What do you say to a friend that wants someone to die?

[abb]

I have a Catholic friend that that I asked the other day about Saddam and what they thought about it. They said that they wanted him to die because he would only grow stronger the more and more time he spent in jail, the more followers he would gather up. I didn’t know what to say, I tried mentioning that he would suffer more if he was sentenced to a lifetime in jail, but they came back with that remark about more followers and thus more people dying. So anyone have something I can try to use with them to change their mind? It’s hard with someone like Saddam who has done so much wrong in the world, you know?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[Della]

I don’t think you need to change his/her mind. What s/he has to say about Saddam and his influence is perfectly possible. It doesn’t seem to me that your friend has any blood lust for Saddam, but is rationally laying out why Iraq and the Iraqi people would be better without him. While we are not to desire the death of any man, we can see how the execution of such a man will benefit his people and the world.

 

[dafalax]

The Church teaches that society has an obligation to protect itself from unjust aggressors. Most murderers can be contained in prison for life and society remains protected. When there is a political bent, however, sometimes they can remain a threat. I would not take a chance with someone who had committed genocide on Saddam’s scale while he has followers in the country where he would undoubtedly be imprisoned for life. Now, the fact that people are lining up for the job of hangman is a little discouraging in the way of Christian forgiveness, but on the bright side, i don’t think most of them are Christian anyway.
It’s a shame that people are so untrustworthy that we can’t lock them up and let them repent for the rest of their lives.

 

[gilliam]

From the Catholic Catechism:

**2267 **Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

 

[wjp984]

so it is quite possible that it would be morally permissable to execute Sadaam granted the possibility that he can still kill from jail through his power and influences with those outside of jail.

 

[IanBoyd57]

I have a Catholic friend that that I asked the other day about Saddam and what they thought about it. They said that they wanted him to die because he would only grow stronger the more and more time he spent in jail, the more followers he would gather up. I didn’t know what to say, I tried mentioning that he would suffer more if he was sentenced to a lifetime in jail, but they came back with that remark about more followers and thus more people dying. So anyone have something I can try to use with them to change their mind? It’s hard with someone like Saddam who has done so much wrong in the world, you know?

Thanks
Andrew

Why would making him suffer more be a good argument? Is torture morally correct? What are you talking about? An eye for an eye makes the whole world bump into ****.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

In the 1980’s the U.S. invaded Panama and arrested their leader who is still in jail. He is not strong any longer. Shortly after the 1994 World Trade Center bombing, the U.S. arrested Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahmanshiek he lived the rest of his life in prison. He claimed to lead violence against the U.S. but he could gain not strength in jail ether. In 1991 the U.S. invaded Iraq, facing a similar scenario the Present chose to weaken the Iraq president but leave him in charge. Unfortunately they allowed him to retain too much power however the U.S. President made a good decision, because it reduced the U.S. presents. My understanding is about 250 American solders were killed from start to finish in 1991. Today more than ten times as many Americans have died in Iraq, and we are not finished.

Bottom line killing escalates killing, fair trials and an appropriate punishment escalates fair trials and an appropriate punishments. Second it is what you do when you face people you dislike that displays your real beliefs.

Hope that helps