"Whether we can take 'a life for a life' is one question; whether we should is another. Cain and Abel pose an answer. Rather than taking life for life and delivering a powerful message by killing Cain, God instead banished Cain from the community. To say the least, we must not be cavalier about death penalty decisions."
-Greg
Genesis 4:13-16 (mark of Cain directly dismisses any death penalty rule)
