| Does the Bible say to give capital punishment to a | | | | the law for his whole life. He is likely to be a criminal |
| rebellious teenager? | | | | and hurt people. He may end up in prison for life. He |
| What if he joins a gang? What if he commits multiple | | | | may end up being a mass murderer. When a teenager |
| crimes? | | | | starts going down the path of crime - it's hard to get |
| Here's what the Bible says: | | | | him out of it later on. The community must do |
| If a man has a teenage son who is defiant and | | | | everything it can to make sure that he gets off the |
| rebellious, he refuses to listen to his father and mother. | | | | path of crime. |
| The parents try to discipline him - he still does not listen. | | | | The Bible is telling us that it is almost better to have this |
| His father and mother should do whatever it takes to | | | | child die, then to have him lead a life of crime or a life |
| bring him to the elders of his community | | | | of being on drugs, or a life of hurting other people. |
| And tell them "Our son is defiant and rebellious - he | | | | The Bible is telling us that if the community allows the |
| does not listen to our words - all he cares about is his | | | | teenager to live a life of crime or a life of drugs - then |
| own physical pleasures". | | | | the community has essentially murdered the child. |
| The townspeople should then stone him with stones - | | | | Tough Love. - That is what is called for! |
| so that you destroy evil from amongst your midst. | | | | The community should use whatever tools it has. |
| Then all the people will hear and be afraid. | | | | Whatever it takes. If it will take jail to shock the |
| Deuteronomy 21:18-21. | | | | teenager back to "reality" then do that. If it takes |
| All the Rabbis who have studied the Bible for the last | | | | therapy and drug rehab then do that. You may have |
| 2500 years say that this is one of those laws that | | | | to physically impose a curfew - i.e. having the bigger |
| God does not mean to ever be taken literally. You do | | | | men physically restrain the teen from going out at night, |
| not stone a child because he steals and is defiant. | | | | then do that. The life of a teenage child is too precious |
| These Rabbis say that in the entire legal history of | | | | to waste by allowing the child to become a horror to |
| Biblical Law - the courts would never impose capital | | | | his society. |
| punishment on teenagers. | | | | What can you do to help disturbed children? What can |
| Instead, this purpose of this law is to teach a principle. | | | | your community do to save their lives? How tough is |
| A principle that a community has the responsibility of | | | | the love you will have to give - to make sure that you |
| doing "whatever it takes" to help parents deal with | | | | stop a teenager who's joined a gang or is living a life |
| difficult children. We all know that if a child joins a gang; | | | | of petty crime? |
| then he is very likely to end up on the wrong side of | | | | |