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Originally posted by ltl/fb
It has been explained to me by intelligent devout conservative Catholics that the death penalty is OK if there are not effective alternative means of justice (e.g., no imprisonment or whatever available). They acknowledged (I think) that the death penalty is inappropriate in the US.
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Yes, gorgeous, the Church does have a caveat about death
possibly being appropriate if there are no alternatives, but, as a practical matter, it doesn't apply to a situation where the state can put you in a jail. Your intelligent devout conservative Catholic (is that some sort of oxymoron?) friends are correct.
Quote:
Originally posted by ltl/fb
I think there is a general feeling that murderers are damned so it's less bad to kill them than to kill innocent babies.
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That is absolutely the general feeling among the laity. Sadly, it looks like this attitude is starting to gain ground in the Church itself. One of the things that used to impress me about the Church was its consistent position on being "pro-life" -- no abortion, no euthanasia, no death penalty. Now it looks like they are picking and choosing, and choosing to go after those who dissent on the "liberal" side of the life issue.
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Originally posted by ltl/fb
I have some sympathy with getting people who are pro-choice or pro-death penalty or OK with people being gay out of the Catholic church. I mean, seriously, such people are like my stupid college roommate who said she was a vegetarian except she ate chicken and seafood. That's just not a vegetarian. That's someone who doesn't eat red meat.* If you are pro-choice and want the ceremony, go be Episcopalian.
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Wrong-o, my little cabbage. The Church has evolved and will contiue to evolve. It hasn't burned a witch in years, and seems to have stopped perpetrating the blood libel as well. Dissent within the bounds of individual conscience has always been part of Catholicism.
Hmm. I seem to be unduly agitated by this. Maybe I should either go to Mass more than once a decade or stop this......
