Maybe I used too many monkeys

[cyrano]

While I'm thinking about it.
So there's a man in prison right now, sentenced to death. And, like many people sentenced to death, he has Found Jesus and Become a Better Person. And is asking not to be killed since he has Found Jesus.
I am opposed to the death penalty. This has no bearing upon my question.
Which is this: If somebody had Found Jesus, then wouldn't they (thinking that killing a person is a Bad Thing) feel that they deserved to be punished for it? And with the Bible calling for an eye for an eye, wouldn't they think that punishment should be death?

This doesn't confuse me as much as the question about people who want to charge doctors who perform abortions with murder but not the women who request the service. But it confuses me.

Comments

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

You've hit the nail on the head, here - it's funny how being convicted to death row seems to create an inevitable change of heart wherein the convicted suddenly espouses all philosophies that might make people go squishy and want to believe that he is OMG SAVED.

I'm sure some people on death row do suffer changes of heart. Staring your own mortality in the face has a wonderful knack for causing those. I'm also sure that there's yet to be one who announces "wow, I should die for what I did," without the ulterior motive of hoping that if they said that, the people might decide that obviously they were now entirely changed and couldn't possibly deserve execution. The whole thing is hypocrisy incarnate, as far as I'm concerned - have we ever heard of a campaign to get someone off death row because they'd suddenly seen the light and become a devout Hindu/Buddhist/Muslim/any other religion than Christianity?

...But, then, I'm a horrible, cynical heathen.

As for the abortion issue, the theory might be that while each woman only kills one baby, the doctors are killing lots. Besides, it'd be a lot of work to hunt down all the women from all different walks of life who have abortions, and people would probably get angry.

[cerulean-me.livejournal.com]

I'm all for a well executed (haha!) death penalty... but uh, yeah... back to your question.

As a former Christian, I've always wondered why Christians are opposed to executing repentent death row inmates, and arbotion. They're all going to be with God, we should all be so lucky!

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten to mention that aspect.

[cerulean-me.livejournal.com]

It's an important aspect of the issue.

[leighjen.livejournal.com]

In some sects of Christianity, you have to be baptized to be saved. So if a child dies without being baptized, they could go to Hell. I am not trying to make a point, just tossing it out there.

And know you know, and knowledge is a tasty deal.

[cerulean-me.livejournal.com]

I know of people that have been baptized on death row...

In the 90s Pope JP2 decided that dead infants in Africa were in heaven. Stillborn and miscarried babies go to heaven too. I'm guessing any church that took the position that babies that die in utero are hellbound would catch a lot of flack.

[mnarra.livejournal.com]

If somebody had Found Jesus, then wouldn't they (thinking that killing a person is a Bad Thing) feel that they deserved to be punished for it?

Christers, in theory believe in mercy, not justice. And, all it takes to get the mercy is asking for it with an honest heart, give or take.

Then there's Christ's "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone," and Ghandi's "Hate the sin, love the sinner," a nice Christer doctrine from a non-Christer. So. Nope, it's just dandy for Mr. Motherfucking Serial Killer to decide that, having asked forgiveness, he is a different person and can reasonably be trusted to go through life without transgressing again.

There is, however, no exhortation to hold retribution on Motherfucking Serial Killers in general, and if Jesus popped in and pointed out to me that I should wait to be without sin before I cast the first stone, I'd note that 1) I am without the sin of Motherfucking Serial Killing, and 2) He was originally talking about lesser issues involving consensual sex outside of marriage, not murder.

Which is not to say that I'd throw the switch (or drop the pills in the bucket, set loose the topless women to smother him, or whatever) myself. I believe in Human Fallibility far too thoroughly to chance actions with that kind of finality.

[eyelessgame.livejournal.com]

Finding Jesus has, in my experience with those who say they have, less commonality to it than you'd think. For one thing, Jesus was definitely not about an eye for an eye; he specifically replaced that with 'turn the other cheek' -- but there's a lot of people who find Jesus but still can't quote much of his work.

So I think it's a mistake to think all Christians are the same, even all newly-minted Christians. Probably some death-row inmates do find Jesus, do think as you suggest, and go quietly to their deaths without making a fuss.

But to a lot of other people, finding Jesus is about wiping your slate clean, being forgiven for your sins, and feeling a calling to do something with your life. Some of those who beg for leniency may feel they honestly need to go out and make amends, say by preventing other murders, or making more people into the sort of Christian that discourages murder, or something like that.

Honest religious conversion is (imho) a personal thing. It's not a love-big-brother we-are-all-one mind control.

And of course some of them are likely to be plain opportunists, which should deeply shock you.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Well spoken. Thank you.