Thoughts on the death penalty?

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by takegiantsteps

I find this discussion to be quite interesting and I have two questions:

1) TheGame, if I remember correctly, you are a Christian, right? How do you reconcile your Christian beliefs with your approval of the death penalty (if you are a Christian)?

http://www.gotquestions.org/death-penalty.html

The only reason I'm using that site is because I didn't feel like digging up the info myself. But the bible does support giving the right for people to execute others for commiting crimes. Though this point is one of the many things in the bible that can be read both ways, and can be used by either side to justify or to not justify capital punishment.

In this case I'm using my own judgement. I don't feel like the death penalty is a happy thing, however I feel like it is a nessicary thing to have to keep people's morals in check. Just as I don't think war is a happy thing, but I still think that it is nessicary to prevent your home land from being made vunerable to attacks.

And to me it simply makes more sense then locking someone away forever.

2) Bringing economics back into this (sorry, Prof ), is the death penalty really a wiser choice? According to ACLU in their "Case against the Death Penalty,"

Yeah I'm well aware of the facts presented in that article, which is why I feel the system as it is now is broken.. To quote myself:

"Here's what I think the solutions would be:
1) Death penalty should only be reserved for crimes that are public displays, and that are caught on tape. And when its sentanced it should hapen quickly, instead of allowing the govt to waste tons of money on keeping them on death row."

The death penalty, as handled by most states that have it, I disagree with right now. But I don't disagree with the overall concept of executing someone for a crime that they commit.

-EDIT-

I'd also toss in the fact that, depending on the crime.. if a person takes ownership of it and its bad enough. I'd still give them the death penalty even without sufficient evidence. If we captured Osama Bin Laden right now, and he swears he wasn't the one behind 9-11 and other attacks, then I'd toss him in prison for the rest of his life. If he claims he was behind it, and doesn't really have and remorse for what he did, then in the words of movie directors... "That's a wrap"

[KillerGremlin]

TheGame, I'd like you to humor my question if you do not mind.

Being a supporter of the death penalty, would you tie the noose? That is to say, do you consider it your duty to provide the service of keeping an even moral slate in our society? Should the executioner be similar to the civil servant in Jury Duty position?

If you had the switch and Bin Laden, would you pull it?

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin

TheGame, I'd like you to humor my question if you do not mind.

Being a supporter of the death penalty, would you tie the noose? That is to say, do you consider it your duty to provide the service of keeping an even moral slate in our society? Should the executioner be similar to the civil servant in Jury Duty position?

If you had the switch and Bin Laden, would you pull it?

If he was tried and found guilty in a court of law, yes I would.

A lot of people don't have the nerve to do it, but I've had friends (and one family member) who we're killed before. I've sat with families who had to grieve the loss of their children, and been to funerals that shouldn't have happend as soon as they did. Mentally, all I'd have to do is think about the looks on those people's faces, and multiply it by the amount of lives that man has taken.

With that said, it shouldn't be like jury duty. It would take a person who understands what his affect on people really was.. Not some person who isn't in touch with reality.