Capital Punishment

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community. The essential basis on which community is built requires each
citizen to honor the rightful claims of others. The utter and deliberate denial
of life and opportunity to others forfeits ones own claim to continued
membership in the community, whose standards have been so flagrantly violated.
The preservation of moral community demands that the shattering of the
foundation of its existence must be taken with utmost seriousness. The
preciousness of life in a moral community must be so highly honored that those
who do not honor the life of others make null and void their own right to
membership. Those who violate the personhood of others, especially if this is
done persistently as a habit must pay the ultimate penalty. This punishment must
be inflicted for the sake of maintaining the community whose foundation has been
violated. We can debate whether some non-lethal alternative is a fitting
substitute for the death penalty. But the standard of judgment is whether ...

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But the purpose of confinement would not be vengeance or
punishment. Rather an ideal community would show mercy even to those who had
shown no mercy. It would return good for evil. The aim of isolation is
reconciliation and not revenge. Agape never gives up. It is ever hopeful that
even the worse among us can be redeemed so that their own potential contribution
to others can be realized. Opportunities for confronting those who had been hurt
most could be provided to encourage remorse and reconciliation. If a life has
been taken, no full restitution can be made, of course, but some kind of service
to the community might be required as a way of partially making amends.

EVALUATION

Such, ...

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