“For it was appropriate that, just as death entered the human race through a man’s disobedience, so life should be restored through a man’s obedience; and that, just as the sin which was the cause of our damnation originated from a woman, similarly the originator of our justification and salvation should be born of a woman. Also that the devil, who defeated the man whom he beguiled through the taste of a tree, should himself similarly be defeated by a man through tree-induced suffering which he, the devil, inflicted. There are many other things, too, which, if carefully considered, display the indescribable beauty of the fact that our redemption was procured in this way.”
-St. Anselm of Cantebury
Life
A Quote on Suicide: G.K. Chesterton
Not only is suicide a sin, it is the sin. It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take the oath of loyalty to life. The man who kills a man, kills a man. The man who kills himself, kills all men; as far as he is concerned he wipes out the world. His act is worse (symbolically considered) than any rape or dynamite outrage. For it destroys all buildings: it insults all women. The thief is satisfied with diamonds; but the suicide is not: that is his crime. He cannot be bribed, even by the blazing stones of the Celestial City. The thief compliments the things he steals, if not the owner of them. But the suicide insults everything on earth by not stealing it. He defiles every flower by refusing to live for its sake. There is not a tiny creature in the cosmos at whom his death is not a sneer. When a man hangs himself on a tree, the leaves might fall off in anger and the birds fly away in fury: for each has received a personal affront. Of course there may be pathetic emotional excuses for the act. There often are for rape, and there almost always are for dynamite. But if it comes to clear ideas and the intelligent meaning of things, then there is much more rational and philosophic truth in the burial at the cross-roads and the stake driven through the body… There is a meaning in burying the suicide apart. The man’s crime is different from other crimes — for it makes even crimes impossible.
-G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
A Few Thoughts on the Death Penalty
“You can’t reconcile being pro-life on abortion and pro-death on the death penalty.”
-N.T. Wright
When I first read this quote I was excited. Really excited. For two reasons: (1) I am against the death penalty – for the most part – and (2) I love N.T.Wright.
Personally, I am not a fan of the government having the power to kill the citizens of their countries. Regardless, there are certain circumstances when the government ought to be able to exact the death penalty: first, the death penalty should be exacted if and only if the crime committed is deserving of death (you can get into some tricky ground there), and second, if and only if absolute evidence can be produced by the prosecution (i.e. clear video or DNA evidence, etc.).
Anyways, back to the quote. I think, as conservatives who value life above all other rights, we should consider the apparent discontinuity between our vehement opposition of abortion – and rightfully so – and our upholding of capitol punishment. There is an obvious retort to this: unborn babies are innocent, and those sentenced to death are not! Of course. I agree with this. Yet if we uphold life as the highest value, we should strive to preserve it at all costs. No, this does not warrant pacifism; but it does call us to avoid killing people if at all possible. There are obviously ways to do so regarding crime: life in prison, with or without parole, maybe even solitary-confinement, etc. Maybe even instilling cruel and unusual punishment would deter soon-to-be-criminals from committing crimes worthy of such a sentence… Okay, just kidding… Don’t do that.
Death is terrible. Death is a monster. It truly is, and inflicting it upon another ought to be avoided at all costs. Of course, self-defense and war are times where killing is warranted, but over all, it should be shunned. Abortion should be outlawed immediately along with the death penalty, if it doesn’t meet the requirements listed above.
Just a few scribblings. Feel free to comment your thoughts.
In Christ,
Lucas.
Lucas Kelly 