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That’s true. My point was a true religious person would be against abortion and against the death penalty. All life is sacred.
No, some not-insubstantial portion of religious Catholics and smaller numbers of ‘liberal’ protestants(I don’t just love this term, but I haven’t heard of a better one) hold that view. Almost all other Christians hold that abortion and the death penalty aren’t directly comparable because their acceptability hinges on totally different questions.
Admittedly I’m speaking from a Catholic perspective and tend to have view other sects as make it up as you want Christians. Being as Catholics are the preferred faith for pro-life Supreme Court justices I think I am correct in saying true pro-lifers are against abortion and the death penalty. And Catholic doctrine is quite clearly against both.
The death penalty is one of the few areas where I’m disappointed in Desantis and believe he’s doing something for political game versus true beliefs.
With the partial exception of Barrett, the catholic pro-life justices are not notably more anti-death penalty than they are pro-abortion. ‘Consistent life ethic’ is clearly a minority position among intellectual Catholic circles in the US even as it’s a politically correct consensus view.
They are not in communion with Rome on that issue. As someone who went to the same school as ACB and who went to pro-life marches a person who is Catholic first would be against the death penalty. The evangelicals have always been anti-abortion pro death penalty vibes but I don’t think an intellectually honest (most people aren’t) could view life as sacred and take that view.
But I also think the old slur about a Catholic politician having to bend the knee to Rome is true. It’s what makes us undesirable POTUS to most but very desirable for the Supreme Court when Rome and a political movement have an agreement on an issue.
killing babies is wrong because the babies are innocent. Executing murderers is not wrong, because they are not innocent. "If a man sheds blood, by man shall his blood be shed." How is that incompatible with a view of life being sacred?
Ok fair enough. But I don’t think that works for a Christian. Jesus ate with hookers. The whole Christ narrative is that he died for our sins and his resurrection redeemed us.
Even the “worst person in the world” toddler raper can be redeemed and the sacredness of his life isn’t his deeds but that he was made in gods image.
So while I agree that your logic can work I don’t think it fits with being a Christian which most pro-life people claim some kind of Christianity. The sacredness of their life isn’t related to their deeds it’s sacred because they are human.
I’m against the death penalty. I only view it as viable to when there are no other options like someone whose killing in prison and you need to protect other inmates. Solitary is an option but some have done bad there and solitary can be a very cruel punishment perhaps worse than death.
So I can agree your logic can work but I don’t think that was Christ message and I’m labeling them evangelicals but I think they are wrong.
None of that has anything at all to do with systems of earthly justice. Salvation from sins is not a free pass from the consequences of sin here and now. Stealing and repenting of it doesn't mean you don't go to jail, and in fact the proper thing to do is to take the penalty willingly because you agree it is just.
The life they took was also sacred, and they violated that sanctity through murder. Executing them is a balancing of the scales. It's not about revenge, or anger or hatred, it's about what is just.
It's entirely Christian to reject one's own claims to justice, to forgive someone who has stolen from you, to deny that they have stolen by stating that you give what they took freely. Notably, the victims of murder cannot actually do this, and it is at least highly questionable whether others can meaningfully do it on their behalf. It is not Christian to attempt to overthrow the entire concept of earthly justice, to try to enforce this sort of forgiveness on those unwilling or unable to offer it freely.
The whole point of justice, of laws, is that it is supposed to be impartially and uniformly enforced. The whole point of Christianity is that it is a free choice by the individual, an acceptance of a gift freely offered. The two have a lot less to do with each other than people imagine.
as far as I know Jesus only comment about the death penalty was "he who is without sin cast the first stone" which seems to imply that he is opposed to the death penalty unless the person imposing it is without sin. now you could say that that is only certain in the case of adultery which was the context of that quote, but given that statement and the general emphasis on focusing on the next life rather than this one, if I had to bet, I would assume jesus would be against the death penalty for other wrongdoings as well.
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