let's have a look at the people who would be stoned.

CHILDREN WHO CURSE THEIR PARENTS
According to the book of Leviticus, children who dare curse their parents should be stoned to death.1 I realize cursing parents is not acceptable behavior; it is not something we take lightly, but sentencing young ones to the ultimate punishment for cursing their parents seems like an exaggerated form of punishment. Can you imagine what would happen to our society if we practiced such a law? Yet, it is commanded in the Bible which is supposed to be God's word. I simply cannot believe God would give such an instruction.

HOMOSEXUALS
“Sacred” books take the word homophobic to the extreme, so male homosexuality is also punishable by stoning to death.2 I just can't imagine the people I know obeying such a rule. Even those who aren't sympathetic to the gay community realize that murdering them is wrong. Why couldn't Jehovah, the giver of the law, have known that? I realize the Hebrews needed manly soldiers to defend themselves, but killing gays is wrong even if a god commands it.

FORNICATORS
Marriage is a great institution. I'm sure most people want to be married for life to the person they love. I personally have been married for over thirty years. But some couples choose to live together without the vows. In the Bible, that is called fornication, and it's a sin. The book of Leviticus states the punishment for such a sin; “fornicators should die by stoning.”3 If we were to obey such an idiotic rule, almost half the population would be punished.

THOSE WHO DO NOT LISTEN TO PRIESTS
Have you ever been to a religious service that was boring? Well, if you ever fell asleep, or if you didn't listen to what the preacher said, you could face the stoning squad. Of course that is if society lived by Bible rules. If you don't believe me, just read the book of Deuteronomy. People in Bible days were supposed to live their lives according to what their priests told them. If they paid no attention, they were to be stoned to death.4

WITCHES
In bible days you could not have read Harry Potter. I know, I know it was not written yet, but that's not what I mean. Anything having to do with witchcraft was forbidden. It seems ancient people really did believe in witches and witches' powers. So they took the extreme measure of sentencing to death anyone who practiced witchcraft.5 The Salem witch trials would have never taken place had it not been for the nonsense written in the Bible. Other such trials took place throughout Europe. Thousands of lives were lost due to superstition.

FORTUNETELLERS
Have you ever read the daily horoscope? Most people don't believe someone can tell them their future by looking at the stars, but they read it just for fun. Mature people know that horoscopes or so called fortunetellers can't really tell their fortune. But a few choose to believe, and they even visit a fortuneteller once in a while. If so, they are wasting their money. I believe fortune telling is more an entertainment activity than a real science. So if someone was to say he or she can tell me my future, I would laugh. If that person, however, tries to convince me that fortune telling is real, I would consider such a person dishonest. Guess what punishment the Bible has for such people? You guessed it, fortunetelling is punishable by stoning to death.6

FOLLOWERS OF OTHER RELIGIONS
You have probably heard that abandoning Islam to follow another religion is punishable by death. That is a rather extreme consequence for changing religions, but if you think the Bible has a more benign chastisement, you are wrong. The rule is the same. If one abandons the religion given by Jehovah to go into another religion, the punishment is death.7 It seems fear has always been a tool for religion.

THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN JEHOVAH
I don't understand why such a rule was needed. According to the Bible, Jehovah provided all the needs of the Hebrews while in the desert (See the book of Exodus). They saw with their own eyes what Jehovah could do. They knew other gods couldn't perform the slightest miracle. Why would they abandon the real thing to go after nonperforming gods? It seems if the miracles performed by Jehovah were true, they wouldn't need any coaxing to remain loyal. Why would they not believe in Jehovah? Yet, many didn't believe. So they added another capital offense—death to those who don't believe in the god of Israel.8

NON VIRGINS
Women who aren't virgins on their wedding night would not fare well in Bible days. They would have been stoned to death.9 Can you imagine how many women would be killed if we followed such a barbaric practice? Such rules can only come from an insane mind; they don't come from God's words. Sadistic domineering people came up with that rule. Unfortunately they have convinced many people it's the word of God. And when I say convinced, I don't mean they persuaded anyone through logic. I mean they intimidated, threatened, and bullied people into going along with such nonsense; then forced them to pass it on to other generations.

THOSE WHO WORK ON THE SABBATH
Jehovah seems to be arbitrary in the way he applies justice. Just look at the example in the story of Jacob. Jacob fooled his father and stole from his brother Esau (See the book of Genesis). Given the fact that punishment is so extreme for the offenses I mentioned before, one would expect Jacob to be a goner. But Jacob wasn't killed. Guess what his punishment was. Jehovah gave him four wives, made him rich, and named a country after him. On the other hand, if anybody dares work on the Sabbath, he is to be stoned to death.10 I can't understand Jehovah's values and ethics. It seems to me the hard-worker should at least get one wife and the chance to have a family. But, hey, Jehovah likes stoning as much as Allah.

STONING IS STILL PRACTICED
In some countries under Sharia (Islamic Law), stoning is still legal. According to a report from BBC News, “Amnesty International says that at least eight people were stoned to death in 1986. In 1995, there may have been ten such deaths. In 2008, a girl was stoned to death in front of a large crowd in Somalia.”11 As recently as 2010, a woman was sentenced to death by stoning in Iran. The only thing that saved her was the outcry of the international community. Religious fanatics have even carried out so called honor killings right here in the United States.

THE INHUMAN ACT OF STONING
The process of stoning is as follows. A hole is dug in the ground; it must be deep enough so that the sentenced person's legs and midsection fit into it. Once the person is in the hole, the empty space surrounding him or her is covered with dirt. The person's hands are tied behind his or her back, and the entire body is covered with a cloth—the burial cloth. Only the face is exposed. The sentenced can't run nor protect himself/herself.

A crowd gathers around. The spiritual leader instructs the crowd how the stoning is to be carried out. The main rule is, “Throw rocks at the sentenced person until he or she dies.” there are, however, some caveats. The rocks can't be so small as not to hurt the person. Also, they can't be so big as to kill quickly. The idea is to humiliate and torture the convicted person as long as possible. I don't even want to think about how the corpse will look.

The event takes place in front of a cheering crown. To add insult to injury, they verbally harass the victim. All this is done based on commands written in a “sacred” book. Those commands cannot be questioned because it is supposed to be the word of God given by divine revelation. It is sickening to conceive that people commit such violence against their peers. It is also heartbreaking that they believe they are carrying out God's will. “It is written,” they say. Dogmatism forbids believers from question their “holy” book, “If it is written, it is true.”

WHAT SHALL WE DO
Deists and Humanists believe stoning people to death is a cruel and unusual punishment. We can't conceive of such a thing being sanctioned by our laws. Yet there are people in our country who praise our laws while at the same time they applaud the “merits” of the Bible, the book that orders stoning. The truth is that those murderous instructions appeared in in the Bible centuries before the Koran was ever inked. We must be honest. Stoning is evil now; it has always been evil, and it will always be so. If we justify any stoning laws of the past, we have no credibility when we confront contemporaneous stoning laws. Therefore, we must have the courage to call it evil in both instances, in both books. Stoning is not revealed by God. Stoning has been “revealed” to be instituted by sadistic domineering men. It is up to mature and honest people to tell the world the whole truth about the practice of stoning.

By the way, have you added up how many people would die if stoning laws were obeyed? The fact is there wouldn't be a single person left in the world. Everyone falls into at least one of the categories mentioned in the Bible. It seems as though the book is anti-human. How about that, they have distracted us with news about the anti-Christ while the anti-human has been hard at work all this time.

Endnotes

1. Leviticus 20:9
2. Leviticus 20:27
3. Leviticus 21:9
4. Deuteronomy 17:12
5. Exodus 22:17
6. Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 13:7-12
7. Exodus 22:19
8. 2 Chronicles 15:12-13
9. Deuteronomy 22:20
10. Exodus 31:12-15
11. Woolridge, Mike. “Iran's Grim History of Death by Stoning.” 9 July 2010. BBC News.17 May 2011 .

Labyrinth of the Minotaur

King Minos ordered the construction of a labyrinth to house the frightful minotaur. Walls and paths that lead to nowhere serve as a prison to the being. Without the possibility of escape, the minotaur is destined to a life of confusion and darkness.

The theologian also lives in a labyrinth. Doctrines are like walls that cover whatever is on the other side. His premises lead nowhere. Instead of seeking freedom, he is focused in learning the different turns and dead ends of the labyrinth. Like the men in Plato's cave, he cannot fathom a world outside, a world of colors and sounds, a world of freedom from his chains.

Darkness is what the minotaur sees, if we can call that sight. No natural light can enter such a twisted construction. If a single spark would shine, the minotaur still remains blind. The house of theology is as twisted as the minotaur's lair; no light is permitted to shine. Darkness is dogma, and dogma is darkness. If anyone dares bring a lamp, the theologian will shut his eyes and call him a heretic because one doesn't need the light of reason to go in circles.

Oh, my friend, if some day you should venture into the lair of the minotaur, do as Theseus. Take a roll off string with you; take a big one, so that you'll have enough. Unwrap it as you go. That way, you can follow the unwound string to find your way out of the labyrinth. And if you ever venture into the house of theology, take a bag of questions; take a big one, so you wont run out. Those questions form a string of light that leads to freedom.

But if you should forget your bag of questions, or you run out of W's, you will remain forever in the labyrinth built by the words of the theologian. So remember my friend, always carry your bag because questions are sparks; they are lamps; they give light. Let them shine bright. They will help you escape out of dogma's embrace.

Bin Laden Is Dead

May 3, 2011

To all those who love human dignity,

In the early morning hours of May 2, 2011, United States Navy Seals killed Osama Bin Laden, the serial murderer who killed three-thousand people on September 11, 2001.

My cousin Angie was among the victims of the attacks on the Twin Towers. She was a young professional, full of happiness, dreams and hope. She was to be married shortly, but her wedding day never came. One of the hijacked airplanes slammed against the tower in which she worked. Her fiance also lost his life that calamitous morning.

For weeks, New Yorkers searched anxiously for their loved ones; they hoped to find them alive. My family also searched for Angie. They had the illusion that a miracle could happen, that she might be alive in some hospital, that—like in a soap opera—she had lost her memory, and that's the reason she had not contacted them. They pasted her picture next to photographs of victims of the evil one. Her mom hoped she would see her likeness and recover her memory. But Angie never returned.

In a single day, Osama Bin Laden ended the lives of thousands of Americans and broke the hearts of tens of thousands of family members. He stunned us. He showed us how dark hate can be. But his evil also awoke us. And by opening our eyes, we must recognize the responsibility we have to protect life and human dignity. We must repudiate the act of the murderer. That is easy to do. What seems a bit more difficult for some is to point at the source of his evil, not because they don't know what it is, but because they haven't the courage. You see, it's a mirror.

Bin Laden was radically Koranic, meaning that he had a firm belief in the “holy” book of the Muslim religion. For him, that book is the word of God. According to his fundamentalist faith, the book is inerrant and must be interpreted literally. That's why when the Koran order to kill the infidels—believers of other religions or those who profess no religion—Bin Laden was willing to obey. The “holy” book doesn't only order the killing of infidels, it also gives instructions to stone to death those “guilty” of certain “sins,” even if they belong to their religion. It also approves and regulates the denigrating institution of slavery. So, Bin Laden's evil comes from the instructions given in a book.

I call on sanity and reason. Let's ask ourselves, can a book that orders such acts be inspired by God? To say that God commanded such acts is an insult to his morality and it's slander. The Creator of the universe is not ignorant, evil and cruel. Those violent instructions—kill, stone, enslave—do not come from God; they come from wicked minds which attribute their thoughts to God in an attempt to justify themselves and to attract followers who will implement their wicked ideas.

God has given us legs to walk and hands to work, but the greatest gift he has given us is the capacity to reason. We should, then, listen to the voice of reason, the voice that shouts, “Those ideas are evil.” This is important because the “holy” book used in the West includes some of the same instructions the Koran has about killing infidels, stoning sinners and enslaving the conquered.

If I, an imperfect man, can understand how abominable such instructions are, how dare some people say that God either approved of such things in the past or that he approves them now? Such assertion is unacceptable. Whoever promotes such ideas justifies the surging of a Bin Laden version in Judeochristianity.

Fortunately, most religious people in the world posses higher moral standards than their “sacred” books. How great that they listen to conscience and reason more than they listen to their books! Reason opposes people like Bin Laden, who are willing to perpetrate evil in the name of their god. Let's promote that everyone reasons about what they read; if that requires to stop believing certain things, then so be it.

One last note, there are those who kill the body; others don't touch the body, but they destroy human dignity. Both are sadists who please themselves in the suffering of others. I call on reason, so that respect will be given to both human life and human dignity.

Cordially, Jor-El Irizarry
Deist, former Baptist Pastor

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