Why not?
I tend to think of the UK as a more liberal country than the US.
Don’t worry, if that had been one of my sons they had murdered, I’d probably pay them for the opportunity to do it myself.
I’d like to weigh in on the side of someone who actually has children that I love beyond life itself.
Let me just say, this is my personal opinion on the matter. I do not pretend to project my personal feelings or opinions on anyone else. IMHO, things like death penalty, abortion, et al. are arguments that will never be debated with any degree of rationality by anyone. Rationality gets lost once the debate becomes heated.
The topics are much too emotional.
I have children, and I can feel for the parents of that murdered boy in a major way.
Those without children, or perhaps those with a more rational temperament than my own, are entitled to think the way they want to.
And I do believe that there are totally evil human beings out there who will never be redeemed. But that’s my personal belief, as I have already stated.
Mary
Being liberal means that people should be free to decide their own way of life without unecessary impairment from any quarter.
Allowing those that kill to continue to live in our societies whether in prison, or elsewhere, is not conducive with liberalism in my opinion.
Even in prison, these people cost society a great deal of money and expense and it is unfair that people who have shown no respect whatsoever for human life to continue to burden lives in anyway.
The compassionate thing to do is to teach these people what being killed means. So that when they are reborn they understand the implications of their actions.
I suppose it all depends on your metaphysical point of view.
I wonder how many of our friends here who are pro-death penalty have family members who or know anybody who is or has been on death row or has committed violent crimes?
I do. And it does affect a person’s view on the entire death penalty/punishment issue. It takes it out of a hypothetical, abstract realm and into your own back yard, family, house, and living room. One begins to see even though the crimes committed are terrifyingly vile in many respects, people are still people and deserve basic kindness and decency that many times we don’t even give ourselves.
You’re right, TooTs, that in some sense this is a metaphysical/religious discussion, though. I think that’s too often overlooked or assumed.
If it were my child who was murdered i would expect the killer to die.
If my child murdered then i would expect them to die.
P.S. yes, i have two children.
I have no children.
If my mother were murdered, I would not want her killer to be put to death.
If my mother murdered someone, I would not want her put to death.
If I were murdered I would not want my killer put to death (and I have made this clear to my family).
If I murdered, I would not want to be put to death.
Life is precious. It should not be taken either by individuals doing it illegally or by governments doing it legally. It’s just as evil either way.
‘Expect’ is different from ‘want’, though, TooTs. Could you substitute the word ‘want’ in your above statements?
If one of my children were murdered i would want their killer to die.
If one of my children murdered i would want them to die.
I am not a christian. I am Pagan and believe that the only way a spirit can learn is to receive the direct experience itself. A spirit that has had very little experience of human life will not understand the value we place upon it, or what it means to have that life abruptly ended by others. Especially if that spirit has been a predatory animal in most of its past lives. In order that the spirit learns it must receive the death itself, only then will it understand and in future human lives will it respect other human life.
This is my compassion.
This link is at the bottom of the C&F Index page, for those interested who didn’t know:
THis is an assumption that might not work out. Would you deny someone the chance to feel remorse and live a good life, and maybe actually help somebody? I’m not talking about “in society,” but anywhere.
They denied someone the life he should have had.
Why don’t you argue for the victim?
He’s dead. No life left at all. Stolen away by these sick and twisted minds who plotted to cause as much suffering as possible to this individual. They offered him no chance of remission or remorse or forgiveness. They gave their victim nothing but fear and pain and horrendous suffering! Hacked down defenceless by a bunch of sickos with scythes. They deserve nothing but the same!
Because in this case there’s very little point–the victim is dead. What good can arguing for him do?
Now, I wish he had lived. I wish life wasn’t treated so carelessly in this case or constantly, but it was and is. There’s no changing that. The only thing we can change is people’s understand of the value of human life.
For you to be so angry about the death of this child, you don’t seem to place much value on the others’ lives. “Give them death!” you say. It doesn’t seem too consistant to me. I say that all of their lives are valuable.
They deserve nothing but the same!
As human beings they all deserve the same that he did: kindness, love, and appropriate justice, not torture and/or death.
I hear the term “culture of death,” occasionally used to describe modern society. The other day, there was a news article about a religious sect that venerates “St. Death,” the grim reaper (personified, as I understand it, as a female). The controversy is whether they should be permitted to retain their charter as a religious denomination.
I don’t think that literal, physical death is the answer to mankind’s problems. We see assisted suicide, mercy killings, etc. being increasingly advocated, but, ultimately, it is, as was written, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Men may think that by destroying lives they will bring about a better world, but I don’t think so.
I tell you what Cranberry
Why not just let everyone go around killing people. Let’s scrap all the laws, scrap all justice and just turn the other cheek and be done with it.
Oh, it’s ok, he said he’s sorry and it won’t happen again. Next victim please!!!
I don’t know how many times I’ve said it it or how many times I may have to, but I will say it again: I am not advocating a lawless society or not properly punishing criminals. These kids should be punished. They should be put in prison or another equally severe kind of institution appropriate for their ages and then moved to prison when they’re deemed to be old enough to stand it. They should not, though, be tortured or killed.
I’m not saying that the murder they committed wasn’t evil, vile, disgusting, and horrible. It was all of those things and more.
These people, though, are still people and deserve respect in as much as it can be given them, and human decency. All people deserve that. Take it away from one of us and you take it away from all of us. By treating them the way you would like, TooTs, we would be denying their humanity, which is exactly what they did to their victim.
More fire does not extinguish. It only burns a house faster.
Personally, I don’t think any system of law should have the power to put its citizens to death.
There were quite a few Irish prisoners who had people baying for their blood; They were proved innocent.
Mukade
So how does the law tell people that killing is wrong? By killing people. (Victor Hugo)
Mukade
It’s so true. 
Cran, I wanted to say that even though we don’t always agree, I found this post of yours to be quite good.
I don’t find anything in this post to disagree with. In fact, I consider it rather well written.
Best wishes,
–James