To Protect Glory

Here's an interesting religious posting, "Do We Take Heresy Seriously?"

The upshot is that heresy should be taken seriously. The writer, Steven Douglas, presents this as "a musing" on the subject. He makes the case for executing people for heresy.

First, he gives a definition of heresy, "the denial of substantiated doctrines of the church, even after attempted correction." Then the penalty, excommunication from the body of believers and the loss of communion with Christ. Is this a loving response? Yes, he says, for several reasons: 1) protects the honor of Christ; 2) protects the church from error; 3) does as the Bible directs.

He distinguishes between heretics, those who simply believe false doctrines, then those who actively spread heresies. These last ones, because they are "recruiters," they will be leading possibly millions to hell. Examples: Arianism, Sabellianism, Gnosticism and Open-Theism. "If we believe that hell is real, then we must see these proponents of heresy as mass-murderers, far more deadly than Hitler or Stalin ever were. To have executed them might have staunched the flow of their ideas."

Was Calvin wrong for executing Servetus? Maybe not. Because, "The reality is that God and much of the world take ideas seriously. Heresy is serious and deserves serious consequences. This may include, in some cases, execution. Execution is never glorious in itself, but I would say that it may sometimes be necessary to protect glory."

Now that's a extreme point of view! But I don't know where to begin. There might not be any good place to begin, since it's so removed from our normal thinking. It's almost heretical to the values we've had over centuries now. We might start with the Bible, because that seems to be a point of contact that hasn't been lost. Perhaps Jesus saying let the wheat and tares grow together till the end. The disciples' wanting to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans, but Jesus forbidding it. Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord, I will repay. The suffering of the martyrs in Revelation, without them counseled to fight back. The example of Jesus going to the Cross for the world. Saying take up your cross and follow me.

And if the Bible examples aren't good enough, try common sense.

Or maybe do some comparative religious study. Do you endorse other religions' right to execute people -- including you -- for not believing what they say is true? Is this ability to execute based on the truth as you see it limited to a particular faith? I can see all kinds of difficulties. What if the rest of us don't want to be executed? Since there's a conflict, and we don't want to be executed, couldn't we turn and execute our opponents as well? That would have to be OK, because it's the principle that counts!

Of course I know it's all hypothetical. No church is going to get very far by executing people. Basically a ticket to extinction for themselves.