I'm a Mom. A pretty low-key Mom, unless you arouse my protective instinct. You don't have to be a Mom to despise the crime and cruelty of child sexual abuse and rape. Do not even those words raise up inside of you a rage against any who would perpetuate such a heinous thing?
How the Saudis Deal
Apparently the Saudi courts have the same reaction, because they have upheld a ruling to have a five-time child rapist beheaded and crucified.
I know many folks, both Christian and non, do not believe in the death penalty. My understanding of the Bible convinces me that it is justified in certain cases. What do you think?
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Child Rapist will be Beheaded: Justice?
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6 comments:
As a Christian, definitely not. God's justice is more appropriate than ours. As a civilian and citizen, we have laws in place, but this is wildly bizarre. Beheaded? Crucified? Are we not almost living in 2010?
Child molestation is so common, if we only knew, were aware of, or could somehow be privy to all the cases. Most experts put it at around 30-40% of all kids that are molested in some form. It's a tragedy. These sick men are ruled by their addictions, and beheading punishment won't work, and if anything, will increase the amount of rape-murder-suicides if anything.
I'm one of those Christians who don't believe in the death penalty either. I'm pro-life all the way. If life is sacred, life is sacred, whether it's an unborn, innocent life or a hardened, guilty life. Who is a human being to say that another human being is worthy of death? As a Christian, I don't believe in it on moral grounds -- if we all got what we deserved, who on Earth would still be around? Vengeance is the Lord's.
But as a citizen, there are lots and lots of things that are problematic about the death penalty. It has economic strikes against it, studies have proven that it's not a deterrent, and studies have proven that it is disproportionately administered to low-income people and minorities.
I agree. Unless by inaction a life will be lost or extreme harm done, I can't justify killing someone. On top of that courts are made of people and people make mistakes and innocent people have been pout to death.
Now that we're living in 2010, we're so sophisticated. Now we don't actually deal with rapists and murderers. We just deal with the mess they leave behind. Sure, we used to kill them, and we had lots fewer murders and rapes. But we're much more sophisticated now.
"..beheading punishment won't work..." You really think that? Because studies have shown that, while prison is only partially effective at dealing with rapists/molesters, (ever heard of Phillip Garrido?) properly applied capital punishment is 100% effective. I'm pretty sure Phillip Garrido would never have killed or kid-napped those other children if he'd been properly punished the first time he was convicted. Dead people hardly EVER mess with kids.
But instead, we "saved" Phillip Garrido's life, and we thereby allowed him to kill 3 or 4 innocent children, and let him ruin Jaycee's life.
The truth is, I'm not so sure we should be very proud of our newfound sophistication.
I must add, though, that I do believe in life in prison. If Philip Garrido would have been kept behind bars for the rest of his life, (not necessarily executed) neither would he have been allowed to repeat offend.
On a fiscally conservative note, it costs more money to execute someone than to keep them behind bars for the rest of his life.
God allows civil governments to rule over the people. As Christians, we are also subject to the state and nation that we live in. The civil laws of that state and nation are part of our duty to live by, as long as they do not try to superceede God's authority.
That being said, the death penalty is a final judgement. It means that there is no prison break, no parrole for good behaviour, no psycological brainwashing by the prison psycologist, and no chemical fixiative that may or may not really work anyway. It also means the guilty doesn't sit in an air conditioned cell for the rest of his life repleat with the luxuries that modern prisons dote upon their prisoners with (TV, Computers, first class medical treatment, and three square meals a day, etc.).
The words "... and you shall be hanged by the neck until dead, Mr. Tailor," no longer holds the awe and caution it used to, because we don't use it as a threat anymore. We are too afraid of doing evil, that we let those who tresspass our laws continue unabated to do worse and worse crimes. Murder is no longer a terrible crime... Saving an unborn child is considered a worse crime now days. I am sorry, I meant a fetus.
The fact is that the Law (civil or God's own) is a brutal thing. It is so brutal that nowdays we are too scared to use it, and instead try rehab that fails and fails and fails again.
I am tired of rehabing people who don't care about following the law. Bring back the death penalty. If the death penalty had been properly administered, then I probably would not have had to attend the funeral of a good friend who fell victem to the hands of these rehabed felons who don't care for the law.
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