Posted on 01/12/2003 1:02:10 PM PST by kattracks
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that Illinois Gov. George Ryan "did an awesome thing" in commuting the sentences of 167 death-row inmates.
"He chose to fight the death machine," Jackson said in a sermon at a Manhattan church. "He chose to end legal lynching."
Some 200 congregants at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village applauded as Jackson compared Ryan to Pontius Pilate, who he said could have commuted Jesus' death sentence.
Ryan's mass commutation on Saturday was the sharpest blow to capital punishment since the U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in 1972, forcing states to redraw their laws to make them more equitable.
Most of the 167 Illinois inmates will now serve life without parole.
Jackson, whose Rainbow/PUSH coalition is based in Chicago, was in New York for the group's annual Wall Street conference and made several public appearances throughout the city.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
You can't prove that from that. The crucifixion of Christ, from the earthly point of view, was a lynch job pure and simple, and Pilate as one who must answer to God as does all earthly government, had NO legitimate business ordering it. The "authority" in this context is the same as the "authority" given the devil... i.e. permission.
Please don't misunderstand. It's not that I want politics off limits in Church, I just sense a little disparity here.
Oh, I agree. Of course. However, the fact that a God-given authority can be abused does not mean that the authority has not been given. There is an old saying in theology: Abusus non tollit sed confirmat substantiam. "The abuse does not destroy but confirms the substance." A rogue cop who wrongly uses deadly force, a deranged soldier who commits a massacre--they are abusing their God-given authority. Even so, that does not do away with the proper use of that authority to wield the sword--whether by policemen or soldiers or a Roman governor or an American criminal justice system.
And I agree that the one passage I cited, John 19:10-11, does not speak directly to the issue of capital punishment. But Jesus there does indirectly acknowledge that the state does have the God-given authority to put to death.
The other passage I cited, Romans 13:3-4, speaks more directly to the God-given authority of government to carry out capital punishment. It is the locus classicus on the subject.
And with YOUR help we can all monitor Democrats in all churches. If they are going to complain so am I. If it's good enough for one party then it's good enough for all parties to appear in churches. They either shut up or apply their "standards" equally.
To contact one of their little natzis...
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Email:
Donya Khalili
khalili@au.org
Barry Lynn
AU Executive Director
Rob Boston
AU Assistant Director of Communications
I guess if one wanted to read that into the passage they could. It's moot to the meaning of the passage.
The Romans passage is, yes, the basis of a much better argument that the Lord endorses some kind of role for executions in civil rule. Exactly what degree of "evildoing" that should be for, can be debated. Romans sometimes used that "sword" to execute offenders for thefts, that is if they escaped crucifixion.
I suppose this indicates that it is now safe for the "Rev-Rund" to finally turn over his long awaited tax forms.
OMG, they've started cloning George Ryan and placing him in other states.
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