Time to stop state-sanctioned killings
The Colosseum was once a venue for execution and barbaric sports. Today, it has become a symbol and a rallying call in the international debate about capital punishment. The city of Rome lights up the Colosseum when an execution order is overturned or a country abolishes capital punishment. And Italy, which this week took up one of the 10 non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council, says it will now use its influence to campaign for a on capital punishment.
The Italian government's opposition to capital punishment accords with the Catholic Church's official stance. The Vatican daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has described the execution of Saddam Hussein as a "public spectacle" and a "violation of a fundamental human right".
Iraq and Italy have an interesting common experience in their journeys to democracy. After WW2, Mussolini was also mocked and while being executed -- in his case, he was hung in a public square in Milan after having been shot and his corpse was also subjected to ridicule and abuse. The Iraqi government say this common experience gives Italy no right to criticise their decision to despatch their own tyrant. Italy, on the other hand, may draw on sixty years of moral hindsight.
Should the UN introduce a global ban on capital punishment? What would that mean? In order to have teeth, the ban would need to be accompanied by appropriately stiff sanctions. These can certainly be effective in changing state policies. But it's very unlikely that any ban could be agreed, let alone succeed, without the support of the United States. There's the rub. A certain kind of "theology" of capital punishment holds sway in the American debate which gives supporters the impression that state-sanctioned killing is also divinely-sanctioned. Thus -- much to the chagrin of against capital punishment -- a global ban is being held back, at least in part, by certain patterns of biblical interpretation.
Comments
I see there's no question mark after your title. Does this constitute a moral pronouncement or a starter question?
JW I think the post is taking a view. What ever next!? A very sensible view if you ask me, which you wouldn't, because I probably lack the right gender.
There is no serious theologian defending capital punishment as a reading of the bible. The conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists are mistreating the bible in order to validate their need for revenge. "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord"?
David- Agreed. The bible is being misused and Christians being misled to support theocratic arguments for capital punishment that just don't stand up.
Jane- What have I ever said or done that would make you think I regard your gender as a reason not to take your viewpoint seriously? That's a serious question, as you've implied the serious allegation of sexism, and I'd appreciate an answer. I have not, to my best knowledge, conversed with you before either, so I'm totally perplexed about your hostility. :-S
Here's the EU's real position on state sanctioned killings.
Fact, it stands idly by while the government of Sudan is in the process of killing almost three million innocent people. Over two hundred thousand are already dead. If Sudan changes its policy it will only be becasue President Bush has threatened direct unilateral military acton against them.
Fact, it stood idly by while the government of Ruwanda killed one million innocent people.
Fact, it stood by helplessly when the government of Serbia committed mass murder all over the Balkins right on its own doorstep. So much so that Dutch soldiers stood idly by refusing to protect civilians all around them in Sbernecia because someone somewhere didn't sign a piece of paper telling them to do something and they never even bothered to call anyone to report what was happening and to receive further orders.
Hypocricy, thy name is Europe, whore of the world.
When one million Kosovars were driven out of their homes by the Serbians to wander and die of exposure in the snow, Europe called America to come help. No UN Security Council resolutions then, no time to lose and they never would have gotten one because Russia would have vetoed it and they knew it. Uncle Sam, just go under the auspices of NATO and kill Serbs so they will stop killing Kosovars.
Who is Europe to tell anyone anything? It's real history is one of endless state sponsored killing. It's hard to find even one page in its sordid history without it. The EU's national bird should be the ostrich. The only thing which has stopped them from killing each other again since the end of World War II was America's military presence and determination.
Angela Merkel is in Washington DC this week trying to con the US into joining the EU. (What does this tell you about the arguement that Turkey should not gain entry because it isn't in Europe.) Fat chance Mrs. Merkel, were it not for Jacques Chirac and France, Germany would be at the top of America's list of least liked corrupt backstabbing turncoats. The US will never listen to anything the EU has to say, nor will China or Russia or India the world's real powers now. At least in the US, the decision to execute its most heinous criminals is one chosen by a democratic society. Don't believe it? Then consider the end of the carreer of Mario Cuomo who was a very popular governor of New York State. Some thought he might even run for and get elected President. Why was he defeated by Wilson in his bid for re-election? One reason only, his unconditional opposition to capital punishment.
The ties between the US and the powers behind the EU France and Germany have been cut...by them. It was a one way street anyway, the US gave and Europe took. Europe would be wasting its time if it calls 1-800-USA-HELP ever again. All they would get is a recording saying that the line has been permanently disconnected.
More evidence here to support Dawkins, Harris and Dennett and their attack on religion. This is what religion does to people. It gives them a sense of legitimacy and justice while they kill others.
I was reading some of your comments about sexism on this blog JOHN WRIGHT ........ re: the American pastor caught having an affair with a male prostitute.... and my comments stand.
You are right that religious arguments are used often by supporters of capital punishment. Even weirder in my view are the NON-RELIGIOUS arguments offered in support of capital punishment. Before the athiests here get away with themselves, let's remember that a good number of atheists in the world defend executions. The pope is one of the world's leading opponents of capital punishment.
Jane- You're judging my character based on the stand I took in a debate months ago? Whatever you think. I'm not going to rehash that debate and I will clarify that I didn't make a single sexist remark.
You have no claim to knowing me personally, however, and if you did you'd find me to be the opposite of sexist. If you prefer to judge people on the internet based on one thread you are free to do so, I guess. No skin off my nose.
Stop sulking JW! I was outraged by your defence of that sexist idiot in the ted haggard business too, I just didnt tell u!
I have to throw my hat in the ring on Mark's side on this one.
The UN and the EU have permitted genocide to go on and this is just another politically correct topic for them to debate, discuss, debate, discuss, blah, blah .....
I asked a member of the UN recently why nothing had been done about the world's ongoing genocides. The answer was that I 'obviously didn't understand the workings of the UN where 'consensus' was necessary for action'.
So I asked when 'consensus' might be reached on Dafur and was told that there will be ongoing 'discussions' throughout the next year.
Here in the US there is a report in the NY Times that New Jersey may be the first state to abolish the death penalty. I am in agreement with that proposal - one reason being that too many people have been executed by mistake and we are finding that DNA is pulling people off death row in quite significant numbers. That is scary!
Regards,
Michael
Kel- thanks for heaping the coals. ;-) I think being construed as sexist is a fairly serious thing. I certainly don't enjoy it. It isn't accurate, and it isn't a fair representation of my opinion:
"The bible has been used for too long to treat women despicably..." - Nov 9th.
"We regard each other as absolute equals .... My wife is not obliged to submit to me in any way whatsoever and I'd be ashamed to try to claim that kind of authority over her..." - Nov 10th.
"I'm not morally superior to anybody else, and therefore feel unwilling to impose my moral theories of sex upon my fellow human being..." - Dec 19th.
Do these sound like the comments of someone whose inherent sexism would deter him from talking to or asking for the opinions of a woman? I'm not sulking and, as I say, Jane can believe whatever she wants. But I would be a fool to let her call me sexist without defending myself. (If I were sexist my wife would have kicked me out a long time ago!)
Jesus paid the death penalty for all by dying upon the cross, His death and resurrection ended the requirement for blood to be shed in compensation and sacrifice, which was the requirement of God in the theocratic state of Israel under the direct rule of God with its own unique laws, the teaching of Jesus God’s Son is a message of forgiveness and the suffering of evil rather than resisting evil as taught in the Sermon on the Mount Do not resist the one who is evil. And in John 8, Jesus answers those that are seeking the death penalty for adultery "Let him who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her." But the carnal mind and the carnal Christian can’t understand this because he still seeks vengeance to satisfy his vengeful lust and his sinful nature because he is born of the flesh and not of the spirit. It isn’t necessary to execute murders in order to establish human dignity and value. Jesus came in the flesh to be a propitiation for the sins of the world and to bring dignity and value to mankind any other belief is of the spirit Anti-Christ.
Billy I know you mean well but do you have to sound so scary every time you talk about religion?
Jane Gray #15
Not nearly as scary to me as Andy McIntosh or Wilder Smith. There are people who actually take those later two seriously. That's what's so scary about them.
I don't think a UN sponsored ban on capital punishment is likely to work ever - even with US sponsorship.
It would seem that there has been a fall-off in support for state murder in the US with executions currently suspended in Maryland, Florida and California owing to public concern over recent executions by lethal injection.
However China according to AI executed 1770 people in 2005. Saudi Arabia and Iran also execute significant numbers. Any attempt to ban capital punishment is most likely to seen as Western interference/cultural imperialism by China and anti-islamic by the Saudis and Iranians (is capital punishment part of Shariah law does anyone know?).
The existence of capital punishment is a sign that a society finds it acceptable to take the life of an individual. It is no surprise therefore that murder and serious crime rates in countries where capital punishment exists are no lower in those that do not.
Revenge is no balm for suffering, only forgiveness truly liberates those who feel wronged.
Jane Gray- Not even an acknowledgement of anything I said? How rude you are.
VS- "The existence of capital punishment is a sign that a society finds it acceptable to take the life of an individual. It is no surprise therefore that murder and serious crime rates in countries where capital punishment exists are no lower in those that do not."
[Choking sounds] VS! Are you aware that there are many other relevant factors in the murder rate when one compares the murder rate in different countries? And by the way, I can provide evidence directly to the contrary. For example, look at murder rates in the United States from 1950 to 2000. Those rates soared a short time after a moratorium on death sentences was effectively imposed in the late 60s. If what you say is true, then we should be seeing the opposite.