Transcript Respect Life Week - Day 3 Powerpoint

“Thou shalt not kill” vs. “Thou
shalt not murder”
AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH TEACHES REGARDING CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT
Some choices
are never
easy…
…especially regarding
the taking of another
human life. In the
cases of abortion or
euthanasia, the ethical
concerns are in many
ways clearer because
it involves innocent
life. But in the case of
a dangerous criminal
who has brought
violence and death to
the community…
Lord Eddard Stark ponders his choice to execute a deserter
Some cases
might seem
obvious…
But are they? It
might be easy, for
example, simply to
say that a mass
murderer such as
Lord Voldemort
should be executed,
no questions asked.
After all, he has done
nothing but bring
about mayhem and
death. And yet, he is
a human person.
Does Lord Voldemort possess human dignity?
So before we figure out what to
do about Voldemort…
LET’S FIND OUT WHAT THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH TEACHES ABOUT CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT…
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
If bloodless means are
sufficient to defend human
lives against an aggressor
and to protect public order
and the safety of persons,
public authority must limit
itself to such means,
because they better
correspond to the concrete
conditions of the common
good and are more in
conformity to the dignity
of the human person.
 What is always at stake
first and foremost is
human dignity.
 Even the most evil
person is still human,
possessing basic dignity
 But justice must be
served, as well as the
security and well-being
of the larger community.
In Evangelium Vitae, Bl. John Paul II points out:
It is clear that, for these
purposes to be achieved, the
nature and extent of the
punishment must be carefully
evaluated and decided upon,
and ought not go to the
extreme of executing the
offender except in cases of
absolute necessity: in other
words, when it would not be
possible otherwise to defend
society. Today however, as a
result of steady improvements
in the organization of the
penal system, such cases are
very rare, if not practically
non-existent.
 Not executing a murderer
does not equal “letting them
off”. In fact, some consider
life without parole to be a
worse punishment than
death.
 To that end, John Paul II says
that crime must be punished
in order to “redress the
violation of personal and
social rights,” but in a way
which does not rob someone
of their basic human dignity,
nor that of society’s.
This doesn’t
make the
criminal a nice
person
Murderers have
done vile, horrible
things to innocent
persons, so let’s not
pretend that we’re
all going to become
best buddies. But
do we as a society
drag ourselves
down to their level
of outrage? Aren’t
we better than that?
On the other hand…
EVERY HUMAN PERSON AND COMMUNITY
HAS A RIGHT TO SELF-PRESERVATION AND
MUST DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST
INCURSION OR INVASION.
AND SOMETIMES THAT MEANS THAT
SOMEONE’S GOING TO GET KILLED.
When someone attacks your family, for example:
 Legitimate defense can be
not only a right but a grave
duty for someone
responsible for another's life,
the common good of the
family or of the State
(Catechism of the Catholic
Church).
 In this case, the fatal
outcome is attributable to
the aggressor whose action
brought it about (Evangelium
Molly Weasley kills to defend her daughter’s life
Vitae).
Now it’s your turn
Take the case of Tom Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort.
Despite all the opportunities given to him at Hogwarts, Tom
still chose to follow his sociopathic path of terror,
manipulation, murder and viciousness. Now cornered,
chained and rendered unable to escape, what should the
penalty be for his crimes?
 As you decide his fate, consider not only his humanity, but your own.
Would your community be better served by giving him the Avada
Kedavra? Would you be a better person for that? Would your society be
harmed if he was given life in Azkaban?
 Take a few moments to write your verdict and justify it, and be ready to
debate your classmates.
So what?
 No matter how
compassionate you might
be, killers such as Voldemort
won’t be so quick to say
thanks. In fact, he might
view your mercy as
weakness.
 But so what? Why should
society lower itself to his
level, right? Why bring more
death and violence just at a
time when we’re trying to get
rid of these things?
Therefore, we must address this question:
 How does my rejection of
the death penalty in favor
of restorative justice help
me? How does it affect my
community? How does it
impact my relationship
with God, who shows
mercy to sinners every day
of the year?
 Take a few moments to
journal on this, then share
your ideas with the class.
Severus Snape received mercy from Dumbledore and
became a better person for it.