Death penalty: am I allowed to support it?

[twoshoes]

My personal opinion starts with a question, why do some souls find God early in life and some later in life?
This is a question for God that I am not able to answer, only the Creator knows why. If some come to God early, and some later shouldnot we all have the right for as much time as possible? I say no to the death penlty, because I would want every second I could to prefect my love in Jesus Christ. I’m a sinner and I need Gods forgiveness.

 

[FrancisFan43]

Yes you are allowed to support it.

 

[Ender]

The right to defend against a plot to murder someone begins as soon as the plot is implemented. If a mob comes to drag someone off somewhere to murder them or have them murdered, you can and are morally obligated to start shooting as soon as they make a move to grab him.

Here’s a different perspective on that incident:

And as for “All that take the sword shall perish with the sword,” these words cannot be rightly understood except in this sense: Everyone who commits an unjust murder ought in turn to be condemned to death by the magistrate. For Our Lord rebuked Peter not because a just defense is unlawful, but because he wished not so much to defend himself or Our Lord, as to avenge the injury done to Our Lord, although he himself had no official authority. (St Bellarmine)

 

[Rau]

Church teaching. The teaching of the Church relating to our time and place.

Recent Pope’s have formed a view about the wisdom or justness of capital punishment in the current era. They assert a very high level of conviction in their judgement on the matter which needs to be taken seriously by the faithful. However, they have not suddenly sought to reverse a prior teaching and to assert that CP is inherently evil.

 

[Emeraldlady]

Emeraldlady:

Church teaching. The teaching of the Church relating to our time and place.

Recent Pope’s have formed a view about the wisdom or justness of capital punishment in the current era. They assert a very high level of conviction in their judgement on the matter which needs to be taken seriously by the faithful. However, they have not suddenly sought to reverse a prior teaching and to assert that CP is inherently evil.

I have never taken that position. The position I take which is in line with the Church’s position, is that the death penalty is not inherently just as is can never be abolished for any reason.

 

[Rau]

I see so many Catholics who are against the death penalty. But am I allowed to support it in the Catholic Church, or is being pro-death penalty a heresy?

Support it in what context? Acts are judged good based on consideration of a number of factors. Perhaps give some thought to what the circumstances need to be to justify taking a life. I don’t think it’s sufficient to say - “if you kill someone then the State will kill you”. I don’t think this this gives sufficient attention to all the relevant factors.

 

[Rau]

The position I take which is in line with the Church’s position, is that the death penalty is not inherently just as is can never be abolished for any reason.

I suspect there is a typo or two in there. The church holds that CP is not intrinsically evil. I don’t know what “it can never be abolished” means.

 

[Emeraldlady]

Emeraldlady:

The position I take which is in line with the Church’s position, is that the death penalty is not inherently just as is can never be abolished for any reason.

I suspect there is a typo or two in there. The church holds that CP is not intrinsically evil. I don’t know what “it can never be abolished” means.

There is a long back history to my position on this subject and it is solely to reject the false position that the Church has no place in speaking of the morality of the death penalty. That the death penalty can never be a moral evil no matter how damaging it is to society (ie the culture of death). That the Church is only authorised to suggest it is ‘unwise’. But that it can never be unjust.

 

[Rau]

But that it can never be unjust.

An example of CP (“state sanctioned killing of a convicted person”) can certainly be unjust. Acts must be concrete to be judged, unless they are intrinsically evil in which case nothing else matters. CP is not intrinsically evil, hence other factors determine the god or evil of the (concrete) act.

 

[Emeraldlady]

Emeraldlady:

But that it can never be unjust.

An example of CP (“state sanctioned killing of a convicted person”) can certainly be unjust. Acts must be concrete to be judged, unless they are intrinsically evil in which case nothing else matters. CP is not intrinsically evil, hence other factors determine the god or evil of the (concrete) act.

I’m not arguing that it is intrinsically evil.

 

[Rau]

I’m not arguing that it is intrinsically evil.

I didn’t think you were. I’m just not sure what position you are putting.

 

[RaisedCatholic]

The right to defend against a plot to murder someone begins as soon as the plot is implemented. If a mob comes to drag someone off somewhere to murder them or have them murdered, you can and are morally obligated to start shooting as soon as they make a move to grab him.

You can certainly fight back, but only use deadly force if deadly force is used against you. Otherwise, it is attempted murder, especially if it’s against civil authorities. Just out of curiosity, what do you think Jesus meant when He told Peter “if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword,” if He wasn’t citing Genesis 9:6 which advocates Capital Punishment for murder?

RaisedCatholic: > Plus, it was ROME, not the Jewish authorities, who were planning on executing Him.

Nonsense. Matthew 26, Mark 14, John 11

Peter’s use of the sword was a legitimate use of force in defense of the life of another.

What I meant was only the Roman Empire could execute Jesus. The Jewish authorities wanted Him dead, but they could not try Him by their own laws, because they did not have the authority to exercise Capital Punishment. That’s why I said they came to ARREST Him, not murder Him, which did not take place until after Pilate ordered to have Him crucified.