Barbarically Beheaded

Biblical traditions
Scriptural justification
To execute the condemned
Gaining stature publicity
Religious extremists
Meeting unbelievers in battle
Smite at their necks
Execution ritual
Thoroughly subdued
Bind the captive
Kneeling, confessing
Reading off offenses
Time for ransom
Rubric condoning the act
Condemnation by authorities
Recruitment tool
Agents of the apocalypse
Express their horror
What bleeds, leads
Offensive, frightening
New phenomenon of primal warfare
Combined with modern technology
The ultimate sign of power