La Pena de Muerte

The following is a portion of an email I recently sent to a friend after he addressed an article I posted to Facebook. The article was about Connecticut's recent abolition of the death penalty, to which I posted the tag: "You go, Connecticut!" I truly appreciate my friend's response and the conversation that has begun. So here's my take, largely inspired by the writings of my favorite modern-day prophet, Shane Claiborne (Gotta give credit where credit is due.):

With respect to the "eye for an eye" topic, such instructions given in the Hebrew scriptures were intended to limit retaliation, not encourage it. If someone poked your eye out, you could not then poke out both of his eyes. Or if someone broke your arm, you could not then break his arm and his leg. And then Jesus came along and turned even that upside down. In short, "turning the other cheek" was a means by which the persecuted could nonviolently demand equality.

But with respect to the death penalty/capital punishment and, along the same line, prisons...

I believe that God desires more than punitive justice. If we are called, as His people, to bring His kingdom to earth, then what place do prisons and the death penalty have? The U.S. has the largest prison-industrial complex in the history of civilization. In some ways, imprisonment is an alternative form of slavery: corporations can hire inmates and pay them less than minimum wage, all the while denying them the chance to experience redemption. Is this what the Kingdom of God looks like? 

But beyond that... If we seek to follow Jesus, how can we rejoice in (or advocate for) the death of anyone? 

It is a common attitude to think "Well, what about people who will never repent or have committed the most heinous crimes?" To that I would say "Are we saying that some people are beyond redemption? And if some people are beyond redemption, then what does that say about grace, reconciliation, and the power of Christ?" Much of the Bible was written by murderers who were given a second chance (David, Paul). Redemptive violence is a lie.

Jesus was directly questioned regarding the death penalty when He encountered a crowd ready to stone an adulterous woman. True: her crime was capital, and her execution was legal. But just because something is legal does not make it right.  

The early Christians were characterized by nonviolence; but that changed under Constantine. And that period gave rise to the violent military complex that dominates today and that is largely supported by professing Christians. How horribly ironic that we drop bombs and ignite electric chairs paid for with money that says "In God We Trust"! To those who see such contradictions, especially those who do not follow Christ, I wish we could say "This is not my Jesus."

Honestly, I used to support the death penalty...along with the military, exploitative economic policies, and some other things I no longer condone. These convictions are relatively new for me, but I hold them deeply. 

The crux of the matter

I do not align with any particular political party. And I honestly don't care that much about protecting the environment (Maybe that's awful.). But I can get really feisty over some issues (Commercial Sexual Exploitation; Human Trafficking; Israel's Occupation of Palestine; and the Military, in that I don't support it).

Sometimes what stokes my fire is not the issue itself but rather the widespread ignorance of such issues. I pride myself on being an informed citizen, and I have little-if any-patience with people who neglect to be informed or care about anything beyond their personal lives. No one can claim that it is too difficult to be informed. Up-to-date, legitimate news sources abound, and the invention of the smart phone enables people to quite literally carry around a computer with them at all times. 

This rant was spawned by a recent article about the prostitution scandal in Colombia involving U.S. Secret Service agents and military personnel (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/04/20124174301070708.html). Upon revelation of the scandal, Representative Collins (R-Maine) expressed concern that the women in question might have been drug traffickers or spies who could have planted bugs. What an absurdity! She (and all of us) should be concerned that the women are likely victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution! She needs get a clue!

It is right that many have expressed outrage over the incident. But why should anyone be surprised about such actions committed by members of a society as sick as the military?

I do not write this to be callous or rude, but I do not care if any of the words in this post offend anyone. We all need to do a better job at recognizing that many of today's "issues" and hot topics are really not that important and that things important to the Lord and His will are often neglected. The possibility that Secret Service agents could have been bugged is not important. What is important is the fact that 27 million people in the world today are slaves and that our lifestyles and fucked-up priorities allow such atrocities to continue.