Murder in the first capital hypocracy

[djmason]

I’m sorry if this may come off a little too critical but as a Catholic and a believer I believe God is Love and truth but I am always struck by how evangelical factions with their pro death penalty positions are always trying to worm their way into the Catholic demographic. Why? I will tell you why: To consolidate the voters to one body of right wing voters. We are on the same page on almost every issue except this one. And I see the same old arguments based on Old Testament dogmas that completely negate the spirit and teaching of our Lord. Remember the Stoning of the Adulterous? The Old Testament law stated she was to be put to death but the lord of the Sabbath had a different opinion and intervened. Let’s leave it alone.

So what is first degree murder? Firstly, it’s premeditated. So let’s lift up Truth and look at this issue called murder that deserves capital punishment.

Philip Morris industries and their 70 plus brands of cigarettes are sold throughout the world. US government statistics state that over 400,000 deaths per year in the US alone are attributed to smoking, which is an addiction also recognized as the number one contributor to disease. It is the primary contributor because the impact of smoking addiction has created at least these scourges to human health: genetic damage by the many cancers it causes; heart, lung and stroke disease; flawed pregnancies; and a major contributing factor for alcoholism and drug addiction.

This industry is pro death on every level, and every year its CEO writes to the shareholder to show how their industry is profiting. This is murder in the first degree, whether you like to recognize it or not. It’s murder according to government statistics and according to the spirit of Truth in light of the 2nd commandment, which is to love our neighbour not to target children into full time addiction.

So, whether you’re a corporation or some drunken teenager that had easy access to a weapon, premeditated murder is a capital crime. But in my opinion the CEO, who is paid to undermine the community and to continue a viscous agenda toward the very nation of which his is a part, is much closer to hell than some socially dysfunctional person who more than likely was unstable in the first place.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

No, it may be morally problematic to sell tobacco, but it is not murder. Nobody is forced to smoke.

 

[1newcatholic]

I’m sorry if this may come off a little too critical but as a Catholic and a believer I believe God is Love and truth but I am always struck by how evangelical factions with their pro death penalty positions are always trying to worm their way into the Catholic demographic. Why? I will tell you why: To consolidate the voters to one body of right wing voters. We are on the same page on almost every issue except this one. And I see the same old arguments based on Old Testament dogmas that completely negate the spirit and teaching of our Lord. Remember the Stoning of the Adulterous? The Old Testament law stated she was to be put to death but the lord of the Sabbath had a different opinion and intervened. Let’s leave it alone.

So what is first degree murder? Firstly, it’s premeditated. So let’s lift up Truth and look at this issue called murder that deserves capital punishment.

Philip Morris industries and their 70 plus brands of cigarettes are sold throughout the world. US government statistics state that over 400,000 deaths per year in the US alone are attributed to smoking, which is an addiction also recognized as the number one contributor to disease. It is the primary contributor because the impact of smoking addiction has created at least these scourges to human health: genetic damage by the many cancers it causes; heart, lung and stroke disease; flawed pregnancies; and a major contributing factor for alcoholism and drug addiction.

This industry is pro death on every level, and every year its CEO writes to the shareholder to show how their industry is profiting. This is murder in the first degree, whether you like to recognize it or not. It’s murder according to government statistics and according to the spirit of Truth in light of the 2nd commandment, which is to love our neighbour not to target children into full time addiction.

So, whether you’re a corporation or some drunken teenager that had easy access to a weapon, premeditated murder is a capital crime. But in my opinion the CEO, who is paid to undermine the community and to continue a viscous agenda toward the very nation of which his is a part, is much closer to hell than some socially dysfunctional person who more than likely was unstable in the first place.

1. Not every disagreement among Catholics can be explained as a culture-war tactic designed to corrupt the true church.
2. Industries are not autonomous beings. Corporations aren’t people. Corporations can’t commit premeditated murder. Corporate personhood is a legal fiction and shouldn’t be used when making morality calculations. CEOs might have some degree of moral culpability in the deaths of those who voluntarily use their products, but its a far, far cry from premeditated murder.

 

[djmason]

It is murder when your industry targets children. And almost all smokers were seduced during their youth by highly clever marketing strategies.

 

[Rob_Arnzen]

I’m sorry if this may come off a little too critical but as a Catholic and a believer I believe God is Love and truth but I am always struck by how evangelical factions with their pro death penalty positions are always trying to worm their way into the Catholic demographic.

A Catholic may in good conscience oppose outright repeal of the death penalty.

Such opposition is not the sole province of Evangelicals.

The primary aim of a punishment is to provide retributive justice. According to the teaching of the Church, the punishment must first redress the disorder. Only after that is accomplished can we address the secondary aim or aims such as protection of society, rehabilitation of the offender, and so on.

CCC 2266 The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people’s rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people’s safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.

The difficulty with abolishing the death penalty altogether is that it renders it impossible to meet the primary aim of punishment in those cases where the death penalty is appropriate.

.

 

[Ender]

The difficulty with abolishing the death penalty altogether is that it renders it impossible to meet the primary aim of punishment in those cases where the death penalty is appropriate.

An unfortunate consequence of 2267 is that it puts retribution itself somewhat into disrepute. It says nothing about punishment being deserved by the individual, but addresses only the effect on society. The problem here is if the understanding that the criminal deserves to be punished becomes secondary then penalties could be imposed based not on what is deserved but on what appears to most benefit the community. That is, this becomes a path to the use of unjust punishment.

Ender

 

[starshiptrooper]

First, when Jesus was addressing the situation with the adulteress, we have to remember, His enemies were trying to trap Him. If He said, “Stone her,” the Pharisees would report Him to the Roman authorities for usurping their power, since only the Romans could execute somebody. If Jesus said, “Do not stone her,” the Pharisees would have rightly condemned Him as a heretic who destroyed and did not fulfill the Mosaic Law.

Thus, Jesus’ answer cuts right to heart of the issue, the Pharisees do not really care about justice, they just want to trap Jesus. Otherwise they would have followed proper judicial procedure instead of just dragging her, vigilante style to Jesus.

Furthermore, when Jesus says, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone,” the Greek word used by John for sin there indicates sin of a sexual nature. Therefore, Jesus was exposing the Pharisees as the hypocrites they were. How could they have the moral authority punish her for the sins that she probably committed with them?

godvine.com/bible/john/8-7
biblehub.com/john/8-7.htm

 

[Ender]

First, when Jesus was addressing the situation with the adulteress, we have to remember, His enemies were trying to trap Him.

This incident is not one the church has used to form her position on capital punishment. There is a different lesson here.
What is the meaning then of, Go, and sin no more? It is this; Since Christ hath redeemed thee, suffer thyself to be corrected by Grace; punishment would not reform but only afflict thee. (St. Ambrose, Letter 26, article 20)
Ender

 

[djmason]

It’s my strong belief that contemporary Catholicism and mainstream Christianity has been modified to only be indignant toward issues that fits a political model. And this model has only one intension, and that is to swing the believing voter to being subordinate and unquestioning to follow the statuesque.

Someone mentioned above that corporations cannot be viewed as individuals and therefore should not be held accountable in contrast to an individual who commits a crime. I brought up this issue of the cigarette industry because a US published Statistic of a 400,000 mortality rate a year is a genocidal statistic.

Common sense and logic should warrant religious concern regarding a cause for justice due to the gravity of this statistic. But we the religious have been trained to point our righteous indignation elsewhere; trained by the very leaders we follow.

I find it interesting that we get angry over health care issues but we neglect the contributing facts of why health care is in the state it’s in.

Boeing makes airplanes and they make the world available to all of us . Microsoft invented the home computer which has benefited the world in education and communication . Many corporations contribute greatly to the common good but big tobacco has only one intention and that is to industrialize disease and addiction.

We should question our leaders why it’s a protected industry or is there a more sinister motive which is to segregate a part of the population into addiction and life ending illnesses.

Whether it’s a corporation or a sociopath who both engage in the planning and the destruction of human life, both are guilty of a premeditated act. Both the corporate CEO and the Sociopath are human beings and therefore under judgment. It’s only the devil that will make you think otherwise.
So in defining Capital punishment as being an appropriate process of justice for a crime done, There may be the possibility that one needs to consider who and what is doing most of the killing.

 

[Rau]

An unfortunate consequence of 2267 is that it puts retribution itself somewhat into disrepute. It says nothing about punishment being deserved by the individual, but addresses only the effect on society. The problem here is if the understanding that the criminal deserves to be punished becomes secondary then penalties could be imposed based not on what is deserved but on what appears to most benefit the community. That is, this becomes a path to the use of unjust punishment.

Ender

I agree that is a risk, though not a certainty. Life in prison remains a pretty stiff punishment. Fines (in appropriate circumstances) are often neatly both punishment and a benefit for the society.

In today’s justice system, I fear the focus is mostly on punishment, and with little good outcome delivered to the society or the individual.

 

[mikekle]

It is murder when your industry targets children. And almost all smokers were seduced during their youth by highly clever marketing strategies.

I have to agree with you here! Ive always kind of wondered if people that smoke are not guilty of very slow suicide, as we all know smoking does kill, you can even tell a smoker by the thin white lines in their fingernails, this happens when someone is poisoned, smoking is nothing more than poisoning yourself, over a period of years, and I bet smokers will be held liable for this when they die.

I also wonder why smoking is still legal, as our Govt claims they are trying to stop the street drugs for our health and safety, but why are they not constantly going after tobacco companies too? Just look at how many people die from smoking each year…and its still legal? LOL Plus, Ive never heard anyone even suggest new laws or regulations on buying it, any person over 18 can go to any store and buy as much tobacco as they like, anytime day or night…???

I think the difference is MONEY/ Greed…they get alot of money from ‘sin taxes’, they are not about to throw a wrench into that revenue stream!!! But I dont understand then, why they are not just legalizing all street drugs, surely they realize how much money can be made from them, yet they are always trying to come up with new laws and regulations to fight street drugs…?? I dont understand this…but I tend to think there is probably a large part of the puzzle I dont know…for example, it was proven back in the 1970s the CIA was directly involved in the drug trade, I would not be surprised if our Govt was still involved somehow today, thus making money from it…there is no other way all these cartels could possibly be getting so many drugs into our country every single day of the year, enough to fully supply every major US city…CMON, somethings going on here! LOL

 

[vz71]

I also wonder why smoking is still legal, as our Govt claims they are trying to stop the street drugs for our health and safety, but why are they not constantly going after tobacco companies too? Just look at how many people die from smoking each year…and its still legal? LOL Plus, Ive never heard anyone even suggest new laws or regulations on buying it, any person over 18 can go to any store and buy as much tobacco as they like, anytime day or night…???

Perhaps because people do not cause harm to others through smoking.

No one gets high off of tobacco. You do not lose self control through tobacco use.

 

[Paleocon]

I’m sorry if this may come off a little too critical but as a Catholic and a believer I believe God is Love and truth but I am always struck by how evangelical factions with their pro death penalty positions are always trying to worm their way into the Catholic demographic. Why? I will tell you why: To consolidate the voters to one body of right wing voters. We are on the same page on almost every issue except this one. And I see the same old arguments based on Old Testament dogmas that completely negate the spirit and teaching of our Lord. Remember the Stoning of the Adulterous? The Old Testament law stated she was to be put to death but the lord of the Sabbath had a different opinion and intervened. Let’s leave it alone.

So what is first degree murder? Firstly, it’s premeditated. So let’s lift up Truth and look at this issue called murder that deserves capital punishment.

Philip Morris industries and their 70 plus brands of cigarettes are sold throughout the world. US government statistics state that over 400,000 deaths per year in the US alone are attributed to smoking, which is an addiction also recognized as the number one contributor to disease. It is the primary contributor because the impact of smoking addiction has created at least these scourges to human health: genetic damage by the many cancers it causes; heart, lung and stroke disease; flawed pregnancies; and a major contributing factor for alcoholism and drug addiction.

This industry is pro death on every level, and every year its CEO writes to the shareholder to show how their industry is profiting. This is murder in the first degree, whether you like to recognize it or not. It’s murder according to government statistics and according to the spirit of Truth in light of the 2nd commandment, which is to love our neighbour not to target children into full time addiction.

So, whether you’re a corporation or some drunken teenager that had easy access to a weapon, premeditated murder is a capital crime. But in my opinion the CEO, who is paid to undermine the community and to continue a viscous agenda toward the very nation of which his is a part, is much closer to hell than some socially dysfunctional person who more than likely was unstable in the first place.

Every time you breath you move closer to death. So clearly breathing is a mortal sin.

(absurd logic)

 

[NoMondays]

Perhaps because people do not cause harm to others through smoking.

No one gets high off of tobacco. You do not lose self control through tobacco use.

People DO cause harm through smoking. It’s called second hand smoke. When we used to have smoking and non smoking sections of restaurants I would get sick to my stomach from breathing in all the smoke in the non smoking section. The smoke would be everywhere and of course there is no such thing as a non smoking section when one section is smoking.

There have also been countless studies on the danger of second hand smoke.