Essay/Term paper: The bible

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Religion

The Bible


In the Holy Bible, teachings guide all types of human beings to a better
understanding of life. Many of these verses reach out to man through teachings
of human nature and how to create society's moral values. A personal favorite
verse that may reach out to every man and not just those who practice the Judaeo
- Christian religions is :

" The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor
shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man
shall be put to death for his own sin. " ( Deuteronomy p178,
vs.16)

because it tells of a rule that every man should live by - it demands justice to
isolate the criminal and thereby shield any innocent relative of any unjust
punishment. This is illustrated in the United States justice system and how
society punishes it's wrongdoers.
This verse delivers the message that every man, despite size, color,
religious preference, or personal background, should assume responsibility for
his actions. Throughout time men who have entered the courthouses scattering
the United States, like the colorful leaves scattered across peoples' yards
during autumn, have pleaded innocence - blaming parents and their unjust
upbringing. They scream to the jury that it really wasn't their fault, but the
fault of their parents because if they had a perfect childhood then they
wouldn't have committed the crime. It is true that the values that children
develop in their early years are important in influencing future decisions but
how does this explain the many adults that climb above their horrible childhood
and become successful happy individuals. This proves that the individual is in
charge of his every move and every action in life - he is in charge of his own
destiny. Sin is never forced upon anyone but merely delivered by just one
person's choice. In the trial of the Oklahoma bomber, the jury will not
persecute his family because it was his crime, his sin. His family didn't make
him do it and they didn't help him accomplish it. When the men who committed
the heinous crimes against humanity during World War II under Adolph Hitler's
direction pleaded innocence, the courts laughed. Some of these men claimed
there was no other choice, Hitler made them do it. Despite there being few
options, these men did choose to commit the crimes. They did not have to murder
the children and strip the little ones of their innocence and integrity. Hitler
was their " father " and they tried to use him as a scapegoat as he used the
Jews. It never worked because these men pointed the loaded guns at the victims.
These men commanded the gas chambers to continue cooking living families. These
men made their choice of sin. Society chose to punish the individual and not
their innocent family members for the crimes accomplished. Today people all over
the world try to forget previous generations' crimes against humanity. In
Germany it took many years after WWII for later generations to even write in
history books what really happened. These younger generations felt ashamed and
somewhat responsible for the crimes their ancestors committed. It took years to
speak of the sharp barbed wire surrounding the death camps housing the innocent.
Generations should feel horror to the point where they wouldn't let history
repeat itself. They should not take the responsibility of the crime. As the
bible says, one must take responsibility for his own actions - not one's
father's or previous generations'. After the war ended the prisoners from the
concentration camps were allowed back to their homes. Many of these homes were
burned to nothing. However those towns still in existence were crawling with
people who shunned these war victims - using violence and anger to push them
back out of that town. These people continued the hatred the war brought out by
blaming these victims for Germany's turmoil after the war ended. These people
are as guilty as Hitler for they blamed the innocent for the war. They made
themselves guilty, to another degree, of the same horror Hitler , " the father ",
displayed. They tried to blame a minority group for something everyone in
Germany was responsible for - the Jews did not ruin Germany, the government and
the general population was responsible for all of her faults. These people chose
their own path of cruelty and sin by promoting violence against innocent
bystanders; thus, committing the same crime against humanity. They treated the
victims with such anger that they made these homes graveyards for the Jews. It
was their choice, it was their sin. Unfortunately, these bitter, anti - semetic
people were never punished by society but those knowledgeable of the hateful
rejection now look back sick with this sight of injustice. Every man, no matter
the degree of injustice served, must live up to his actions. If he is strong
enough to commit the cruelty, he alone is strong enough to face it again with
consequences.
Society unites all faiths and all backgrounds. Decisions are made
combining all these different views to create a standard of values for society
to reinforce. This verse found in Deuteronomy is also found in this universal
standard society strongly upholds. One does not have to be Jewish or Christian
to understand the importance of taking responsibility for one's crimes. Blaming
family, friends, and other innocent individuals is morally wrong and totally
unacceptable in society's eyes. Mankind must learn to accept individual
punishment for crimes committed or else justice will never be served.