ThePriest says: The death penalty, its spiritual and practical aspects.
As an ordained minister, I have given the matter some thought:
I must first point out that the death penalty is scriptural. It must be noted that the commandment "Thou shalt no kill" is better translated "Thou shalt not murder", how do I know? The Mosiac Law specified death for those acts that gravely injured the community as a shared consciousness, as a knife in the heart of the Children of God AND the Father, and darkens the spiritual condition of one and all.
The death penalty does deter further crime in the very real sense. First, if they are dead, they won't be committing more crimes on the street, there have been many, many cases were "lifetime" sentences proved to be much less than that due to judicial activism, overcrowding, permissive parol boards, etc. Death on the other had is permanent.
Second, it is almost a matter of course that murders in the prison system, commit long strings of attempted lethality and damaging anti-social violence.
Third, many do succeed in that lethality, without the death penalty, there is no significant recourse for justice. They are already lifers. The debt of justice to the victim, the victim's family, the community, must be paid, or the credibility of the foundation institutions of that society (meaning our civilized lives) would be for forfeit.
Four, there are crimes so grievous (murder with "special circumstances"), that only ultimate societal sanction provide the consequences of justice proportional to the evil acts committed.
Yes, life is unfair, that is why we have a justice system to give consequences to them that live and act with profound selfishness and do not care about right and wrong in regards to others. To them that take no responsibility for themselves or others, and are unwilling to see the negative course of events ripping out from evil acts. The death penalty provides a desperately needed absolute and a firm boundary to separate the worst of the worst perminately from mankind as a whole.
The only thing necessary for those that are the most wicked and vile among us to succeed, is for good men to do nothing. And no death penalty means exactly that.
I must first point out that the death penalty is scriptural. It must be noted that the commandment "Thou shalt no kill" is better translated "Thou shalt not murder", how do I know? The Mosiac Law specified death for those acts that gravely injured the community as a shared consciousness, as a knife in the heart of the Children of God AND the Father, and darkens the spiritual condition of one and all.
The death penalty does deter further crime in the very real sense. First, if they are dead, they won't be committing more crimes on the street, there have been many, many cases were "lifetime" sentences proved to be much less than that due to judicial activism, overcrowding, permissive parol boards, etc. Death on the other had is permanent.
Second, it is almost a matter of course that murders in the prison system, commit long strings of attempted lethality and damaging anti-social violence.
Third, many do succeed in that lethality, without the death penalty, there is no significant recourse for justice. They are already lifers. The debt of justice to the victim, the victim's family, the community, must be paid, or the credibility of the foundation institutions of that society (meaning our civilized lives) would be for forfeit.
Four, there are crimes so grievous (murder with "special circumstances"), that only ultimate societal sanction provide the consequences of justice proportional to the evil acts committed.
Yes, life is unfair, that is why we have a justice system to give consequences to them that live and act with profound selfishness and do not care about right and wrong in regards to others. To them that take no responsibility for themselves or others, and are unwilling to see the negative course of events ripping out from evil acts. The death penalty provides a desperately needed absolute and a firm boundary to separate the worst of the worst perminately from mankind as a whole.
The only thing necessary for those that are the most wicked and vile among us to succeed, is for good men to do nothing. And no death penalty means exactly that.