I completely get where Haeft is coming from. Great piece of writing. Beautiful. And I also agree with some of the other responses. This reminds me of Dead man Walking. The boy can still repent and I hope he does. But it’s interesting how when I was young I considered the film anti death penalty. But now I think the death penalty was incidental and it was repentance that was the main theme. Great art goes beyond the intentions of the artists who are hopeless leftists but gave us something else.
Whether or not Erika Kirk forgives Robinson is irrelevant to the question of whether he should be executed for his actions. Jesus forgives. Christians are supposed to forgive. The state does not. The state's one divinely instituted purpose is to wield the sword against evildoers.
Note that in criminal cases, the parties to the action are the state and the accused. Not the victim(s). They technically don't have any stake in the outcome. The state brings charges to vindicate its dignity and punish violations of its law. That's it. Anyone who wants forgiveness should get religion, because there's no room for it in questions of crime and punishment.
And yes, that's actually one of the ways in which we can see that the state cannot be the solution to human misery. All it can really do is punish. It can't make people better. It can't forgive. Pretending that it can is just utopian fantasizing.
The way to point people to Jesus here is not to forbear wielding the sword, but to wield it promptly and without pity.
I'm really not talking about forgiveness, or necessarily the principle of the death penalty. There is something very specific about this case and this particular moment.
Except that the entirety of America from Trump and the DOJ down are commenting on this — and the death penalty, like abortion is the most central statement of any society’s core values. That is what the cross was for the Romans after all. So respectfully, I disagree.
It's often the best way. I suppose that is what this is all about really. Either way, I do hope this gives a body blow to the authoritarians on the left and gives impetus to a decisive move away from Enlightenment materialism and secularism. Our society is so very very sick
Nah man, and not only is this not true the opposite actually is. Death penalty will kill the ideas of hippy boomer Jesus which is very important to do. It would also teach that the law is primarily about justice not deterrence or some other utilitarian metric
That is a coherent response to the question of the death penalty in general; but not necessarily to this case and the particular moment that we are in right now.
I completely get where Haeft is coming from. Great piece of writing. Beautiful. And I also agree with some of the other responses. This reminds me of Dead man Walking. The boy can still repent and I hope he does. But it’s interesting how when I was young I considered the film anti death penalty. But now I think the death penalty was incidental and it was repentance that was the main theme. Great art goes beyond the intentions of the artists who are hopeless leftists but gave us something else.
Whether or not Erika Kirk forgives Robinson is irrelevant to the question of whether he should be executed for his actions. Jesus forgives. Christians are supposed to forgive. The state does not. The state's one divinely instituted purpose is to wield the sword against evildoers.
Note that in criminal cases, the parties to the action are the state and the accused. Not the victim(s). They technically don't have any stake in the outcome. The state brings charges to vindicate its dignity and punish violations of its law. That's it. Anyone who wants forgiveness should get religion, because there's no room for it in questions of crime and punishment.
And yes, that's actually one of the ways in which we can see that the state cannot be the solution to human misery. All it can really do is punish. It can't make people better. It can't forgive. Pretending that it can is just utopian fantasizing.
The way to point people to Jesus here is not to forbear wielding the sword, but to wield it promptly and without pity.
I'm really not talking about forgiveness, or necessarily the principle of the death penalty. There is something very specific about this case and this particular moment.
There definitely is. Which makes the orderly, efficient, and dispassionate execution of assassins all the more important.
We have absolutely NO RIGHT to comment on this.
Except that the entirety of America from Trump and the DOJ down are commenting on this — and the death penalty, like abortion is the most central statement of any society’s core values. That is what the cross was for the Romans after all. So respectfully, I disagree.
We can agree to differ sir.
It's often the best way. I suppose that is what this is all about really. Either way, I do hope this gives a body blow to the authoritarians on the left and gives impetus to a decisive move away from Enlightenment materialism and secularism. Our society is so very very sick
Bless you. There is a monster prowling around ready to devour!
Nah man, and not only is this not true the opposite actually is. Death penalty will kill the ideas of hippy boomer Jesus which is very important to do. It would also teach that the law is primarily about justice not deterrence or some other utilitarian metric
That is a coherent response to the question of the death penalty in general; but not necessarily to this case and the particular moment that we are in right now.