TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL??

In my country Zambia, a new constitution is being drafted and we as individual citizens and organisations are currently making various submissions to the new constitution. And one contentious issues at hand is whether the death penalty should be upheld or scrapped off the constitution.I am for the abolition of the death penalty and I would like to make my written submissions as such.

Imagine that we even have very influencial church/religious leaders advocating for the sustenance of the death penalty. Are there circumstances that can honestly render the death penalty justifiable?

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Bagby on July 6, 2012 at 10:21pm

Ronald Hanna made a great start in speculating on this, I think. I'd bet that people tortured in prisons (and wars) might carry with them into death by execution a deeply held desire for revenge. If they do not go to the light for healing, they might feel like joining forces with other evil beings and raise some hell where they could. They might even see it as their only choice. Most likely tortured souls hang out with their peers both in spirit and in physical life, in essence "helping" and influencing people doing evil. In other words an executed murderer would probably prefer to hang out with other murderers and criminals--like attracts like. Out of boredom they might punish any human they could if they learned how. Psychics often talk of angry spirits who like to trick gullible people for their own amusement.

It could turn out that we should be attempting to truly rehabilitate prisoners, and one of the main reasons for that could actually be global healing. If we had a more enlightened society as it came to handling violence, the people we sent to the next world might be more rehabilitated. Prison could be more like therapy. Also, if it were ever proven that death only takes out the body, and that there are spiritual consequences for taking a life, it might prove to be more effective as a deterrent than capital punishment.

Permalink Reply by Sharon Lindenburger on July 6, 2012 at 11:43am

Nothing makes the death penalty justifiable, in my opinion. Firstly, there is too much of a margin of error, particularly in the US and also in many developing countries, where many people have been executed who were later found to be innocent. Secondly, all kinds of statistics have been around, for decades now, that clearly show that the death penalty does not lessen crime rates and is completely ineffective as a deterrent and conversely that countries who do not have the death penalty do not have major spikes in crime. Thirdly, those who want the death penalty upheld usually refer to the "eye for an eye" passage in the bible, not understanding that the "eye for an eye" passage is the lex talionis, and most of the hard-asses who want the death penalty don't have a clue what lex talionis actually was (it was put into place to prevent excessive brutality, not promote it, and it has a long historical-cultural history in order to be understood appropriately.

Readith, I hope that your country's government does not take the retrograde step of upholding the death penalty.

Permalink Reply by jeff herman on July 6, 2012 at 11:49am

Many countries use the death penalty for political purposes and to demonstrate that the government is the supreme authority.

Permalink Reply by Jill Celeste on July 6, 2012 at 12:50pm

Jeff, we need a discussion topic on "Supreme Authority" what is it and why do men covet it? LOL

Permalink Reply by jeff herman on July 6, 2012 at 2:13pm

Because control creates the illusion of security, the opposite of fear. Domination preempts the assumption that one will be dominated. Spirituality becomes a competition for power and affirmation for the power. Power attracts multiple mates. Women tend to have a different kind of wiring, I think.

Permalink Reply by Readith Mwila Muliyunda on July 6, 2012 at 2:30pm

Lol, ronald i cant stop laughing at ur analysis of what an enviromental impact study cud reveal. Peharps govts shud really look into that and abolishing the death penalty wont be an issue??

Permalink Reply by Readith Mwila Muliyunda on July 6, 2012 at 2:50pm

And thanx 4 those well outlined practical alternatives

Permalink Reply by Robyn Opie Parnell on July 7, 2012 at 11:27pm

So, someone commits murder and receives the death penalty. No doubt their crime is heinous and the death penalty seems justified. But doesn't that make us, the people, murderers? Aren't we just as bad as the criminal?