tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post6659908657473020311..comments2024-01-22T01:52:37.473-06:00Comments on RENEGADE TRADS: Capital Punishment and GenocideA Sinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083094677310915678noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-16043858767204597992010-04-20T19:28:39.513-05:002010-04-20T19:28:39.513-05:00Well, according to the consistent Catholic teachin...Well, according to the consistent Catholic teaching, the State does have a right, "theoretically". But I'm uncomfortable with that nonetheless as the post expresses.A Sinnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05083094677310915678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-42000480036887144782010-04-20T17:32:58.473-05:002010-04-20T17:32:58.473-05:00Only God creates and takes life. Abortion, euthan...Only God creates and takes life. Abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty = moral evil. No compromises. The state has no moral right to end life. State execution is as morally repugnant as murder itself.<br /><br />One of the conditions of EU membership is the abolition of the death penalty. I am not familiar with the life incarceration statistics of EU member states. I would wager that such states are able to cope with life terms for incorrigible offenders. I would also wager that EU member states are able to imprison for less. The United States has the highest incarceration levels of any developed nation. Perhaps we should re-evaluate why we imprison. Are all prisoners unable to be reformed? <br /><br />It's important to remember than state Death Rows often contain innocent or poorly tried inmates. Many are minorities that may not have had sufficient legal representation. Some prisoners are intellectually disabled. Does intellectual disability, ethnicity, income, or background necessarily imply innocence? Certainly not, but the chances of mistrial is quite high. States such as Texas that run through executions may satisfy vengeance, but when has retribution equaled justice?<br /><br />In my view, conservative American Catholic support of the death penalty stems from the uneasy marriage between Catholics and evangelicals that arose in the post-Nixon GOP. The retributive legalism sometimes seen in evangelical circles often takes priority over Catholic social justice concerns. <br /><br />I understand that American Catholics have to choke down GOP membership because of abortion. We've settled for much less in our bargain with the GOP. Rather, American Catholics should be more vocal about a consistent life ethic. I am convinced that our political marriage to evangelicals obscures the reality that all life is sacred.sortacatholicnoreply@blogger.com