Texas Bars All Clergy From Execution Chambers Following Supreme Court Decision

Aleteia ^ | 4/4/19 | Zelda Caldwell

[Bommer]

I read a book many years ago, written by a physician who had to oversee executions at Sing Sing in the early-to-mid-20th Century. I’ve never been able to find that book again, but the doctor made a very good case for his opinion that the death penalty was NOT a deterrent.

I disagree. There has yet to be one case where an executed criminal kills again. Trust me, it's a deterrent. It works 100% its carried out.

[Jamestown1630]

Well, my thought was that we should not take our notions of ‘punishment’ to the point where we don’t have ultimate moral authority.

Capital Punishment is not self-defense in the sense that defending ourselves against, for instance, a war of aggression is.

Capital punishment is a very long-considered, cold-blooded decision to kill an *individual* because we feel we’ve been offended by his actions.

As practiced, and from all arguments that I’ve seen here, it simply comes down to revenge. And if you think about it long and hard - getting your ego out of it - it’s macabre, creepy, and not a credit to us as human beings who CLAIM to believe in ideals that exist and rule above this nasty material realm.

I personally feel that we need to rise above the idea of revenge, and become smarter and more effective in the ways that we deal with these things.

[Jamestown1630]

It may stop the one person we killed from killing again.

But killing, since Cain and Abel, has always gone on, regardless of laws and penalties. The ‘death penalty’, where it still exists, doesn’t deter killing.

It would be interesting to see the murder statistics in areas where there is a death penalty, as compared with areas where there is not a death penalty. I suspect that they are at least relatively equal.

[Persevero]

They are trusting their lives to a jury, and a judge seeing to it that things are done well, and automatic appeals, and a governor.

There are a lot of fail safes.

[Persevero]

Lock up for life is not justice.

We need justice.

[Persevero]

Lock up for life is not justice.

We need justice.

[Jamestown1630]

The ‘failsafe’ that is missing is - in my opinion - the one that assures us that we, as mere human beings, ultimately have the moral RIGHT to do this.

[Jamestown1630]

I assume that you have a personal definition of the word ‘justice’ (?)

[missthethunder]

You must have a real problem with war then.

[Jamestown1630]

I think I addressed that in post 42.

The two situations represent different circumstances, requiring different considerations which, in turn, lead to different conclusions.

[Persevero]

I have a biblical view of the word “justice.”

I am not sure what sort of view you might have as to the concept.

[trebb]

Missed the point - this move keeps other’s from stopping their executions on a technicality that the State doesn’t employ ...a Wiccan, perhaps....

[Midwesterner53]

I’m not going to see a “god” when I die, I will stand in front of God and be happy to do it.

[jacknhoo]

The Holy Spirit knows no physical boundary, so, there’s no need for a medium to be physically present in the killing chamber.

Also, there’s no need for anyone to be killed by the state, in this day and time in this technologically advanced nation. This is not to say they don’t deserve death, of course.

[Cvengr]

Capital Punishment is not self-defense in the sense that defending ourselves against, for instance, a war of aggression is.

Actually it is. We have been so secure as a nation since WWII, that we have been able to relax those standards, but now the cost of that relaxation is coming back to haunt and threaten our Constitution.

[TheDandyMan]

It “highlights” to them? Like Jesus wouldn’t have noticed except that there was a Buddhist in the fry-chamber right at the end?

[Svartalfiar]

Who cares if he wanted a Buddist “preacher” in the chamber. That just highlights to God and Jesus that he worshiped false idols and gods, not a good send off for anyone wanting Heaven.

And you assume that God/Jesus is the real thing. The exact same way he assumes there are no real gods. It would be just as logical to ask why you would want a priest at your deathbed?

[Svartalfiar]

It would be interesting to see the murder statistics in areas where there is a death penalty, as compared with areas where there is not a death penalty. I suspect that they are at least relatively equal.

Statistically, that would be an impossibility. For two equal societies, if one kills murderers and the other doesn't, you can completely ignore the deterrent factor. Simply by permanently removing a murderer from the population prevents him from murdering again. Thereby meaning fewer people are murdered in that society.

[Svartalfiar]

The two situations represent different circumstances, requiring different considerations which, in turn, lead to different conclusions.

Not really. War is simply a larger act of murder. It's just on a societal basis as opposed to an individual basis.

[Midwesterner53]

I don’t assume anything on God and Jesus. I know.