Capital Punishment - Written 12/20/07
In the wake of the neighboring New Jersey outlawing capital punishment in the state, the argument over its use and morality has ensued over the past week.
I’ve truly heard every possible contention as to its positive and negatives: I’ve heard it’s inhumane, I’ve heard it’s only appropriate, I’ve heard it’s the only way to keep “bad men” off the streets. Shall I continue?
But to me, the obvious correlation lies between religion and the use of the death penalty. Is it simply a coincidence that the most conservative Christian state in the United States, Texas, has executed 405 prisoners since 1976, the most, by far, in the country? Not only is that number four times greater than that of the second state, but it is also more than the second through seventh states combined!
Most people relate death row to Hammurabi’s Code in Exodus 24 of the Bible, which claims if harm is done, for example an eye is stabbed out, then the cost should be simple, “an eye for an eye.” What most forget is Exodus 23, furthering the law, adding “a life for a life.” The religious conservatives of Texas find it clearly laid out; the best punishment for murder is murder, a life for a life.
But Hammurabi lived way before the era of men in touch with their emotional side, men like Raskolnikov who live, breathe, and eat romanticism and the explanation (and exaggeration) of feelings. It wasn’t until the Quakers did the self-proclaimed renaissance men of America realize that there was a punishment far greater than death.
Right now, there are three kinds of people on death row:
1) The Atheists – These people believe in no God, in no Satan, in no Allah. The lethal injection, the noose, and the chair simply mean the end to a cruel and unusual world.
2) The Sinners – They believe in an afterlife, and know theirs won’t be a pleasant one. Whether it be the fiery pits of Hell or a lost soul doomed to wander the earth for eternity, the Sinners fear the end. For them, there’s only one thing worse than actually being there – thinking about being there.
3) The Contrite – These religious men and women realize that their mistake was a huge one, yet they believe in a loving, forgiving God who accepts the sinners and the saints into His heaven. The Contrite have faced their Lord and are truly sorry for their actions. They know what lies ahead, and they do not fear it.
For me, the solution to a seemingly undying argument is simple. For all types of people on Death Row, or as Perry would describe it, “The Corner,” the end isn’t the worst they will face. So get rid of the death penalty, it’s that easy. When the court gives someone a life sentence, make it a true life sentence, none of this 20 years and parole crap. In fact, to make it easy, leave the current ruling system in place - except when someone’s sentence calls for death, simply transform it into solitary confinement for life. There’s no worse future for the murderers and rapists of the USA then decades alone to think about and “reminisce” about the crimes they committed.
Sinners, Atheists, and Contrite: Welcome to the United States of America!
I’ve truly heard every possible contention as to its positive and negatives: I’ve heard it’s inhumane, I’ve heard it’s only appropriate, I’ve heard it’s the only way to keep “bad men” off the streets. Shall I continue?
But to me, the obvious correlation lies between religion and the use of the death penalty. Is it simply a coincidence that the most conservative Christian state in the United States, Texas, has executed 405 prisoners since 1976, the most, by far, in the country? Not only is that number four times greater than that of the second state, but it is also more than the second through seventh states combined!
Most people relate death row to Hammurabi’s Code in Exodus 24 of the Bible, which claims if harm is done, for example an eye is stabbed out, then the cost should be simple, “an eye for an eye.” What most forget is Exodus 23, furthering the law, adding “a life for a life.” The religious conservatives of Texas find it clearly laid out; the best punishment for murder is murder, a life for a life.
But Hammurabi lived way before the era of men in touch with their emotional side, men like Raskolnikov who live, breathe, and eat romanticism and the explanation (and exaggeration) of feelings. It wasn’t until the Quakers did the self-proclaimed renaissance men of America realize that there was a punishment far greater than death.
Right now, there are three kinds of people on death row:
1) The Atheists – These people believe in no God, in no Satan, in no Allah. The lethal injection, the noose, and the chair simply mean the end to a cruel and unusual world.
2) The Sinners – They believe in an afterlife, and know theirs won’t be a pleasant one. Whether it be the fiery pits of Hell or a lost soul doomed to wander the earth for eternity, the Sinners fear the end. For them, there’s only one thing worse than actually being there – thinking about being there.
3) The Contrite – These religious men and women realize that their mistake was a huge one, yet they believe in a loving, forgiving God who accepts the sinners and the saints into His heaven. The Contrite have faced their Lord and are truly sorry for their actions. They know what lies ahead, and they do not fear it.
For me, the solution to a seemingly undying argument is simple. For all types of people on Death Row, or as Perry would describe it, “The Corner,” the end isn’t the worst they will face. So get rid of the death penalty, it’s that easy. When the court gives someone a life sentence, make it a true life sentence, none of this 20 years and parole crap. In fact, to make it easy, leave the current ruling system in place - except when someone’s sentence calls for death, simply transform it into solitary confinement for life. There’s no worse future for the murderers and rapists of the USA then decades alone to think about and “reminisce” about the crimes they committed.
Sinners, Atheists, and Contrite: Welcome to the United States of America!
posted by Tim | 10:03 PM
2 Comments:
Some death penalty opponents argue against death penalty deterrence, stating that it's a harsher penalty to be locked up without any possibility of getting out.
Reality paints a very different picture.
What percentage of capital murderers seek a plea bargain to a death sentence? Zero or close to it. They prefer long term imprisonment.
What percentage of convicted capital murderers argue for execution in the penalty phase of their capital trial? Zero or close to it. They prefer long term imprisonment.
What percentage of death row inmates waive their appeals and speed up the execution process? Nearly zero. They prefer long term imprisonment.
This is not, even remotely, in dispute.
Life is preferred over death. Death is feared more than life.
Texas executes the most, but it's about in the middle of all death penalty states, regarding executions per murder.
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