On the May 3 Opinion page, the cartoon quoted Exodus 20:13, "Thou shalt not kill," with the word "not" cut out by a scissors labeled "Capital Punishment." In so doing the cartoonist made two common mistakes in the interpretation of this Bible passage.

The Bible, as all literature, must be interpreted carefully in order to accurately understand the intention of the author. Well-established principles used for millennia, referred to as hermeneutics (from the Greek word meaning to interpret), guide readers so they can understand the original meaning of a text. Some of these principles are taught early in school, such as how to tell when a particular word should be understood literally or figuratively. Some additional principles apply to the Bible, e.g. in prophecy.

One key principle is to discern whether a passage pertains to an individual or corporate ethic. Here is where the cartoonist made a hermeneutical error. It is clear in the original Hebrew language in which the Ten Commandments were written (and in the King James English the cartoonist used) that "Thou" is singular and addressed to individuals. Also, the Hebrew word translated "kill" means murder.

Notice in the next chapter, Exodus 21, that the Lord gives further commands that do address capital punishment, but they are addressed to his people corporately. Just as today even a police officer as an individual is not authorized to murder someone but is authorized to kill as a representative of the state, and the state can do so, under certain circumstances.


The Bible reveals that it is the word of God, and therefore we must be careful how we read, interpret, and act on what it says. Far too frequently words and verses are taken out of context (violating another hermeneutical axiom) and misunderstood as well as misapplied, as our, I suspect well-meaning but misinformed cartoonist, did. Let us do, as the apostle Paul told Timothy, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:23)

The Rev. Edward D. Seely


Fracking questions deserve thorough answers

Do you remember the earthquakes in the Denver area in the 1960s and early 70s? I do, and we never had earthquakes here until the Rocky Mountain Arsenal pumped waste liquid deep into the ground. After it was determined that the quakes were caused by the injection, the injections were halted, and after a period of time the quakes stopped.

Now scientists are warning that the earthquake effects of fracking liquids pumped into the ground is unknown. Here is a portion of a National Geographic article from their website: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/05/140502-scientists-warn-of-quake-risk-from-fracking-operations/

Underground disposal of wastewater from fracking may pose a much greater risk of causing dangerous earthquakes than previously believed, particularly in areas of the U.S. Southwest and Midwest where earthquake faults have not been mapped extensively, seismology researchers said at a conference recently.

Worse yet, scientists are not yet able to predict which wastewater injection sites are likely to pose risks to buildings or critical structures such as power plants, and do not yet know what operators might do to mitigate the hazard. And new research indicates that the disposal wells are capable of affecting earthquake faults that are miles away from them.

Bob Wellborn