The death penalty in the USA

The death penalty in the USA

  • Is moral and not used enough

    Votes: 32 43.2%
  • Is moral and working well

    Votes: 2 2.7%
  • Is moral but needs fixing

    Votes: 25 33.8%
  • Is immoral because it can't be fixed

    Votes: 7 9.5%
  • Is immoral because it's wrong to kill

    Votes: 8 10.8%

  • Total voters
    74

Crow

New member
Y'all didn't really have a pat answer for me, though. I think it needs to be used more often, and I think it needs fixing--trials should be swift, there should be only one appeal, and prison should be a temporary holding area, as in until the trial is over--not a place to spend years.
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
They need to start executing blasphemers, idolaters and apostates before the death penalty will really have teeth...
 

Crow

New member
Originally posted by Gerald
They need to start executing blasphemers, idolaters and apostates before the death penalty will really have teeth...

See, Gerald, even you come up with something intelligent once in a while.
 

philosophizer

New member
It's moral but needs fixing. For one, no inmates should be able to sit in Death Row for 5, 10, 15 plus years making hundreds of appeals. Justice deserves much more speed.

To say that it is immoral because it cannot be fixed is severly illogical. And to say that killing murderers is itself murder is farcical.
 

Turbo

Caped Crusader
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Originally posted by Crow
Y'all didn't really have a pat answer for me, though. I think it needs to be used more often, and I think it needs fixing...
Exactly. It's not used often enough, and that's just one of the many things that needs to be fixed.
 

Nathon Detroit

LIFETIME MEMBER
LIFETIME MEMBER
The death penalty here in the US needs a dramatic overhaul.

It isn't swift enough nor painful enough to be an effective deterrent.

Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. - Ecclesiastes 8:11

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Romans 13:3-4
 

Turbo

Caped Crusader
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Two of my favorite passages! :thumb:

Maybe I can get the Sibbie to cross-stitch them to put on our livingroom wall.
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Originally posted by Crow
See, Gerald, even you come up with something intelligent once in a while.
Hey, somebody once did try to kill me for blaspheming...but a well-placed instep groin kick drove that idea from his mind.

That's been my major beef with the fundies: they don't have the stones to go after the ones I mentioned. I mean, consider these examples: Muslims and Hindus are guilty of the first two, Mormons and atheists are guilty of all three...

Interestingly enough, I've never been able to get a consistent answer as to what constitutes blasphemy (OTOH, idolarty and apostacy are pretty clear-cut); ask twelve people and you'll get twelve different answers...
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Originally posted by Tiny Net
Its moral... the convicted shouldnt be able to do more than one appeal though.
No. No appeal. The victim didn't get an appeal, right?
 

Crow

New member
Originally posted by Gerald


Interestingly enough, I've never been able to get a consistent answer as to what constitutes blasphemy (OTOH, idolarty and apostacy are pretty clear-cut); ask twelve people and you'll get twelve different answers...

Yup, that's a valid observation--opinion as to what exactly constitutes blasphemy varies considerably among Christians. Apostacy isn't as clear cut as y'all think, Gerald--there's a lot of room for argument there too.
 

Turbo

Caped Crusader
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Originally posted by Knight
The death penalty here in the US needs a dramatic overhaul.

It isn't swift enough nor painful enough to be an effective deterrent.
Let's not forget "consistently":
He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. Exodus 21:12

And that's just murder. There's still the other crimes that are supposed to be punishable by death: rape, adultery, sodomy, kidnapping, bearing false witness in a capital case... Did I miss any?

Some of those aren't even called crimes by our "justice" system anymore. :rolleyes:

One that I'm not sure about is whether rebellious children should be executed. Was this law specific to Israel for symbolic reasons, or does it have a place in any good criminal justice system? Any thoughts?
 
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Nathon Detroit

LIFETIME MEMBER
LIFETIME MEMBER
Originally posted by Turbo
One that I'm not sure about is whether rebellious children should be executed. Was this law specific to Israel for symbolic reasons, or does it have a place in any good criminal justice system? Any thoughts?
That law would have saved several children who attended my wife's former high school.... Columbine.

And we must remember..... that law applies to children who were a criminal threat that would not adhere to disciplinary measures by more than just their parents i.e., little criminals.
 

Tiny Net

BANNED
Banned
Originally posted by Gerald
No. No appeal. The victim didn't get an appeal, right?

No the victim didnt get an appeal, but mistakes happen so the convicted should get one chance.
 

Turbo

Caped Crusader
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Gotcha! Some people ( :freak: ) think it means that any kid who disobeys their parents were to be put to death. But if that were true, why are there all those verses about spanking.

They ( :freak: ) also say that if we had that law, all kids would end up dead. But that didn't happen in Israel. It would probably keep a lot of kids, particularly teens, out of trouble.

I think I remember a passage about this law, that it's for cases like when a son is a drunkard, and is utterly rebellious. I'm going to try to find it. If you know where it is, feel free to save me a little time. :D
 

shilohproject

New member
Originally posted by Tiny Net
No the victim didnt get an appeal, but mistakes happen so the convicted should get one chance.
I totallt agree with this sentiment. When we as a society move to execute, we should do so with every commitment to getting it right. There is no, "Oops, sorry, got the wrong guy!"

(Biblically, there was often divine guidance in such matters; I've afraid there is precious little of that in our courts today. Politics as usual creates real problems for a judicial system.):cool:
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Originally posted by shilohproject
I totallt agree with this sentiment. When we as a society move to execute, we should do so with every commitment to getting it right. There is no, "Oops, sorry, got the wrong guy!"
Ever the pragmatist, I consider the "Oops, wrong guy" factor to be the cost of doing business. No human system is error-free, after all...
 
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