Death Penalty

[Marsha Gupton]

I'm not sure really how I feel about this.

In Tennessee tonight there is a man awaiting execution. Several years ago, this man on a sunday morning killed some teenagers that were working early. One of the teens was a teen from the teen group at Donelson Church of the Nazarene.

This man then killed some employees at a Taco Bell. One employee who he thought was dead actually was not and recovered.

Then he killed a couple of girls at a Baskin Robbins in Clarksville, TN

He received seven death penalty charges.

The courts have given him a stay of execution awaiting an analysis to see if he is competent.

Now the state court has filed a motion with the US Supreme Court to lift the stay of execution.

Another man here in TN was executed by lethal injection last night.

UPDATE: The supreme court has denied the state's motion to lift the stay of execution.


Opinions?

[Sara Sheppard]

I remember that day vividly Marsha. I actually drove by that very restaurant on Lebanon Road before the bodies have been found. When I drove by, on my way to church, it looked like any other day at Captain D's. By the time church was over, we all knew otherwise.

I personally do believe in the death penalty. I think unless new evidence has been found, they should allow the law to unfold....

It was a scary time in Nashville. A new murder every few weeks. :(

Have you ever driven by the Donelson Church of the Nazarene in the last few years. The new stained glass mirrors there are in memory of the teen from that church and they are lovely.

Sara

[Andrea Larabee]

I am undecided about the death penalty. Part of me agrees with it and part of me does not. I have never been able to find a flat out/black & white Biblical answer about it.

One thing is for sure. When they do executions here in south Texas, the crime rates drop TREMENDOUSLY for 3 or 4 weeks.

[Wilson L. Deaton]

Opinions?

Since you asked:

I'm against the death penalty under any circumstances.

I certainly believe society must be protected. Life without parole (if actually implemented) can handle that.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "... you can murder a murderer but you can't murder murder. ... Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that."

Wilson

[Marsha Gupton]

During this time in Nashville history when these murders took place and by the way for a while it was happening every week if my memory serves me correctly. Anyway, at the time I was working a part time job after work at a christian bookstore. I was the only employee working in the store at night. My friend, Sherrie and I tried to get the manager to hire someone else to help at night because we were afraid, but he would not. I ended up quitting because working two jobs became too stressful for me and I ended up with esopghugus (sp?) problems.

This was a frightening time in our history.

I generally do not believe in the death penalty. Last night's execution was the first in TN in 43 years I think I read.

The news report says that this man now has "spirtual advisors" speaking with him tonight.

[Billie Goodson]

I used to be a pro-death penalty person. However, I have since changed my position. I do not feel that it is within our "rights" to ever put an end to a life. I can go through all the arguments -- some can manage to rationalize it in their minds -- yet, I have come to the personal resolution that the decision to end life is in the hand of God alone. Man, under no circumstances should usurp the authority of God. I fall to that position in the case of abortion as well. God, and God alone should decide life/death.

[Marsha Gupton]

I should have added in my later reply that I do hope that the spiritual advisors that are speaking with this man tonight may be good christian men and/or women who will share the love of Jesus with him.

[Barbara Moulton]

Even if I believe that some people deserve to die for their crimes (I am still working that one out) I can never be pro death penalty unless the system can sure total equity for all people accused of murder. That is, that they all have access to the same legal representation, the same money for expert witnesses and that all accused are able to be judged by a truly impartial jury.

Since those things don't happen and probably will never happen, I simply can't be for the death penalty.

[Sara Mind]

I did some research a few years back about the death penalty and found that it is more expensive to kill someone on death row then it would be to keep them in prison for life. Our justice system has work to do in my opinion. I was watching this documentary about a prison in California that was allowing its prisoners to have a baseball game. One of the men in jail was in there for stealing $40. He was in there for 50 years. California has the 3 strikes your out rule and he had been caught stealing in the past, petty theft. Here is my biggest problem with that, a child molester can get away with that maybe a few years, but that man is in prison for 50. But in the end only God can pass judgment.

[Billy Cox]

I am undecided about the death penalty. Part of me agrees with it and part of me does not. I have never been able to find a flat out/black & white Biblical answer about it.

One thing is for sure. When they do executions here in south Texas, the crime rates drop TREMENDOUSLY for 3 or 4 weeks.

Can you document that crime rate statistic? By that logic, Texas should have the lowest crime rate in the nation, because it executes far more people than any other state.

[Billy Cox]

I used to be a pro-death penalty person. However, I have since changed my position. I do not feel that it is within our "rights" to ever put an end to a life. I can go through all the arguments -- some can manage to rationalize it in their minds -- yet, I have come to the personal resolution that the decision to end life is in the hand of God alone. Man, under no circumstances should usurp the authority of God. I fall to that position in the case of abortion as well. God, and God alone should decide life/death.

If the authority over life and death belongs only to God, then would you agree that we should not artificially prolong the biological processes of someone who is brain dead?

[Glenn Harris]

I'm in the catagory of those that "in theory" agree with the death penalty, but "in reality" find no way to justify it in my mind because of the nature of our courts and our penal systems. When someone can convince me of something other than the fact that, except for those few people who involve themselves in "celebrity crimes" or those that commit such heinous crimes as to make them "celebrity crimes" the chances of getting the death penalty is directly determined, not by the strength of the case, but by the ability to pay for a high profile attorney, then I'd be more willing to go back to a pro-death penalty stance. I firmly believe that there are some people that society as a whole would benefit from their being removed from the planet, but unfortunately, most death row inmates are made of of poor, ignorant or minority (or all three) people who couldn't afford to pay for Galagos or Cochran. I realize that opposition to the death penalty means "everyone" not just the ones that weren't "that" bad, but in some instances, life in prison can be worse. Now lets just figure out how to work on the prison system. (-:

Glenn

[Barbara Moulton]

What he said.

We don't have the death penalty in any part of Canada. That's the way it will remain I hope.

I'm in the catagory of those that "in theory" agree with the death penalty, but "in reality" find no way to justify it in my mind because of the nature of our courts and our penal systems. When someone can convince me that, except for those few people who involve themselves in "celebrity crimes" or those that commit such heinous crimes as to make them "celebrity crimes" the chances of getting the death penalty is directly determined, not by the strength of the case, but by the ability to pay for a high profile attorney, then I'd be more willing to go back to a pro-death penalty stance. I firmly believe that there are some people that society as a whole would benefit from their being removed from the planet, but unfortunately, most death row inmates are made of of poor, ignorant or minority (or all three) people who couldn't afford to pay for Galagos or Cochran. I realize that opposition to the death penalty means "everyone" not just the ones that weren't "that" bad, but in some instances, life in prison can be worse. Now lets just figure out how to work on the prison system. (-:

Glenn

[Bruce Carriker]

I am now opposed to all capital punishment on Christian grounds. I don't think Jesus would execute anybody.

But even before I was opposed to it morally, I was opposed to it as practiced. There is substantial evidence - to include confessions of the real killers later - that we have executed innocent men (no innocent women to date that I'm aware of). As long as there was any chance that the jury might have got it wrong, I didn't believe we should execute anyone. And there's ALWAYS a chance that the jury got it wrong.

My position then was that I'd rather execute no one at all, rather than risk executing someone who was innocent. Now my position is simply that Jesus wouldn't do it, so neither should we.

[Billie Goodson]

If the authority over life and death belongs only to God, then would you agree that we should not artificially prolong the biological processes of someone who is brain dead?

I would be in agreement with that position Billy. I found myself in an interesting position because of this stance. During the Terri Shiavo tragedy, many in our church were taking the stand that prolonging the functioning of her body was the only Christian thing to do. It taught me alot about how some people can claim they clearly hear God's voice in an issue, and are amazed at the apostasy of someone that disagrees with their position.

[Stan Hall]

I am divided on this issue. The claim that life without parole is sufficient to protect society is not valid. Can we guarantee that the person can never be pardoned? That he can never escape. These things do happen and murderers do get back on the streets.
On the other hand, courts, judges and juries do make mistakes. Innocent people have been executed. I think the death penalty might be appropriate in cases where there is extrememly clear evidence of guilt, like multiple eyewitnesses, a confession, a photographic record. Short of any such evidence, the death penalty should certainly be precluded.

Incidentally, I have a problem with the "innocent be reason of insanity" plea. Innocent means the person did not commit the act. The fact that a person my be insane or not mentally competent does not mean that they didn't commit the crime. Lack of mental competence or insanity should be a mitigating factor but not justification to falsify what actually took place. "Guilty but insane" would claim the mitigation without pretending that the crime didn't happen.
Just my 2�¢ worth.