The World of Grandpa Don

The Death Penalty

There may have been a time in primitive society when it was necessary to punish an offence against humanity by using the ultimate and final solution, ... Death. 
This would have the effect of ridding the community of someone who did not work for the good of the community, and hopefully deter other persons from committing sins against society.

Some time in the evolution of the human mind, God inspired the idea that death or other extreme punishments were not appropriate for every crime. Let the punishment fit the crime, or, ... "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". 
... A definite improvement over the previous thinking! 

The human mind should have evolved by now to the point well beyond this and in some sense it has. At least in western society we do not cut off the hands of a thief. But we still cling to the original and final solution. The problem is that even as we create more laws to to protect the innocent, we still execute innocent people. And even when the guilty are executed, what does the death penalty teach? 
... If it is OK for society to kill someone who offends society, then it is OK for me to kill someone who has offended me!  
... If the state has the right to violently punish those who offend, I have that same right!
 You and I may not think that way but the subconscious suggestion is there. The death penalty usurps the power of God, and is counterproductive.

We must protect society from perpetrators of violent crime. Some would say that maintaining that person for the rest of his life is a costly drain on the rest of society. However, it has been shown that the cost of death penalty appeals on the judicial system, appeals that are intended to prevent the execution of the wrongly condemned, far exceed the cost of feeding and housing a criminal for life.  But should that even be a consideration? Who can put a price on a human life? Who would dare? Mathew (7:2) tells us, "For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you."

As for the ultimate punishment ... it is better left to God. Our motives are more often that of revenge, which in itself is a sin against God and man.

There is a better way.  Crime of every kind must be treated at its origins. Oppression and poverty breed crime.  Jesus has the solution but it is not the instant fix we all seek. We must do all we can to see that the resources that God created are shared by all His children and the "Me First" attitude eliminated from our thinking. The message of the Gospel must be spread to everyone. If we follow the teaching of Jesus and work to eliminate poverty of every kind we strike at the core of evil. Every one on earth must participate eventually but it has to start with each one of us right now. 

While we work at it, ... Let us stop killing people.

Don Plefka
2002
Updated June 2008

This is from the web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops  ( http://www.usccb.org/ )

"While the U.S. Catholic bishops have been calling for an end to the use of the death penalty for 25 years, this new Campaign was launched in March of 2005. The first comprehensive U.S. Catholic bishops’ statement on the topic issued in 1980. This campaign, the bishops renew their call in order to seize a new moment and a new momentum. This is a time to teach clearly, encourage reflection, and call for common action in the Catholic community. To that end the bishops have written a new pastoral statement that will clarify Church teaching and assist the numerous individual bishops and state Catholic conferences have issued similar calls to end the use of the death penalty."