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

Re: **

[prader.livejournal.com]

I believe, because the numbers support it, that a white man is far more likely to be executed than a black man. That more black men are arrested for violent crime but more white men killed.


In an odd, twisted sort of way, that's almost an insult to Black people. Sort of like saying the life of a Black person killed by another Black person doesn't have as much value as that of a white person killed by another white person.

I'm probably just overthinking it.

Re: **

[prader.livejournal.com]

Apologies for the double/prev post. Meant to paste what is in the current version but pasted something from a response in a completely different conversation. Operator error.

But probably a really funny 'WTF!?' moment.

Re: **

[verytwistedmind.livejournal.com]

I think it has more to do with the nature of the crime. For example most women aren't executed because they killed their husband or someone they knew personally adn had a 'reason' to kill.

A lot of black on black crime is gang related or a smaller crime gone wrong (like lasy year a black pawn shop employee killed a black kid in my city cause the kid was trying to rob him. He got off completely).

A white man who commits murder and is given the death sentence often it appears to be because they are crazy violent sickos.

This is why it is easier for the State to kill a white man than a black man. Again, according to the numbers from the NAACP website.