The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #133436   Message #3028912
Posted By: Janie
10-Nov-10 - 09:35 PM
Thread Name: BS: Death Sentence to Save a Soul?
Subject: RE: BS: Death Sentence to Save a Soul?
I guess I just did not expect to hear that kind of rationale come out of the mouth of some one living in Connecticut in the 21st century.

Been trying to really nail down why I was so utterly shocked and appalled by her statements.   I think it is because her rationale, at least as I understand what she was saying, absolves her of all responsibility for her own choices.    "This is God's call, not mine."    For myself, I can not conceive of holding some one else responsible for their choices while completely disowning responsibility for my own.

However, I want to reiterate that my reaction to her statements does not stem from my own opposition to the death penalty. Maybe I am mistaken or misguided, but I don't think most proponents of the death penalty in our culture, in this age, who are people of faith assert that God demands the death penalty, nor do they justify sentencing some one to death primarily as a last ditch effort for that person to find salvation. They may believe their religious teachings allow for the death penalty as appropriate justice or appropriate social retribution, but I think the vast majority of death penalty proponents, religious or otherwise, accept personal responsibility for their position. "Free will" is a central idea in Christianity. My impression is that death penalty proponents who are Christian not only tend to hold the criminal responsible for "free will," they also accept personal responsibility for having arrived at their own position via "free will."   ( I also reiterate that I have not read anything that identifies the religion to which the juror in question may subscribe.) I imagine that some proponents of the death penalty are entirely comfortable with their position and find it completely consistent with their values and notions of justice, revenge or retribution, and some are not so comfortable, but opine the vast majority of them take ownership of their position.

Should also say I do not think that all proponents of the death penalty are people of faith.