Good point. However, some people will clinge to even two more minutes of life rather than risk losing it in the present moment. That's probably why the executed were sometimes given a chance to smoke a last cigarette...and took it.


"If they are "enemies of god" why not leave it to him to act."

That's a splendid idea, Wolfgang! ;-) But most religious authorities get around it quite easily by stating that "we" are here to do God's will and be God's "agents", so to speak, in seeing that God's will is done. It's a very handy way of getting to do exactly what YOU wanted to do anyway, but using God's authority to justify it. What hypocrisy!

Now, in a similar fashion people will quote the authority of state law, civil law, or the orders of a superior officer to justify committing similarly inhumane acts. It's these authority systems and people's blind obedience to them that are the problem as far as I can see. The state is a distant authority. God is a more distant (and hypothetical) authority. Priests and mullahs are a nearer authority. A superior officer of any kind is a nearer authority. A boss or gang leader is a nearer authority. The question is...why the hell should we obey ANY of them if it violates our own conscience???? And why do people do that?

Because of fear? Conformity? Evasion of personal responsibility? The chance for personal gain? Sheer stupidity?

All of those, I figure, but it's all really just fear in the final analysis. People do violence to other people because they are afraid of something. If they had no fear, they would not engage in violence but would choose to live in peace with one another.