Do you think Capital Punishment should be brought back in the UK?

I think there should be capital punishment .

Depends on the type of crime and how serious

"You murdered that man. You broke the law. So we're gonna murder you."

Yeah, that makes real good sense, that does.

I assume Biggles is against it, so I just couldn't do that to her.

no of course i don't!

No.

Why? I'm a Christian and I can never understand when a fellow Christian is pro capital punishment. I believe in locking up those who are a threat to society, maybe making them do labor, but going beyond that isn't very loving or forgiving.

Since I don't live there I'm not concerned. I do however favour the death penalty for some crimes.

No.

Yes. I also think teacher's should be allowed to physically punish children. Make the little buggars behave.

Absolutely not. The justice system is nowhere near good enough to guarantee that all those who are found guilty of a crime actually did it. Even if it were possible to guarantee someone's guilt, capital punishment is still abhorrent, cowardly and weak. Look at any list of countries who actually carry out death sentences; that's not company that I want my nation to keep. But fortunately I really don't think there's any risk of that happening as we would have to leave the EU first.

If only everyone thought that way!

Yes, kill the bastards and let's concentrate on people that really need our help

No! It's horrible. Awful. Wrong. Not to mention, much more expensive than life imprisonment.

uhmm...

No. It's medieval.

You're such a fine christian.

I went with "other" for a number of reasons. First, I am not a subject of the UK and I'm sure my opinion on the matter should not carry any weight. Second, my opinion on capital "punishment" in general is not really popular anywhere. I don't believe capital punishment is actually the proper term to use either. You punish someone in order to alter their behavior in a desired direction. Execution ends all behavior on the part of the recipient.

Generally, I believe there are crimes that are deserving of execution, such as rape and murder. I don't want to get into a big thing about how you show that murder is unacceptable by murdering, so for clarity's sake, I use the term "murder" to describe the killing of a human being outside the law. A killing in self-defense or the proper defense of another human being is not murder. Neither is an execution as "punishment" for some capital crime.

That being said, I'm not real big on trusting the State with much. In my opinion, there is much to be said for handling matters such as life or death on a more local level than the Federal Jurisdiction or even the state or county level. On a personal level, I can sympathize completely with the man in the phone booth at the airport some years back.

Nooo

Whatever.

There is scripture that says punishment should be in open view of people at large, for a deterrent. With two witness to a heinous crime, or compelling evidence, the perpetrator should be put to death, the Father in heaven will deal with him/her.

The prison business is just that a business. The legal system is all tied up in appeals for those that have committed heinous crimes. If you have money, you can literally get off with murder..i.e. O.J. Simpson, what does that tell people? If the people are not put to death but are jailed, the people should have to pay for their care. I think there should be heavy punishment for drug dealers, drunk drivers, People that want to take drugs, heavy punishment. The list could go on and on. Anything that will cause, or possible cause harm to others than themselves should be given heavy punishment.

Thank you, I try to be, but being in the flesh we're all sinners.

I know your comment wasn't meant to be complimentary, but I still believe in the death penalty....for heinous crimes. Serial killers a must. May I ask you what is prison for? Some people can't be redeemed, and no sense in keeping them alive for them to linger in prison, at taxpayers expense.

Show me in the NT where it says criminals should be put to death. I don't believe OT laws apply to Christianity.

Here is what prisons are for: to protect society from people who are a threat. I think that EVERYONE has potential for change, even the most mentally disturbed of them all. Everyone has a heart.. You just have to dig to find it in some people. No one is hopeless. That's what I believe. Everyone on the planet deserves life, even if they've taken the life of someone else.

How about innocent people getting executed? Thanks to DNA we now know innocent people have been executed in the past. It's one of the reasons some states have abolished the death penalty.

About the cost of keeping people in prison for life vs. people on death row, see: http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=17549

No. Just lock up the dangerous people for life. Set free all the non-dangerous people to make room.

I'm deeply sorry for anyone executed that are innocent. However, I'm talking of cases that have compelling evidence, witnesses. You must admit there are some people that are evil, so sick they cannot be redeemed, they should be put to death.

People should be punished for harming their own self?

The problem is a person may be harming themselves...but their mental state could be a danger to others...i.e. drugs, alcohol

So simply because someone COULD be a danger to others is sufficient reason to punish them? In that case, I say the ones doing the punishing or advocating the punishing ARE being a danger to others so they should get it first.

> People should be punished for harming their
> own self?

I can't find where she said that. Maybe it's too early and I missed something.

..OH! wanting to take drugs.. geez..

WWJD?

But if it is not a danger to others, it is not. You can't punish a person for what you think they might do. It could be the furthest thing from their mind.

The reason for much of the out-of-control crime of today is because of going easy on the criminal element in the last 50 or 60 years. I blame much on the drug scene also, The enemy within has used the drugs as one of their tools. God warned us about drugs.

When people take drugs, they become a threat to others because they aren't in their right mind, are not clear headed.

WWJD?

Yes, What Would Jesus Do?
Do you think he'd kill people as a punishment?

>God warned us about drugs.

Really? Where and when if I may ask.

Jesus was Clark Kent. His Superman alter ego kicked some serious ass.

You said that anyone who COULD be a danger to others should be punished. I don't see how anyone other than someone who's physically incapable of almost anything would not fall into the category of someone who could be a danger to others. Your thinking is muddy and your statement nonsense.

As for the drug scene, the drug war has caused far more harm than drug use itself ever could. As a society, it is entirely within our control to end that destruction of ourselves any time we choose.

Yes....it's scripture..

I don't know the exact scripture, a pastor of a church, I study with, says that we are to beware of Pharmacea... a source of sorcery

> I don't know the exact scripture, a pastor of a church, I study with,
> says that we are to beware of Pharmacea... a source of sorcery
>

Now this is getting interesting. A few years ago a rather controversial anthropologist named Terrence McKenna died. One of his controversial theories had to do with what he believed was a connection between man's discovery of psychedelic plants and the evolution of religion and human intelligence. (Sorry Wicksy and any other dogmatic atheists, but McKenna thought that religion and human intelligence did have a common source.) McKenna was especially intrigued with the use of ayahuasca by the shamans of Central and South American tribes. Ayahuasca is a psychedelic herbal decoction whose principal ingredients were a vine the shamans call 'The vine of the soul' and any of several barks and leaves from plants such as Psychotria Viridis and Mimosa Hostilis. These latter plants contain a chemical called dimethyl tryptamine (DMT), a psychedelic drug chemically related to LSD in that their molecules are built around an indole ring. This herbal decoction was drunk by the shamans and tribespeople in a ritual setting for a variety purposes, such as to determine when the best time for hunting would be, to cure illness or to discover who might be guilty of some crime. The purpose of the vine in this tea was to provide a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, so that the DMT in the brew would not be broken down and become inactive. DMT is not active orally without also ingesting some kind of monoamine oxidase inhibitor. However, it is active all by itself if injected or smoked, as this bypasses the digestive system entirely.

Now, the reason I mention all this is: I'm sure you are familiar with the story of Moses and the burning bush. You won't find it in the Bible, but Jewish oral tradition holds that the burning bush Moses saw was an acacia. This is intriguing because the acacia species is one of many plant species that is particularly rich in DMT. Further, DMT is a somewhat unique psychedelic in that the early stages of intoxication with it are characterized by auditory hallucinations. People have reported hearing the sounds of gongs, bells, whistles and voices. Now consider; Moses sees this burning acacia bush, goes to investigate, gets a couple of lungfuls of DMT-rich smoke and hears the voice of God. I'm not saying this is actually what happened, but I don't believe the possibility can be dismissed out of hand.

Bear in mind that psychedelic plants have been considered sacred and sacramental by cultures around the world. There is a reason for that. My own experience with a variety of psychedelics over the years is one of the factors that causes me to remain 'agnostic' rather than 'atheist'. Those experiences tell me there is a distinct possibility that this physical world may not be all there is to existence.

If drugs, alcohol makes a person not have a clear mind, they are endangering others as well as themselves. I've heard it be said that most crime involves, alcohol, drugs, also I believe porn.

Curt, we could say all sorts of what ifs, but I believe in the Bible. . I've never taken illegal drugs, I haven't a clue what they're about, and why people would indulge. I don't like drug prescriptions either. To me, a doctor is nothing more than a glorified drug pusher. Generally speaking.