Religion and the death penalty.

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty religious and also pretty liberal (in the American sense of the word) I became liberal (I used to be a Libertarian when I was younger) gradually as I've gotten older and generally been impressed with how well liberal institutions work. I regard politics as more practical than moral and don't think I have any right to have my own religious notions of morality enforced on others. Like many liberals, I object to the death penalty because if its long history of racist, classist and anti-male** application and its inherent imperfections (a single innocent being executed invalidates the whole institution.)

But, unlike other political positions I have, my disdain for the death penalty coincides with my religious beliefs on the matter. Mainly, that God's justice is perfect, God will send the sinners to hell and the righteous to heaven and it's not really possible for us, as mere mortals, to tell which is which. As such, justice as in retribution is a matter for God. We would do best to respect life and ensure our safety by locking up people who hurt others.

Yet I find that many people who are religious have no problem with the death penalty-- since religion tends to intersect of conservative politics more often. Or is there a religious connection there as well?

• Roman Catholic Church says that the death penalty is "lawful slaying" and basis this on it being a necessary deterrent and prevention method, but not as a means of vengeance. So, if it is ineffective as a deterrent (there is some evidence that this is true) --would they reject it? Recently they have though not very vocally.
• Anglican and Episcopalian bishops condemned the death penalty.
• Southern Baptist Convention updated Baptist Faith and Message. In it the convention officially sanctioned the use of capital punishment by the State. It said that it is the duty of the state to execute those guilty of murder and that God established capital punishment in the Noahic Covenant. This is different from the Roman Catholic take on it-- no mention of it excluding vengeance.
• Other Baptists reject the death penalty, my church does!
• Like Christians, Islam and Buddhists and Jews do not have a united stance on the matter.
• Atheists also have many views on the matter.

So, based on all of that, do we find no guidance in religion? I wonder how I would feel about the matter if the religious teachings I have encountered didn't match with my philosophical notions-- Is it always the case that one must shape the other? Is there anyone who thinks the death penalty should be allowed, though they suppose it is sinful or against their religion? Is there anyone who wants to stop the death penalty though they think it might not be a sin?


**We could talk about how believing it is wrong to kill a woman still further dehumanizes her-- the global effect of this furthesr sexism against women, the local effect is unfair to poor, mostly minority, men.

Comments

So you don't know anything about Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism either?

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to keep a friendly tone here.

What do you want to assert about those three other religions? The shtick they teach or the reality that's been historically practiced?

If we need to discuss Tibetan lamas keeping the populace in near-slavery, Hinduism using transmigration as a stick to keep the lower castes in line or Judaism's sacrificial animals, I guess we can.

Re: So you don't know anything about Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism either?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

1) Buddhism ponders a world in which everyone keeps on being re-incarnated and if you're lucky enough to be incarnated as a monk and keep X number of rules you *might* reach Nibbana in this lifetime.

2) Hinduism is an umbrella term referring to a number of completely different and unrelated religions, even after both the 19th and the 20th Centuries saw efforts to centralize them into one religion.

3) Judaism in all its forms rejects that God's laws apply to Gentiles beyond the Noachide Laws. Effectively it's *non*-evangelical, as is Hinduism, and both for the same reason-they center on peoples, not the more abstract realities of the Great Religions.

Re: So you don't know anything about Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism either?

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

Good thing that the secular justice system doesn't punish people for bad behavior -- or that secular legislators don't try to create incentives for good behavior! That would be religulous!

Re: So you don't know anything about Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism either?

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

You're spinning off message now - but you do bring up a good point in that religion operates as a parallel justice system "creating incentives" in the form of not burning in eternal hellfire as a way of maintaining social control.

Re: So you don't know anything about Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism either?

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

I'm not spinning off message at all. I'm pointing out how absurd it is to object to the idea of consequences.

Re: So you don't know anything about Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism either?

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

I don't really think of Hell as an incentive or disincentive...