Out of My Mind

Not W's kind of Christians at all, huh? By way of AlterNet Peek:

A Christian view of killing Tookie
By Evan Derkacz
Posted on December 14, 2005, Printed on December 15, 2005
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/evan/29560/

As Father Jake points out in his opposition to the state of California's execution of Tookie Williams, both Moses and St. Paul were also redeemed murderers.

Calling the state-sponsored killing "barbarous atrocities," FJ writes:

"Do I say that because I think Tookie Williams was innocent? No... Do I consider this execution to be an atrocity because I believe that Tookie redeemed himself through his anti-gang work? That is a better reason... I object to this execution because I believe that it is God’s nature to always balance justice with mercy..."
FJ then quotes another Christian opposition to execution which subverts the more rational arguments like its unequal application, concerns over whether the convict has reformed, or the good he/she can do and argues that:

"This alone - this view of mercy as a gift from God to us... should be the true motivation for any clemency toward any condemned man... we should be concerned about an uncontrolled sense of vengeance in our own hearts."

(CAPBlog)