This is your place to publicly comment on the topics and issues addressed in Speaking of Faith programs. React in a personal way, and put into words what this program meant to you.
Submit Your Reflection about "Reflections on the Death Penalty in America."
The Backbone of the Death Penalty (April 26, 2005)
Thank you for your stories on this important subject. I am in my seventh year as a Catholic lay chaplain for Florida?s Death Row. Being amazed that capital punishment is our response to violent crime, I entered into dialogue with people of faith and researched our history with the death penalty to find out why we do this. I discovered that the backbone of support for the U.S. death penalty is religious, people of faith who erroneously believe that faithfulness to the Bible mandates support of the death penalty.
This parallels our history of erroneous use of the Bible to support slavery. In the 1800s Southern churches preached that abolitionists were infidels against God?s Word, that a plain reading of the biblical texts showed that God supported slavery. And the modern American death penalty is a Bible belt phenomenon. Approximately 87 percent of U.S. executions since 1976 have occurred in the Bible belt. 100 percent of those executed in the U.S. during this period for crimes committed as a juvenile were executed in the Bible belt.
The Bible belt consists of those states which are predominately Baptist, virtually identical with the states and territories that allowed legalized slavery before the Civil War. Yet, I had never seen any analysis of this phenomenon. That is why I compiled and wrote the recently published book, The Biblical Truth About America?s Death Penalty (Northeastern University Press 2004).
In order to move the support for America?s death penalty from 62 percent down to 40 percent we must educate people of faith to the truth about U.S. capital punishment, i.e., that it cannot be supported by the Bible and it cannot be ?fixed? in any way that will allow it to be supported by the Bible. We cannot hold the Bible in one hand and the lethal needle in the other. One of the two must go.
Thank you.
Dale S. Recinella
Macclenny, FL(Listens via Web Audio)
Listening to Debbie Morris, the Healer (April 23, 2005)
It took me a couple of weeks to stop and listen to this program. I knew I would be in for a ride! So I needed to take the time to listen. Although the issue is well-addressed throughout, I must say it is only through the hour-long interview with Debbie Morris offered on your site that "sense" went beyond facts and figures, extracts, and excerpts. Debbie Morris is a gracious and articulate individual totally significant in that debate. There are surely very few people in this world who could offer a reflection on the death penalty of such a scope. She is a healer of great proportion. Thank you very very much for this interview. I am grateful. My stance on death penalty has always been and surely will always be against. But Debbie Morris teaches us all a lesson in the way she has been deeply looking at the processes. We certainly need people like her in face of all the fanatics out there who's only argument seems either to simplistically raise the Bible on one side of the fence or be heart-bleeding on the other.
Marc Bedard
Notre Dame des Bois, Quebec (Listens via Web Audio)
An Eye Opener (April 23, 2005)
I am very pleased that I had the chance to listen to this program. This was an eye opener for me. It actually made me even more against the death penalty (something I have struggled with for many years). I am truly happy for Debbie Morris that she was able to find forgiveness after suffering such an unspeakable act. I know that her forgiveness came after the execution of her attacker and she was able to let go after a long period of time. I only wonder if she would have been able to find that forgiveness sooner if he had not been executed.
I would think that if you had the chance to profess your forgiveness to the condemned (even if the condemned doesn't want forgiveness), it would allow the
victim to reach peace more quickly. I think that by executing the condemned, we as a society are removing a big part of the healing process for the victim. I would also think that it could possibly cause the victim some guilty feelings because others (family members and loved ones of the condemned) become victims as well.
No punishment will take away what has been done to the victim, and I do feel that the death penalty is an easy way out for the condemned. The victim has to
go on living with what was done, long after the condemned is put to death and doesn't have to deal with it anymore. Would I still feel this way if my daughter was the victim? Most likely not, a person can't say unless they walk in those shoes. I applaud Debbie Morris for talking about this. BRAVO to her for getting the word out there, hopefully she will help someone else find forgiveness by her example.
Suzanne Tighe
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
Viewing Life in an Unselfish Manner (April 21, 2005)
One of my requirements for an undergraduate religion
course is to listen to your program regularly. Although,
I have not considered myself a very religious person
in the past, I have found your programs moving, especially
your most recent show on the death penalty. Being able
to forgive someone, like Debbie Morris was able to do,
I find respectable, and at the same time unfathomable.
Not only because of the horrific crime she suffered but
especially because she never heard the word
sorry from Robert Willie This has really opened my eyes
to the power that the word and teachings of God can have
on one another. Could you imagine if Morris, and people
in a similar situation, were not as forgiving what this
world would look like? I just find her simply amazing
for viewing her situation in such an unselfish manner.
Sister Helen Prejean made possibly one of the better statements that I have ever heard, when she said, "humans are more than the worst act of their lives." I think this statement is a fantastic motto to keep in mind, and I think it is essential for persons in Debbie Morris' position to perpetuate in order to obtain peace within themselves and within their lives. Thank you for a most interesting program.
Shannon Trumbore
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
"Saints are made by how they live, not how they die." (April 19, 2005)
I am writing to you on behalf of the German national Jens Soering, currently imprisoned at Brunswick Correctional Center in Lawrenceville, Virginia and serving a double life sentence for murder. He has proven himself to be, among other things, a prodigious writer, having begun his career with a recommendation by Father Thomas Keating of his first work, The Way of the Prisoner, Breaking the Chains of Self Through Centering Prayer and Centering Practice, to his own publisher, Lantern Book. Mr. Soering, who is 38 years old, has been incarcerated since 1986 and the facts of his case are chronicled in the midsection of his first book, but only inasmuch as they give background to his profound teaching on centering prayer. In reality the book has its practical application to any of us who are faced with the limitations placed on us by sickness, loss, thwarted desire, missed life goals, failure, and all the other unplanned contingencies which make up the very substance of life.
Against this backdrop of suffering, Mr. Soering has gone on to write a second book, a work on prison reform entitled, An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse, an Essay on Prison Reform from an Insider?s Perspective. Even a cursory glance will convince you of the authenticity of his message on the state of this country?s prisons; but just as compelling is this young man?s personal story and how it is that he came to be accused and convicted of such a heinous crime and to ?father? these beautifully crafted and diverse works, fruit of a profoundly changed, refined heart. After I read of him in the newsletter of the Church of the Saviour in Washington D.C. and began to correspond with him, a personal meeting with him followed soon after, convincing me I had struck a vein of gold in the spiritual sense.
Candace Miller
Church Falls, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)
A Pacifist POV (April 19, 2005)
I am a active pacifist; what puzzles me about this debate is that Jesus said to his followers: Matthew 5:38-39, "Ye have heard that it been said, an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you. That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn too him the other also." That message denies an eye for eye a tooth for a tooth. Fear not your enemy, confront them nonviolently, that's what Jesus Christ was all about. The death penalty should be a moot subject for Christians, yet it is not.
Imperial philosophy has replaced reason. Fear is the rationale that grips our elite psychic. The Judaic, Christian, Islamic, and other religions have failed to give meaning to our existence. Here is what this pacifist believes: life is god, god's power is within, nonviolence is the heart of truth, pretense is original sin, love is eternal. Understanding one's fears, hates, and doubts is the pathway to paradise.
Marvin Zalowitz
Sherman Oaks, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
Future Guest? (April 18, 2005)
Scott Langley is currently in Germany hosting a photography exhibit of his work about the death penalty. He is sponsored by Amnesty International. He and his wife have recently established a Catholic Worker Hospitality house in Raleigh, North Carolina for friends and family with loved ones on death row. They provide a home for these folks to sleep, eat, and fellowship.
Mary Langley
Gordon, TX (KETR, 88.9 FM)
A Family Listening Session (April 18, 2005)
The show that was broadcast last night featured the most thoughtful and compassionate dialogue on the death penalty that I have ever heard. Our entire family listened to it, including my 11-year-old son. I think it gave us a much more thorough understanding of both sides of the death penalty issue. Thank you for such a thought-provoking show.
Michael Gildea
Reston, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)
An Injust Presence on Death Row (April 18, 2005)
Many thanks for the excellent program on the death penalty last evening. I am very grateful for the witnessing of those who have found the grace to forgive and realize that this is the only way to peace. Putting a human face on death row prisoners is surely one of the best ways to show how killing them only makes us a more violent society and does not bring closure as some think it will.
I have the joy of corresponding with a man on death row in Jackson, Georgia, who has been unjustly accused of a triple murder and has been patiently waiting for 17 years to have his innocence proved. He has a wonderful lawyer, but the system is so corrupt that many attempts to get evidence are refused. We have trust in the
power of prayer because many hundreds of people are praying for the success of this case. Please join us. Despite the injustice of his presence on death row, he is being used as God's instrument to help others there.
Sister Mary Jude Jun, OSU
Frontenac, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
A Remarkable Person (April 17, 2005)
I was deeply moved by the compassion and depth of insights expressed by Debbie Morris into religion, human nature, and the very complex issue of the death penalty. What a thoughtful and articulate person she has become. One can only wonder if she would have become the extraordinary person she is today without Robert Willie. It is certainly a cause for hope that a person ensnared in Willie's tragic and depraved life could emerge a woman of such virtue.
Jonathan Wilson
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
The Morality of the Death Penalty (April 17, 2005)
I'm always glad when circumstances permit me to listen to Speaking of Faith, but there are specific programs that have been especially moving and valuable to me: the show dedicated to the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, in which a police officer talked about her experience of mindfulness and how this changed her way of looking at the people she encounters in her work; the interview with Joel Marcus (this show had particular resonance for me as the grandchild of Eastern European Jews, as one who had been named for a greatgrandmother killed in the Holocaust, and as a soul looking for a home when neither Judaism nor Christianity seemed the right "place"); and now today's program.
The strength and humanity that Debbie Morris found in wrestling with her feelings about the execution of her attacker, and her decision to live her beliefs by reaching out to children who are most vulnerable to giving into despair moved me to tears. Debbie Morris' choice of action is an example of the healing of the world. It was also a gift to hear Elie Spitz talk about the context and intent of "an eye for an eye." (I regret having missed Krista's conversation with Sister Helen Prejean but will catch it online.)
I admire Krista Tippett's openness as a host and interviewer, the commitment and curiosity that fuel this radio journey, and the grace she brings to conversations with her guests. Thank you all for this priceless education and nourishment for my soul.
Lisa Ness
Costa Mesa, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
Looking to a Lived Example (April 17, 2005)
As one raised in the Congregational church, I am constantly amazed at the amount of beside-the-point discussion of this issue. If I learned anything, it was that Jesus was different, that his love and mercy for ALL was a complete revolutionary change from many Hebrew traditions, and THAT's why he was the great man he was. That people who call themselves "Christian" or justify their approval of the death penalty based on Old Testament harangues about ancient pre-Christian laws is amazing to me.
If we are not here to strive for that state of mercy and forgiveness, then He lived in vain. If we cannot see that, than how can we say we are different from the condemned killer, or worthy of sitting in judgement on anything? I don't even attend church more than a few times a year anymore, primarily just because of the convolutions I hear from many pulpits and talking heads. I think Jesus would be appalled (but still forgiving) at the amount of time and energy spent in digression and torturing the words of the Bible so they agree with the puny point-of-view of whoever is doing the torturing. Can't we just look at His life and His works and words and just GET it?
Anne Buelteman
Woodside, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
God Does Not Seek Vengeance (April 17, 2005)
It seems to me that the culture of revenge or the death penalty is against God. God would not kill someone and God forgives everyone. It is people who do the worst and the most unspeakable things to each other and animals often in the name of religion. Everyone goes to heaven in God's books, even Hitler. Sorry, but God does not dwell on revenge and evil the way all these right wing people and religious experts do. Look at at the pope [John Paul II] — he forgave the man who shot him. He was right.
Marilee Kane
Washington, DC (WETA, 90.9 FM)
A Born-Again Case of Conveniency? (April 17, 2005)
I just listened to your show on capital punishment and have two observations.
- What about the victims? They can't see their families or lead productive
lives.
- Why does it seem that Jesus is only in prison, since that's where these
criminals find him and are "changed?" All of a sudden, since they have nothing else to do, they have a great relevation and are "changed." That sounds very convenient.
Sue Nevins
Upper Fairmount, MD (WSDL, 90.7 FM)
Grace (April 17, 2005)
I so enjoyed the big perspective spoken so clearly by the sister who has found herself working with death row people and her own learning about compassion. Compassion not only as an emotion or thought but as another name for God. A new experience of the world is possible now in a way difficult a few years ago. A world where personal beliefs that once have separated us from one another are dissolving.
In this dissolving a vulnerablity accompanyed with a new and lighter sense of my personal self is replacing the heavy burden of judgement. A characteristic many of us, as the sister spoke of, have projected onto god, a mistake of great consequence visible in the world today. I welcome this new way of being with God and others, Its entry is thru the heart, not necessarily as some emotion but as Grace itself, Beauty itself, even when the world may not be beautiful. God is another name for what has no opposite. All darkness bows at in the Presence of Love any other experience is my own personal sense of some story of separation and I lost God. A story created by my mind. Who is this one called "I." I wish great happiness to all people, peace in my heart, all blessings to all beings.
Jim Ropke
Fortville, IN (WFYI, 91.0 FM)
Death Can Be Appropriate (April 17, 2005)
First, what a great program, thanks for putting Ms. Morris on the air. Nothing could equal actually hearing her talk about her experience, and her thinking, in her own voice. And, thanks for the rabbi's clarification of the real meaning of "an eye for an eye."
Since sometimes prison breaks do occur, it makes sense to me that when there is overwhelming evidence of guilt, and the chance that if the convict could, he would take revenge on any witnesses who testified against him, or when, like with Hitler, witnesses are dead but he obviously enjoys torturing and killing people, it is the job of the penal system to put him to death. Keeping sadists alive in prison means cruel and unusual punishment to other, sometimes non-violent, prisoners.
Paul Simons
Levittown, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Wanted: A Mental Health Professional's Perspective (April 17, 2005)
Thank you for a most interesting program. Coming from a mental health perspective, I would like to hear from a mental health professional who could speak to the issue of "change" in humans who are damaged by poverty and emotional/physical abuse. It is my thinking that some people are beyond our current ability to rehabilitate because our mental health techniques are not geared for them nor are they as developed as they hopefully will be. It is also true that the public does not fund mental health assistance to those people in the population too poor to pay and that those people who do offer assistance are not generally very skilled.
Barbara Mclean
Okemos, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)
100 Percent Life (April 17, 2005)
Your program on the death penalty was very interesting and refreshing to hear! As a practicing Roman Catholic, I am absolutely 100 percent with the Church on its position on the death penalty. It was fascinating how I could "link" each and every statement of Sister Prejean about the dignity of the human person, and that the first step towards the death penalty is to dehumanize the human person and say that they are not worthy of life and will not contribute to our society to the UNBORN.
The pro-abortion position goes precisely to that same point — they say the the unborn, even at the earliest stages, are not HUMAN. Indeed they are HUMAN. If not HUMAN, then what? The death penalty mentality and the abortion mentality are one in the same. The determination that one person is not worthy to live. Rabbi Spitz's views were similar, and I could simultaneously link every one of his comments on the death penalty to abortion. If we are 100 percent pro-life, that means DEATH PENALTY and ABORTION. Thank GOD for the Roman Catholic Church. She stands firm on the Culture of Life.
Linda Gott
Fairfax, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Killing People, Even When Sanctioned by Authority (April 16, 2005)
I wrote this poem years ago and find it somehow belonged here.
A Late Call
There is something so honest
about hanging a door
if I were Jesus
I would have wanted to
have been a carpenter
for a door cannot lie
to work, it must stand
and reflect the hands
that hung it
no philosophical quandary
no esoteric argument
understood or even misunderstood
by those only in the club
the merest clod - or the greatest genius
are on equal footing
when it comes to opening a door
it works or it doesn't
any hand can feel it
it's intuitive like
the knowing many call faith
oh yes — they work better and worse
but there's a feeling when it's better
that everyone can know
if they are open to touching
to knowing
to recognizing every
threshold
as some different sacred place
where there is something to know,
yes — if I were Jesus,
I would want to hang doors
for those who hang men
can never really be sure
about what they do
Bryan Marx
New York, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)
Useful Information and a Correction (April 15, 2005)
As a former supporter of the death penalty who is now a full-time, anti-death penalty activist, I applaud the full and fair presentation of information. I think the most important and oft-repeated phrase among the persons interviewed was to the effect of, "the system is not working as it presently exists." Most people value fairness. I encourage people I encounter to set aside the concept of the death penalty and examine the practice. If you value fairness, and true justice, then it is impossile to support the death penalty as it presently exists.
One correction. Your host said that the U.S. Supreme Court instituted a ban on executions from 1966 to 1977. That is an inaccurate statement. For several reasons, the pace of executions slowed in the early sixties with the last execution of that era being in 1966. No court or other body ordered a stop to executions in 1966. On June 29, 1972, The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated all death penalty laws with its decision on Furman v. Georgia, which changed the death sentences of more than 600 prisoners to life terms. Any state that wanted to retain the death penalty had to write new laws. Florida was the first to do so with a special session of its legislature in November, 1972. Other states followed suit. In 1976, five states had their new laws tested and upheld at the U.S. Supreme Court level in a case styled Gregg v. Georgia, handed down on July 2. Six months later, on January 17, 1977, Gary Gilmore became the first prisoner killed in the current death penalty era, executed in revenge for his murders of Ben Bushnell and Max Jensen. Thank you again for your outstanding program.
Abraham Bonowitz, Director, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Gainesville, FL (Listens via Web Audio)
On Capital Punishment (April 15, 2005)
I just heard my first Speaking of Faith program and it was excellent. I have a special interest now in capital punishment because a federal case will take place in Vermont beginning in May. The trial of Donald Fell, and the federal government is seeking the death penalty. We in Vermont do not have a death penalty. I am in contact with Amnesty USA about this, but would like people of faith to be involved in some kind of public protest. Your radio program was very inspiring and will help me articulate my thoughts.
Ruth Magill
Williston, VT (WXLU, 88.3 FM)
He Forfeited His Humanity (April 15, 2005)
Having just read your reflection on the death penalty, Krista, I feel I must share my position: I am aware of the thirst for vengeance in the immediate wake of experiencing a violent act, whether through personal experience or, indirectly, through the pain/loss suffered by a loved one. I also understand the notion that this "thirst" for vengeance will abate if we allow enough time to pass, in order for our "more reasoning selves" to come to the fore. And while I believe that time may heal most wounds, I'm not quite convinced it heals all wounds.
Any healing that occurs is simply a survival mechanism — we have to get on with our lives. With that said, I would like to add that I firmly believe that (in some instances) a thirst for vengeance — no matter how extreme it may appear to an outside observer — is completely rational AND reasonable. The notion that we cannot and should not deprive ANY fellow human of life nor contribute, in any way, to their "pain and suffering" is an admirable moral goal to aspire to — if kept in it's proper context.
A case in point is this "Dead Man Walking" [Robert Lee Willie]: This is a man who, long ago, shed all vestiges of his humanity by conducting EXTREMELY depraved acts upon fellow human beings. Through his actions (and actions do speak louder than words), he made it very clear that he had nothing but the utmost contempt and disgust for humanity and his place in it. That higher moral and humane consideration stopped applying to him the moment he chose and cemented his life's path. And this "idea" that he can be and should be entitled to reclaim such humane consideration once he decides he's had enough of such violent depravity (or, in his case, once he's caught and faced with paying the ultimate price), is, quite simply, ridiculous.
Life in prison is much too good for such as him. His behavior is unnatural and, by extension, he is unnatural. He forfeited his humanity and therefore must pay the ultimate price. Anything less cheapens the humanity of his victims, and, by extension, our own.
Bruce Schubert
St. Louis, MO (KWMU, 90.7 FM)
..."In Him Justice and Mercy Have Kissed" (April 14, 2005)
How do we balance our understanding of God's love with His demand for justice/holiness? God is not ambivalent, our understanding, clouded by our sinful nature is incomplete. If life is defined in terms of the presence of God and in terms of timelessness, then there exists the possibility that punishment and repentance (hence the term penitentiary) are loving. How does God bring us to a state of holiness, spotless and blameless in His sight?
Steve Wisth
Milwaukee, WI (Listens via Web Audio)
"An Eye for an Eye" (April 14, 2005)
I just read your review of your upcoming show talking about the death penalty and the old concept of "an eye for an eye." Like yourself, I was quietly amused by the original Biblical meaning… to LIMIT the punishment of a wrong-doer. However, let us be clear, and I say this as a Catholic, "TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT." I believe this is one of the basic teachings of the Christ.
Dr. James Petko
Arlington, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Christianity and "An Eye for an Eye" (February 22, 2004)
"An eye for an eye" may be the most misunderstood phrase in the Bible. The anti- and pro-death penalty forces both misuse it. It is partly because most Christians read the "Old" Testament, they don't read Talmud or Midrash. When listening to your program, I found the reflections of Rabbi Elie Spitz on the contextual meaning of the biblical "eye for an eye passages" to be enlightening, informative, and insightful.
But given the large amount of support for the death penalty among Christians, many of whom cite the "eye for an eye" passages, I think it might be of interest to point out what the Christian gospels say about the matter of "an eye for an eye." In the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus is quoted as saying, "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him to the other also." (Matthew 5:38-39, NIV)
Mark Michalovic
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Violence Begets Violence (February 22, 2004)
Having worked as a volunteer in the prison system for 15 years, I am aware of the fact that our prisons (including our "Death Rows") are disproportionately filled with poor people of color. I have also become aware because of my experience, of a prevailing spirit of vengeance and retribution in our society, answering violence with violence. This is evident in our use of the death penalty, long-term incarceration, and our violent lashing out in vengeance after 9-11.
It is my considered opinion that we as a people need to learn that all "Others" are as human as we consider ourselves to be. That we need to look for the causes of crime and violence in our society: the rotting urban neighborhoods, the examples of violent behavior presented by our government and our media, the under-funding of solid educational programs in public schools and the availability of employment for most of our citizens.
Marian Bohen
Evanston, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)
Revenge Is the Lord's (February 22, 2004)
Excellent program on a hopelessly difficult subject when you hear the stories of the victims of evil. The Bible said I believe — Revenge is the Lord's. Therefore if revenge, whether individual or societal, enters in to the process, that is shaky ground. The Lord always gets what He wants. Therefore it would seem that "giving it up to the Lord's will being done" and then following the exactness of what Scripture demands society do at a trial should give the conclusion that is right with God because His will was done.
Andy Boemi
Chicago, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)
Death Penalty Is Murder (February 22, 2004)
Even the most devoted fundamentalist will maintain that the soul of a murderer will enter heaven if there is repentance. But when an execution occurs according to some arbitrary timetable of society, the opportunity for repentance is terminated. Some may argue that everyone on death row is given ample time to "get right with God," but not everyone so situated may fully grasp what this means. In such situations, if one accepts the fundamentalist view of life after death, society can not only condemn such individuals to death but also their souls to hell.
I find it ironic that followers of Jesus would want to take on this responsibility. But the problem gets worse: When innocent people are condemned to death, as has happened way too often, I believe execution then becomes murder. It is hubris — nothing less — that prevents death penalty advocates from acknowledging this. If Christian eyes are blind to this and hearts are too calcified with vengeance to offer forgiveness — forgiveness being the traditional lynchpin of personal salvation ("forgive us as we forgive others") — one wonders about death penalty advocates and their expressed dedication to the One who showed and taught unconditional forgiveness. And just what do they do with "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' but I say to you…" Matthew 5:38?
Gerald Nordstrom
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
Revenge Not an Institutional Value in the American Legal System (February 23, 2004)
Thank you for your thoughtful program on the death penalty. I began listening to your program when you interviewed Jaroslav Pelikan last year, and now I listen every week with great interest. Yours is one of the best programs on the radio.
When it comes to talking about the death penalty in America, opponents are frequently seen as bleeding hearts who can't accept the realities of life in a broken world. But I wonder what arguments can actually be offered in favor of the death penalty. A number of studies have shown that it does essentially nothing to stop crime, and there seem to be systemic problems with capital punishment in the States.
When faced with these realities, proponents of the death penalty start talking about the families of victims and putting people at ease knowing that our worst criminals are no longer alive. But this kind of revenge is not a value our legal system seeks to uphold. Emotion plays a strong role in politics, but the law is supposed to be impartial, never swayed by emotion. How can we justify a punishment that seems to be aimed solely at making victims' families feel better (which, as your program pointed out, it frequently fails to do)? Can we talk about the death penalty as it relates to our legal system on its merits, keeping in mind that the emotional angle should not influence policy in this area? I think if we did talk about the death penalty this way, we would find it does not mesh with the other guiding values of our legal system or our nation.
Chris Tessone
Galesburg, IL (Listens via Web Audio)
What a Wonderful Job (February 25, 2004)
Your program was very, very thought provoking. I so appreciate what you have done and will use your program as a teaching tool. The death penalty has a far bigger impact on the soul of the nation than proponents realize. Please continue your good work. My apologies that I am unable to contribute as I am a Catholic nun. However, I encourage anyone that I can.
Kathy Schneider
Santa Ana, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
An Eye for An Eye (February 22, 2004)
"An eye for an eye" may be the most misunderstood phrase in the Bible. The anti- and pro-death penalty forces both misuse it. It is partly because most Christians read the "Old" Testament, they don't read Talmud or Midrash.
An eye for an eye almost immediately became monetary compensation for an eye. I'm glad that you had a rabbi on to explain its meaning. The strictures put on the death penalty would have made the death penalty virtually impossible. Imagine only being able execute someone for murder only if there were two witness who actually saw the murder.
However, then you had Sister Prejean on to resurrect the old idea that the "New Testament" is a message of forgiveness and love, but the "Old" Testament is about vengefulness. This is anti-Judaism plain and simple. She assumes that Christianity is morally superior to Judaism, this declaring Judaism "less than" Christianity. I borrowed her phrase. As I was listening to Sister Prejean I was also reminded of Hannah Arendt's article on Eichmann where she talked about the banality of evil.
Susan Stein
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
