Tag: Crime and Punishment

Ohio bishops and death penalty

Christianity
Comments

Sometime back California bishops had opposed death penalty. Now Ohio bishops oppose death penalty.

Do Ohio bishops want Ohio to end up like Mexico? Why bishops ignore the dangers of not having death penalty? The bishops have eyes but they do not see. They have ears but do not hear. Death penalty is according to the tradition of the church. Christianity is not opposed to death penalty.

Pope Benedict XVI may be opposed to death penalty but sometimes popes have been wrong. One pope was declared a heretic in 681.

Justice is a virtue. Justice demands suitable punishment for crimes. In some cases it is death penalty.

Prudence is a virtue. Allowing dangerous criminals to live is not prudent.

The church is opposed to abortion. Ohio bishops can direct their zeal and energy to have a legislation that will punish parents and doctors who abort foetuses who have resulted from marital acts and there is no danger to mother’s life. There is excommunication for abortion but that has not been effective. Prayers and vigils in defence of unborn are not enough.

The bishops can also try for gun control in USA. They can ask for repeal of second amendment. That will make it hard to own guns and reduce murders. In USA it is easy to buy guns in spite of several checks and then go and shoot anyone anywhere. There are vested interests who oppose gun control. What are bishops for if they can not take on vested interests?

California bishops and death penalty

America, Christianity
Comments

California bishops are opposed to death penalty. They think life imprisonment without parole is an alternative to death penalty. They are wrong.

California bishops should look at Mexico and how things have gone wrong after Mexico stopped death penalty. Murders have shot up. Lives of ordinary people are not safe. Even lives of priests are not safe.

Christianity is not against death penalty. St. Thomas Aquinas justified death penalty. Jesus Christ was in favour of death penalty when he said if anyone causes little ones to sin a millstone shall be hung around his neck and he should be thrown into the sea. For a long time the church has put heretics to death.

What happens if a murderer escapes from prison and commits more murders?

It is better for California bishops to concentrate on the faithful instead of getting into matters of crime and punishment. More so the bishops should see that cases of child abuse do not happen and if anyone is found guilty he is not spared. The victims should not be bound by secrecy.

Death penalty has deterrent effect though those who oppose death penalty do not agree to that and come up with false statistics.

California bishops should also try for gun control in USA and repeal of the amendment that allows Americans to bear arms. That amendment may have been necessary in 1789 when USA did not have a strong army to defend itself but it is not necessary in 2010 when USA is a superpower. Vested interests like National Rifle Association oppose the repeal of amendment or gun control. If there is gun control the number of murders will come down drastically in USA. There are many shops on USA-Mexico borders that sell various weapons. California bishops will save many lives of innocent people if they try for gun control repeal of second amendment.

Wildfires destroy large parts of California every year. California bishops can have prayer services to deliver California from wildfires.

Marriage law in Nevada is a joke. One can get married one moment and next moment ask for divorce. California bishops can do something so that marriage in Nevada is taken seriously.