Christian loons who support the death penalty.

[Jehanne]

I think that atheists should be against the death penalty.  It's very cruel for any society to tell any human being that "at such and such a time, at such and such a place" you will "cease to exist"; if that's not cruelty, then what is?

Soooo because you and I both think god is fake I need to follow what you think about other things? That's not how atheism works hun.

I really don't care if you think it is cruel. I think it is justice. You kill someone and take a life then your life gets taken. Why should you live and the person you killed doesn't? You being 'sorry' doesn't bring them back.

I feel special!  

Yes, that is not how atheism works.  That's why my only "atheist outlet" is this board, nothing else.  I come here for community, because I have no church to attend, and so, for me at least, I enjoy the "existential fellowship" that all of you bring!

Yes, an "eye for an eye", but I doubt that such was even practiced in Hammurabi's Day.  In fact, the number of executions since the founding of Jamestown numbers under 15,500:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executio...-espy-file

And, if you look at the list carefully, some individuals were burned alive.  Now, the number of homicides last year was 15,696:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/mur....html?_r=0

And, so, executing every murderer out there is probably not something that the US Justice System is prepared to do.  In fact, with your "eye for an eye" perspective, you would be excluded from a capital jury (even in Texas) because of your refusal to consider mitigating versus aggravating evidence, which takes place during the penalty phase of a capital murder trial.

[Jehanne]

Maybe Donald Trump can run for President of Bulgaria?

That old fart is anti-gay, so better not.

I think that Trump at least tolerates gays, but that's what is getting reported in some news outlets at least.

[Jehanne]

With the impending Democratic victory, and hopefully, the continued progressivization of the federal courts, I did some online searches to see what Christian fundamentalists currently think about capital punishment.  This one really stood out:

Andrew Allen Cook was executed on February 22, 2013 for the brutal, senseless murders of two young college students around his age, Grant Patrick Hendrickson, 22, and Michele Lee Cartagena, 19; he was apprehended nearly 2 years after the crime after his dad, an FBI agent, turned him in:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-1995.html

As an atheist, I am opposed to executions for any and all crimes, no matter how grievous, but what really bothered me after reading this story is what one of the victim's mothers said:


This just makes me sick!  For starters, the idea of a "devil", "devils" and/or "evil spirits" is just plain lunacy; it's equivalent to believing that the South won the US Civil War.  But, worse, when this mother was witnessing the slow death of her child's killer, she was thinking, "Hey, they're killing one of Satan's servants" and as opposed to think that a living, breathing human being was dying before her very eyes.  How convenient!  If this does not show the evil of conservative Christian thinking, then what does?

While there are atheists who support the death penalty, I am ecstatic about the upcoming victory of Secretary Clinton and the diminishing role and influence of Christian fundamentalism in the United States.

Can I ask why being an atheist has anything to do with your views on the death penalty?

Edit to add:  While I am no advocate of the death penalty, if anyone were ever to do any serious harm to my daughter, I'd want them dead.

If they killed my kid, I would want them dead, too!  But, I admit that I would not be in a proper frame of mind at that time to decide such questions.  As an atheistic materialist, I think that scheduling a human being's annihilation is a cruel and unnecessary act.  In the end, it is the living who suffer -- the correction officers and executioners, the family of the condemned, and even, the family of the victim, who often say that it was more trouble than it was worth.  And, besides, some innocent persons have been put to death in the US since 1976; I am reminded of Cameron Todd Willingham from Texas.  And, then, there's the cost -- the majority of death sentences are either overturned or not carried out, but the cost is roughly the same for the condemned who are executed and those who are not.  The US has better things to spend its money on!

[Jehanne]

With the impending Democratic victory, and hopefully, the continued progressivization of the federal courts, I did some online searches to see what Christian fundamentalists currently think about capital punishment.  This one really stood out:

Andrew Allen Cook was executed on February 22, 2013 for the brutal, senseless murders of two young college students around his age, Grant Patrick Hendrickson, 22, and Michele Lee Cartagena, 19; he was apprehended nearly 2 years after the crime after his dad, an FBI agent, turned him in:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-1995.html

As an atheist, I am opposed to executions for any and all crimes, no matter how grievous, but what really bothered me after reading this story is what one of the victim's mothers said:


This just makes me sick!  For starters, the idea of a "devil", "devils" and/or "evil spirits" is just plain lunacy; it's equivalent to believing that the South won the US Civil War.  But, worse, when this mother was witnessing the slow death of her child's killer, she was thinking, "Hey, they're killing one of Satan's servants" and as opposed to think that a living, breathing human being was dying before her very eyes.  How convenient!  If this does not show the evil of conservative Christian thinking, then what does?

While there are atheists who support the death penalty, I am ecstatic about the upcoming victory of Secretary Clinton and the diminishing role and influence of Christian fundamentalism in the United States.

Who are you to say what is the right way and wrong way this mother must process these series of events that result in so much grief?

To assert the existence of a devil, devils, demons, etc., is just dumb; it's a relic of a pre-scientific era.  Such talk has no place in modern discourse, especially, when witnessing the planned death of another human being.  I don't care who you are, victim or not.  Her statements were made publicly, not privately; I have every right to ridicule them.

[mlmooney89]

Well that doesn't bother me. I live in Texas and I'm surrounded by people that agree with me. Don't really care what one poll on one site says.

I came home and I had 10 alerts!  (For me, that's a record!!)  As for Texas, the death penalty in that (your) state is in decline:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/6582

And, especially:



http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/6577

And I care about this why? Just because it is done less doesn't change my opinion. DNA samples have been able to prove more people innocent so we aren't killin people left and right. I didn't say I was Ron White and wanted an express lane, I just want it available for those few that need to die. You show me numbers as if more people disagreeing with me will change my mind.

[Jehanne]

And I care about this why? Just because it is done less doesn't change my opinion. DNA samples have been able to prove more people innocent so we aren't killin people left and right. I didn't say I was Ron White and wanted an express lane, I just want it available for those few that need to die. You show me numbers as if more people disagreeing with me will change my mind.

I don't need to convince you of anything.  There are people who will always support capital punishment just as there are people who will always support segregation.

[account_inactive]

That old fart is anti-gay, so better not.

I think that Trump at least tolerates gays, but that's what is getting reported in some news outlets at least.

I don't even know what Trump's policy on LGBT rights is anymore.

[abaris]

I don't even know what Trump's policy on LGBT rights is anymore.

Probably the preteen locker talk approach like so many other things he talked about. Good for some jokes between school mates. In case you didn't notice, he's got the absolute same personality Berlusconi had. Constantly bragging about his (straight) sexuality.

[Jehanne]

I think that Trump at least tolerates gays, but that's what is getting reported in some news outlets at least.

I don't even know what Trump's policy on LGBT rights is anymore.

Who knows?  Who cares?  He talks more out of the bottom-end than the one at the top; he is just "smooth" about it, whereas, Clinton is studied and practiced, and comes across as being a bit phony.

[rado84]

That old fart is anti-gay, so better not.

I think that Trump at least tolerates gays, but that's what is getting reported in some news outlets at least.

Stump will support anything that will bring him more votes in the elections. In the beginning of his campaign he said he would banish all gays and 2 months later he announced he would support us. That's why I think he's a hypocrite who won't keep his second promise to support us and once he puts his hands on the presidential power he'll bring you Putin's anti-gay regime and laws. If this happens in USA, it will happen here as well because our politicians do almost everything America does. And if Stump wins the elections, this will be like a green light for the bunch of psychoPats in my country to begin harrassing gays. Here were a few killings of people because they "looked gay" and I don't even dare imagine what will happen here if or when Donald Stump brings Putin's regime to USA.