Atheism & the Death Penalty.

[LadyForCamus]

My entirely personal, and emotional opinion on the matter is that those who lack empathy, and who demonstrate a cruel disregard for human life at the expense of the innocent (I.e. People who rape, torture, murder) forfeit their own right to be treated with humanity and respect for their dignity.  Now, I'm not saying that all rapists and child abusers be executed, but I do think it is perfectly just to sentence the Ted Bundy's and Jeffrey Dahmer's of the world to death.  Instances where people are deemed clinically insane, not able to discern right from wrong, and/or those who are not capable of controlling their actions would be my only exceptions.  

For the record, I was adamantly AGAINST the death penalty back in my theistic days, because I believed that God would be doling out his punishments when the time was right.

Would you be willing to carry out the death sentence yourself ("pull the lever," "push the button," etc.)?  What if the condemned person were screaming, hollering, fighting for life, etc., as they were dragged kicking and screaming to the execution chamber?  As for me, I could not do that; I would walk away.  And, then, there's the question of botched executions, where the individual is left gasping, struggling for air, etc.

I understand that you favor the death penalty, but would you be willing to carry it out?

That is a very good, and fair question. As far as botched executions go, I don't feel much empathy. Gasping for breath for a few minutes is merciful compared to what many sadistic murderers' victims experienced before their deaths. Same goes for begging and pleading for one's life. One instance that made the news this year was the botched lethal injection of a man who raped and murdered a woman's 18 MONTH old daughter. In my opinion he didn't suffer nearly enough.

Could I administer the sentence myself? I don't know. I know that if I am saying capital punishment should implemented, then I SHOULD be able to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. I suppose I wouldn't know for sure unless I was actually in the position to do so.