Zone1 Catholic Church's Position Against the Death Penalty

[Meriweather]

Agree or disagree?

 

[JoeB131]

Agree or disagree?

Sorry, what is it this week?

Oh, wait, Francis (same old dogma in a shiny new package) said the Church is against it now.

I guess that's good.

Contradicts the Bible, though, the Bible is all about the Death Penalty

 

[Moonglow]

God did not smite Cain when he killed Able only when Onan let his seed fall to the ground.

 

[Meriweather]

Sorry, what is it this week?

Oh, wait, Francis (same old dogma in a shiny new package) said the Church is against it now.

I guess that's good.

Contradicts the Bible, though, the Bible is all about the Death Penalty

The Church's argument against the death penalty is that prisons are now strong enough to prevent prison escapes, and therefore society is protected against vicious killers. Vicious/serial killers are still human and deserving of respect due all humans. They should be given the opportunity to rebuild themselves and rehabilitate their character. Isn't the point of prison rehabilitation?

 

[martybegan]

Agree or disagree?

The Catholic Church is consistent on this issue, No Death Penalty, No Abortion, and of course no murder.

 

[1srelluc]

While no prison is "escape proof" Super Max prisons are as close as you can get to "escape proof".

Take ADX Federal Supermax in Florence, Colorado.....It's no fuckin' joke.

The Most Infamous Criminals at ADX Florence, Colorado

America’s highest-security federal prison, ADX, is home to some of the world's most notorious criminals, including Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo,” shoe bomber Richard Reid, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

www.5280.com

Indeed, unless it's an "inside job" or an assault to break into the prison the convicts aren't going anywhere on their own.

Still and all the death penalty is appropriate.

 

[Meriweather]

The Catholic Church is consistent on this issue, No Death Penalty, No Abortion, and of course no murder.

The Catholic Church works with and helps women to choose life. The Church contributes its 3-Ts: Time, Treasure, Talent to the abortion issue.

If the Church is seriously calling an end to the death penalty, she should not point to the State and say, "Stop doing it." The Church should build, finance, maintain, staff, and operate their own facility--in other words, take the lead in showing how the death penalty can be eliminated and death row inmates be rehabilitated.

My criticism of the Church (or anyone) on this issue is that they basically say, "But let someone else do it." Those who are seeking change should be the doers not those sitting on the sidelines playing the part of Monday morning quarterbacks/coaches.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

The Church's argument against the death penalty is that prisons are now strong enough to prevent prison escapes, and therefore society is protected against vicious killers. Vicious/serial killers are still human and deserving of respect due all humans. They should be given the opportunity to rebuild themselves and rehabilitate their character. Isn't the point of prison rehabilitation?

No they aren't.

 

[Polishprince]

How about the safety of the other inmates as well as the staff in the penitentiary? If one of your family members was doing time for ripping mattress tags and was the cellie of Cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, would you not be concerned?

 

[JohnDB]

The Church 's policy is clear and totalitarian. Life is sacrosanct and should not be treated as cheap or common.

Because they oppose abortion in all forms as well.

This simple, universal policy is very clear. And nobody likes it because they find it inconvenient...until it's their life in question.

 

[TNHarley]

The Catholic Church is consistent on this issue, No Death Penalty, No Abortion, and of course no murder.

Well thank gawd kiddie fu*&ing is fine.

 

[Arlette]

Agree or disagree?

How many deaths row inmates has the Catholic Church saved from execution?

 

[Meriweather]

How about the safety of the other inmates as well as the staff in the penitentiary? If one of your family members was doing time for ripping mattress tags and was the cellie of Cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, would you not be concerned?

If the Catholic Church wants the end of the death penalty, then the Catholic Church should build and operate a facility for those sentenced to death. The only prisoners in there would be those under the sentence of death. But then...here we come to the rehabilitation part. Wouldn't these people have to form their own community where they were doing meaningful work, taking care of each other by doing the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. AND bringing in work to finance themselves (license plates, sorting garbage for recyclables, writing their life story with all proceeds going straight to the prison community on individual pockets, etc.

Which brings us to the question of what happens when one of the inmates begin killing other inmates in the prison.

In providing and maintaining this facility, by necessity, the Church would have to provide medical and psychiatric along with the spiritual help.

Again, my main point is not that the Church is calling for the end of the death penalty--but is calling for it without lifting a finger. If the Church believes ending the death penalty is what God is asking for in this day and age, then the Church itself should be leading the way, and figuring out all--and how--this is to be done, and doing it without help as it is the Church's grand idea. While I applaud the idea, I am disgusted that the Church is calling for someone else to take care of this. I (a Catholic) call for the Church to put up or shut up. (And I'd have so much more admiration and respect if the Church does the former.)

 

[Meriweather]

The Church 's policy is clear and totalitarian. Life is sacrosanct and should not be treated as cheap or common.

And that is why the Church should take over housing, teaching, caring for, and rehabilitating death row inmates. Apparently we have the finances. We have Catholics all over the world trained in all professions. Call on Catholics to build, maintain, and do all the related works.

 

[Meriweather]

How many deaths row inmates has the Catholic Church saved from execution?

I don't know. Neither does AI. Therefore, I suspect the answer is none.

 

[theHawk]

Agree or disagree?

Saint Thomas Aquinas defended the death penalty. There is no sin in working for justice and administering the law.

The Catholic Church does not teach that you cannot have a death penalty. They just discourage widespread use of it and say it is unnecessary in many cases.

 

[ESay]

No society that calls itself civilized should have a death penalty, this relic of the past.

 

[JohnDB]

And that is why the Church should take over housing, teaching, caring for, and rehabilitating death row inmates. Apparently we have the finances. We have Catholics all over the world trained in all professions. Call on Catholics to build, maintain, and do all the related works.

Nope....
This is where I'm going to disagree.

The Catholic Church has had MASSIVE internal problems with their labor force. Not minor ones. Massive internal politics has made it to where none of these problems are addressed appropriately either. Oversight has been an ongoing problem with most large institutions and the Catholic Church has proven to not be immune as well.

I'm not finger pointing or anything of that sort. Just stating the obvious facts. The current pope has not exactly delighted the membership desiring a more biblical morality. (Like John Paul) Meaning that the root problem resides with the Cardinals and Bishops...further indicating a grass roots problem.

There exists too many problems in using a religious organization for secular work. (ACLU wouldn't stand for it either)

 

[martybegan]

Well thank gawd kiddie fu*&ing is fine.

Pederasty was the main problem, not pedophilia.

And zone 1, by the way.

 

[TNHarley]

Pederasty was the main problem, not pedophilia.

And zone 1, by the way.

They are kids.