Bless you Father John, and bless your ministry. Showing mercy to those who do not “deserve” it, seeking redemption for persons who have committed terrible deeds and working for a society where every human life is considered sacred and protected is how we are called to follow Jesus Christ and proclaim his Gospel of life in these times and in this culture. I absolutely agree that if people were to actually see the conditions that prisoners on death row are subjected to, certainly that would sway the opinions of many capital punishment supporters. Most people don’t think about the mechanics of carrying out a death sentence and the horrors that entails. I respect that many good people will continue to believe that our society needs the death penalty to express its moral outrage and to punish those who commit the ultimate crime of taking human life. But I do not believe that executions serve to advance that message even in our secular society. Consider how violence has become an accepted part of American society and popular culture. There is not only the random violence we see every day in our communities. But we are also a society that permits our children to play video games that involve them “virtually” killing their enemies; much of our popular “entertainment” consists of movies and other programs that involve fictional characters committing heinous murders and other unspeakable acts. In this kind of society, executing criminals sends no moral signal. It is simply one more killing in a culture of death.
Chuck has an amazingly cheerful and positive attitude. He is smart and articulate. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He doesn’t let his current state overcome him. He is upbeat and friendly. While I’m sure there are many moments of sadness and deep sorrow regarding his circumstances he doesn’t allow those to define him. Especially significant because he spends so much time alone and confined to his cell. He has so little contact with other people. The conditions he is subjected to live under are inhumane. As you mentioned, Father John, many prisoners hasten their executions because the conditions are too awful to bear. It would be so easy to let despair take over, but Chuck keeps his mind active with reading and correspondence. He does not ask for pity or sympathy. He even manages to actively pursue changes for the reform of conditions on death row. His concern for his fellow inmates is admirable. I am honored to call him my friend and am much better for knowing him. Through my friendship with him I have learned much about conditions in prisons, things many people never think too much about. Most people would be appalled if they knew. Chuck keeps fighting the good fight though, bringing awareness and hopefully one day reform. I’ll keep helping him in that respect. I continue to pray for him.
While it's easy to understand why people would seek the harshest punishment possible after a terrible crime, studies cast doubt on whether harsh punishment in general, and capital punishment in particular, actually brings the relief and peace of mind the victims deserve. Contrarily, punishing the offender actually made them feel worse, because meting out a punishment caused them to think about the offender more and dwell on the negative incident. Many of the friends and family members of victims cited lengthy appeals processes as a barrier to their recovery. They’re trying to move on with their life, but keep being dragged back into it and reliving the crime over and over again.
There’s many reasons to abolish Capital Punishment and not much to gain from continuing the barbaric practice....
This thread has wandered off from the subject of capital punishment. This is Chuck’s blog and the issue he’s concerned with at the moment is State sanctioned murder. The death sentence says some people are beyond redemption, beyond second chances, beyond being allowed to live in society. I disagree. People deserve second chances. Many people are on death row and in prisons because they never got any first chances. Poverty, racism, neglect, violence, substance abuse; drugs and alcohol along with mental illness are all issues impacting who becomes a “criminal.” I’m not referring to just the offender, but also their parents or caregivers and the environments the offenders were exposed to in their formative years.
Countless prisoners have transformed their lives, in spite of the horrific conditions behind prison bars that they are forced to endure. Executing those individuals or condemning them to die in prison denies their ability to fully participate and contribute in society. We persist in our delusional thinking about retributive punishment, character, and ethics. We forget why we condemn murder in the first place — its incredible and horrible finality, its absolute denial of any and all ability to learn and grow. This rebuff of human potentiality confuses justice for vengeance. The death penalty is about many things — retribution, punishment, anger, a misguided desire for some illusory “cosmic balancing” of the scales of justice. Yet it is most about imagination. Because even though society takes solace in a belief that the people we legally murder deserve death because they once caused it, this rationale lies in the realm of fiction, not reality. Because people change.
Each of us is called to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Even when people deny the dignity of others, we must still recognize that their dignity is a gift from God and is not something that is earned or lost through their behavior. Respect for life applies to all, even the perpetrators of terrible acts. Punishment should be consistent with the demands of justice and with respect for human life and dignity. —The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
When the state, in our names and with our taxes, ends a human life despite having non-lethal alternatives, it suggests that society can overcome violence with violence. The use of the death penalty ought to be abandoned not only for what it does to those who are executed, but for what it does to all of society. —The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
The verdict of death undoubtedly a difficult decision for the jury, it hopes to give the survivors relief and closure as well as the ability to move forward. Most everyone wants this to be true: We hope that the survivors and families of those murdered can find some relief from their anguish.
The reason why a person would remain a part of the Catholic Church is as Father John stated; Furthering Christ’s work. Blame has been misplaced. If a Bishop, Priest, religious or layman fails to live up to the standards he is preaching, the blame lies with him and not with the message he preaches. His actions say much about himself but not about the teachings of Christ. Jesus certainly practiced what he preached, but if someone else preaches Jesus message exactly the same but does not practice it perfectly, it is not logical to conclude that the message of Jesus must be flawed. By way of analogy, if it were proven that Albert Einstein was a child molester, that would not disprove the theory of relativity. A system should not be judged by its worst adherents but by its best, those who actually live up to its standards. Judge the Catholic Church by its saints, not by its hypocrites.
Even among the Apostles was Judas, a traitor. We wouldn't leave Jesus because of Judas. So we keep the faith and defend Jesus's Church, because the actions of those who do not keep the Church's teachings do not define us. For every Judas, there are eleven good Apostles. If being hurt by the Church causes you to lose your faith in God, then your faith was in people and not in God.
If the justification to abortion is purely financial and if the mother has older children, why not kill them instead? The older children require more and are more expensive than the baby. The mother will save more money killing the older children rather than the unborn child and she will have more time to become financially stable. Of course, that argument sounds ludicrous, we do not eliminate children because we cannot afford them or provide them with material things.
It’s been awhile since I’ve looked at this site. There’s been some interesting commentary! Like Father John, I would like to address the “Catholicism largely has been a tremendous cover up for child predators” comment.
First; The Catholic Church does not have a monopoly on child abuse. Most child abusers have one thing in common, and it's not piety—it's preexisting relationships with their victims. That includes priests and ministers and rabbis, of course, but also family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, scout leaders, youth-group volunteers, and doctors. Three quarters of abuse occurs at the hands of family members or others in the victim's "circle of trust." The overwhelming evidence is that those who abuse children seek out situations where they have easy and legitimate access to children.
One reason we hear so much more about Catholic abuse than transgressions in other religions and secular organizations: its sheer size. It's the second largest single denomination in the world (behind Islam) and the biggest in the United States. When you consider the per capita data, There isn’t a larger incidence than other faiths, and certainly not more than secular abusers.
Second; The Catholic Church is the worlds oldest and longest lasting organization. Every single day the Catholic Church feeds, houses, and clothes more people, takes care of more sick people, visits more prisoners, and educates more people than any other institution on the face of the earth could ever hope to do. The very essence of health care and caring for the sick emerged through the Church, through the religious orders, in direct response to the value and dignity that the Gospel assigns to each and every human life.
In the United States alone the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students every day. The Catholic education system alone saves American taxpayers eighteen billion dollars a year.
This year Catholic Charities will provide millions of free meals to the hungry and the needy. We don’t ask them if they are Catholic — we just ask them if they are hungry. Catholic contribution on a local, national and global scale remains unsurpassed.
Of the world religions it encompasses by far the largest portion with 1.2 billion Catholics. It is the foundation for every form of Christianity that has come since.
RSS
Consider how violence has become an accepted part of American society and popular culture. There is not only the random violence we see every day in our communities. But we are also a society that permits our children to play video games that involve them “virtually” killing their enemies; much of our popular “entertainment” consists of movies and other programs that involve fictional characters committing heinous murders and other unspeakable acts. In this kind of society, executing criminals sends no moral signal. It is simply one more killing in a culture of death.
Chuck has an amazingly cheerful and positive attitude. He is smart and articulate. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He doesn’t let his current state overcome him. He is upbeat and friendly. While I’m sure there are many moments of sadness and deep sorrow regarding his circumstances he doesn’t allow those to define him. Especially significant because he spends so much time alone and confined to his cell. He has so little contact with other people. The conditions he is subjected to live under are inhumane. As you mentioned, Father John, many prisoners hasten their executions because the conditions are too awful to bear.
It would be so easy to let despair take over, but Chuck keeps his mind active with reading and correspondence. He does not ask for pity or sympathy. He even manages to actively pursue changes for the reform of conditions on death row. His concern for his fellow inmates is admirable. I am honored to call him my friend and am much better for knowing him. Through my friendship with him I have learned much about conditions in prisons, things many people never think too much about. Most people would be appalled if they knew. Chuck keeps fighting the good fight though, bringing awareness and hopefully one day reform. I’ll keep helping him in that respect. I continue to pray for him.
There’s many reasons to abolish Capital Punishment and not much to gain from continuing the barbaric practice....
Countless prisoners have transformed their lives, in spite of the horrific conditions behind prison bars that they are forced to endure. Executing those individuals or condemning them to die in prison denies their ability to fully participate and contribute in society. We persist in our delusional thinking about retributive punishment, character, and ethics. We forget why we condemn murder in the first place — its incredible and horrible finality, its absolute denial of any and all ability to learn and grow. This rebuff of human potentiality confuses justice for vengeance. The death penalty is about many things — retribution, punishment, anger, a misguided desire for some illusory “cosmic balancing” of the scales of justice. Yet it is most about imagination. Because even though society takes solace in a belief that the people we legally murder deserve death because they once caused it, this rationale lies in the realm of fiction, not reality. Because people change.
Each of us is called to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Even when people deny the dignity of others, we must still recognize that their dignity is a gift from God and is not something that is earned or lost through their behavior. Respect for life applies to all, even the perpetrators of terrible acts. Punishment should be consistent with the demands of justice and with respect for human life and dignity.
—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
When the state, in our names and with our taxes, ends a human life despite having non-lethal alternatives, it suggests that society can overcome violence with violence. The use of the death penalty ought to be abandoned not only for what it does to those who are executed, but for what it does to all of society.
—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
The verdict of death undoubtedly a difficult decision for the jury, it hopes to give the survivors relief and closure as well as the ability to move forward. Most everyone wants this to be true: We hope that the survivors and families of those murdered can find some relief from their anguish.
Even among the Apostles was Judas, a traitor. We wouldn't leave Jesus because of Judas. So we keep the faith and defend Jesus's Church, because the actions of those who do not keep the Church's teachings do not define us. For every Judas, there are eleven good Apostles. If being hurt by the Church causes you to lose your faith in God, then your faith was in people and not in God.
If the justification to abortion is purely financial and if the mother has older children, why not kill them instead? The older children require more and are more expensive than the baby. The mother will save more money killing the older children rather than the unborn child and she will have more time to become financially stable. Of course, that argument sounds ludicrous, we do not eliminate children because we cannot afford them or provide them with material things.
First; The Catholic Church does not have a monopoly on child abuse. Most child abusers have one thing in common, and it's not piety—it's preexisting relationships with their victims. That includes priests and ministers and rabbis, of course, but also family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, scout leaders, youth-group volunteers, and doctors. Three quarters of abuse occurs at the hands of family members or others in the victim's "circle of trust." The overwhelming evidence is that those who abuse children seek out situations where they have easy and legitimate access to children.
One reason we hear so much more about Catholic abuse than transgressions in other religions and secular organizations: its sheer size. It's the second largest single denomination in the world (behind Islam) and the biggest in the United States. When you consider the per capita data, There isn’t a larger incidence than other faiths, and certainly not more than secular abusers.
Second; The Catholic Church is the worlds oldest and longest lasting organization. Every single day the Catholic Church feeds, houses, and clothes more people, takes care of more sick people, visits more prisoners, and educates more people than any other institution on the face of the earth could ever hope to do. The very essence of health care and caring for the sick emerged through the Church, through the religious orders, in direct response to the value and dignity that the Gospel assigns to each and every human life.
In the United States alone the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students every day. The Catholic education system alone saves American taxpayers eighteen billion dollars a year.
This year Catholic Charities will provide millions of free meals to the hungry and the needy. We don’t ask them if they are Catholic — we just ask them if they are hungry. Catholic contribution on a local, national and global scale remains unsurpassed.
Of the world religions it encompasses by far the largest portion with 1.2 billion Catholics. It is the foundation for every form of Christianity that has come since.
ml Erne