This is the two kingdoms doctrine in action: when the church says that the church has little-to-nothing to say to the civil realm, and thus whatever the civil realm does, the church must accept as lawful and acceptable. The only objection even to church members engaging in legally sanctioned acts of cruelty comes if the church may determine that the members commit some kind of personal sin—anger, revenge, etc.—in the process! By this reasoning, the church could perhaps even allow a member to commit murder as long as the church determined the member did not have “revenge” in his heart when he
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