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I much appreciate Jim
Henderson's thoughtful posting below. About 30 years ago, when I was in
law school, I remember very vividly giving a talk to the Menlo Park (or Redwood
City, I forget which) Lions Club against the California referendum to reinstate
the death penalty. The principal argument I made--and believed--was that
the death penalty forecloses the possibility of redemption, and that our central
religious traditions all emphasize the possibiity of redemptive change.
Needless to say, my talk had no apparent effect. But for all these years,
that has struck me as one of the strongest arguments against capital punishment
even for killers where there is indeed no reasonable doubt about their being the
perpetrators. I also agree with Jim about the mistrust of complacent
judicial systems that too easily reflect conventional wisdom.
(Incidentally, I think it is interesting, and perhaps a portent of things to
come, that the newly elected governor of Virginia is a serious Catholic who
opposes both abortion and capital punishment, and that his opposition to capital
punishment apparently didn't hurt him precisely because it was viewed as the
product of serious religious principles.)
sandy
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 10:19 PM To: religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu Subject: Re: Can a murderer ever be redeemed? I have no certainty about guilt or innocence in this particular
case. In any event, the real problem for me is trusting in a judicial
system that concludes that blacks are chattel property, that Native Americans
are not persons, and that children before birth are not endowed with the natural
right to life, liberty and to due process of law. While as a matter of
principle, the death penalty may be licit, in our society at this time it is not
free from doubt on these grounds, as well as others that may be invoked.
Jim Henderson
Senior Counsel
ACLJ
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