Question about being a cop

[redeemed098]

Hi,

Being a policemen is an honourable career. It takes a great gift to be able to do the work of law enforcement......As a Christian, I believe there would be a greater integrity in decision making. Take comfort for Policing is sanctioned by the govt and the govt is sanctioned by God. Just as War is sanctioned by Govt and Govt is sanctioned by God. You are not murdering when you are at war, you are performing your duty.........However a military Coup is a different thing altogether..Military coup is an UNsanctioned rebellion against Govt. That very well COULD and probably WOULD be Murder.......

Lets also not forget what jesus said about being guilty of murder simply for having hateful thoughts toward your brother.....You see God looks at the INTENT...Because the INTENT is where the seed is planted to commit the offence......

The laws of the Land are to be enforced by policing.......That is until such time that the Laws of the land begin to contravene the ways of God. THEN we must stand on the Word, no matter what....Just as Daniel did.....Notice that even though Daniel broke the laws of the land, he remained faithful to God....That is why the Mouths of the Lions were kept closed..... We can learn much from Daniels integrity and UNcompromising faith....

Regards,

Ben.

[tah]

Amen Ben..

There is an amazing amount of politics in police work but that does not have to have a negative affect on you....

there are plenty of good cops that are doing good jobs...

in spite of the politics ...

We have a friend who is the Pastor to a church in our area and a police officer(detective) and the force is blessed to have this man on board...

He is a very special person indeed...God sure uses him there...

[buckthesystem]

Hi,

Being a policemen is an honourable career. It takes a great gift to be able to do the work of law enforcement......As a Christian, I believe there would be a greater integrity in decision making. Take comfort for Policing is sanctioned by the govt and the govt is sanctioned by God. Just as War is sanctioned by Govt and Govt is sanctioned by God. You are not murdering when you are at war, you are performing your duty.........However a military Coup is a different thing altogether..Military coup is an UNsanctioned rebellion against Govt. That very well COULD and probably WOULD be Murder.......

Lets also not forget what jesus said about being guilty of murder simply for having hateful thoughts toward your brother.....You see God looks at the INTENT...Because the INTENT is where the seed is planted to commit the offence......

The laws of the Land are to be enforced by policing.......That is until such time that the Laws of the land begin to contravene the ways of God. THEN we must stand on the Word, no matter what....Just as Daniel did.....Notice that even though Daniel broke the laws of the land, he remained faithful to God....That is why the Mouths of the Lions were kept closed..... We can learn much from Daniels integrity and UNcompromising faith....

Regards,

Ben

A good post. But I find it really strange that so many seem to think that "the government is sanctioned by God" (Ben, you must believe that, you said it twice).

I believe that there is no way that the government is sanctioned by God and I can find nowhere in scripture where it says that!. Just as there is nowhere in the Bible where it says that we must "obey government". If anyone thinks that there is, it would be interesting to be provided with the chapter and verse number.

I believe also that - in time of war - soldiers' actions do not make them guilty of murder (within reason of course) but the actions of a policeman are not comparable, not even slightly the same thing.

Police "duties" today are 10% "public service" and 90% the bidding of politicians. So policing is politics, politics, politics.

Reinterpreting scripture cannot be a good thing. The Bible says "kill", it does not say "murder" and it most definitely does not say "it is ok to kill as long as you have government backing". It seems that there is a move today to interpret all scripture so it fits in with "the law of the land". This is a dangerous concept and we cannot "politically correctify" everything. We must take it literally.

[dakota190]

yo, buck!

no one is reinterpreting scripture, no one is twisting things up to justify use of deadly force by police officers. to start with, Matthew, 19:18, nkjv, he said to him, "which ones?"Jesus said, "you shall not murder, ..... also consider in the first century and prior to, laws were enforced by the soldiers, as occupiers, they would kill you in various situations. we are not under occupation, the police have replaced the function of the soldier in the world since Sir Robert Peale, of England, started the first police dept. you also might consider, what was king Solomon, known for his wisdom, but government, what was king David, a man after God's own heart, but government, God placed them on their thrones, so how do you figure that God does not ordain government? buck, don't let your prejudices and issues blind you to the truth. i don't say that with any disrespect, i mean it as a christian man that would like to see you grow in the Lord, in a timely manner.

Praise God and all Glory to his name.

also i wanted to mention, until you have pinned on the badge, don't presume how much of duty time is political, because as it stands, your last statement to that effect, 90% and 10%, is wrong.

one more thing-without cops it would be anarchy, you would not be safe to render your opinions, but you would find out who were your friends and heroes and who definitely were not. it would be a world of sharks and guppies.

Edited June 1, 2006 by dakota190

[buckthesystem]

This topic has morphed into something different to the original question, which was: The application form for the police dep't says "would you have a problem with killing", and I want to be in the police, so what should I do? The mere fact that that question even appears on the form is an indication that policing has changed a lot since the days of Rob't Peel's "bobbies".

You're too right when you say "we are not under occupation", so why do you think that "the police have replaced the function of soldiers in the world..."?

King Soloman or King David cannot even be compared to governments today.

And "putting a spin on scripture". Yes, this is done a lot, merely by substituting the word "murder" for the word "kill" in the 10 commandments. And then reading the Bible to sound like "God sanctions governments' actions". And Dakota you don't really believe that police are the all round protectors of free speech in society and without them the world would descend into "dog eat dog" brutality and anarchy, do you?

I am just being a realist. The role of just about all the world's police forces has changed radically over the past 10 years or so. Being a member of the police was once a respected occupation but today it is "just another civil servant who obsequiously lives to do the bidding of what ever government is in power at the time". It is one thing to believe the opposite when you are on one "side of the fence" but it is also very easy to see how even policemen can become the victims of government "exesses". For example, how would you feel about it if - as a policeman (hypothetical or not) you were called upon to - say - support a baliff (or court officer, or what ever it is called) to take property from someone and that "someone" turned out to be your brother, or your parents, or your best friend?

I have just finished reading an article about the experiences of an ex-policeman in China (who defected to America) and who was called upon to "take a pregnant woman into custody" as she was pregnant with her 2nd child and was refusing to have an abortion. This woman turned out to be the policeman's own sister. He said that he "couldn't cope with it" but "because it was the law" still ensured that somebody else would make sure that the woman had an abortion, but he was in such a bad mental state about it that he escaped to America on the first opportunity.

I know it is easy to say that that was China and it isn't like that in America. But it could be in a few years time, who knows.

I am not dis'ing others' beliefs or interpretations, just giving my opinion. And that opinion is: If there is any doubt at all, it is best to exercise restraint.

[Guest Museed]

The Tasks of The Police Officer are very hard and very stressing. Not only do they have to deal with certain degenarates, but also with the negative publicity they get from a few bad apples. Without Justice there's only anarchy, i much prefer the fellows in the blues. Don't put down an officer, one day you might just need him. I come from a family of police officers and military men/women. I have personally known what it feels like to lose somebody you've known for a long time, then lose that person because somebody decides he don't like cops, and shoots him in the back as he is trying to stop a robbery. Taking a life for the sake of evil is murder, taking a life for the sake of good is justice. And Justice is Definetly Part of God's Plan for Humankind.

[buckthesystem]

And who gets to define what "taking a life for the sake of good" is?

Selective morality there, perhaps?

[tah]

buck....

if a police officer has to take the life of a perpetrator who is threatening the life of "the public" or that policeman then He has every right to do that ...not just their right but the responsibility...

It is not immoral for him to do so..

no selective morality involved....

[redeemed098]

And who gets to define what "taking a life for the sake of good" is?

Selective morality there, perhaps?

Who gets to define ANYTHING and EVERYTHING....??? GOD !!

You see God has already defined everything.......If you choose to go your own way on anything at all, you are RE-defining what God has already decreed.

YES..!! God has even defined Govt......Did you know that every govt official throughout the entirety of History was placed there by God....? Nothing can be done by ANYONE unless God allows IT.......Remember what Jesus said to Pilate when he was hauled before him....? "Do you not realise that i have the power to either FREE you or CRUCIFY you" spoke Pilate....Jesus replied, " You would have no power over me if it were not GIVEN to YOU FROM ABOVE......" Was Pilate a Governing Figurehead...? Yes he was........

However there is good news.....In the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus is hauled before Pilate and Herod....But in the Book of Revelation, Herod and Pilate will be hauled before Jesus.....

I just love the simplicity of The message of Christ.......His answer for EVERYTHING was "It is written." I often wonder why when satan tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness to jump from the pinacle of the temple using scripture as his basis for testing God.....He quoted Psalm 91 Verse 11&12. "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Wonder why satan stopped there and didnt speak the NEXT verse......Psalm 91:13..You will tread upon the lion and the cobra, you will trample the great Lion and the SERPENT.

Just a small lesson on how scripture can easily be manipulated when it is not used in its correct context.....Always remember...Satan knows scripture VERY well..His mission if you KNOW scripture is to get you to use it incorrectly......You see that is why Paul urges us to handle scripture correctly... If you do not know God then the devils primary mission is to make sure you do not gain knowledge of the truth....If you DO know God, then his mission is to get you to misuse scripture and get lost in your own doctrines........We would do well to hear Pauls words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15...Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who handles the Word of Truth CORRECTLY........

Slightly off topic, but I believe it's neccessary to Grow in the grace and knowledge of Our lord.....There are too many Christians out there who have Jesus as their saviour, but he is NOT their LORD and Master. Is he YOURS.....???? More to the point....Are You HIS.....?

Regards,

Ben.

[menegroth]

I forget the verse so i apologize, but there is a verse about not doing it with malice

Malice - A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite.

Law. The intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a wrongful act that will result in harm to another

Sorry i can't think of the verse but if i remember correctly it does by no means saying " yeah killing is ok" but basically says if it's not done in revenge or retribution planned out etc and your not getting some kind of joy from it wether it be your own motivations or you enjoy seeing others suffer your pretty much ok. I think in Gods eyes your in good shape as long as you have prayed about that change and God has confirmed it in his word for you.

God Bless,

Josh