Casting the last stone? Why the punishment of stoning persists around the world

July 11 marks the International Day Against Stoning. It may seem barbaric that this method of corporal punishment still exists, says Ben Cohen, but it does. Here’s why Christians should care

In 2024, the Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a chilling message to the West: “You may call it a violation of women’s rights that we publicly stone or flog [women] for committing adultery because it contradicts your democratic principles. Just as you claim to strive for the liberation of all humanity, so do I. I represent God and you represent Satan.”

For many Christians, the thought of stoning will immediately conjure the story of the woman found in adultery in the Gospels. And alas, nearly two millennia later, there are still places where Jesus’ challenge that “him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7) goes unheeded. It is almost too grim to acknowledge that something as barbaric is still an issue in 2025.