3 ms·

> Do "Christian" groups still push for the highest technically possible sentence against the public interest? I've never heard that. On the contrary, many chur

> Do "Christian" groups still push for the highest technically possible sentence against the public interest? I've never heard that. On the contrary, many churches have jail and prison outreach ministries (here's one I just found on google: http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/socialjustice/?prison http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/socialjustice/?prison). One of them, Prison Fellowship (and its founder Chuck Colson) is quite large and widely respected and supported in the Christian community (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Fellowship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Fellowship). Justice Fellowship spun off of Prison Fellowship, which specifically fights to reform the American justice system (http://www.justicefellowship.org/issues http://www.justicefellowship.org/issues).

spacemanmatt 11y ago
It's easy to find self-described Christians who are extremely right-wing and favor harsh sentences for "lawbreakers" because they see themselves as the good people who will never break a law, and therefore never experience or otherwise have to think about proportionality.
- LesZedCB 11y ago
  Quite frankly, I think it's possible to find that in almost any group that is middle class or higher. Reducing it to a religious problem is pretty simplistic, especially since it's already pretty well understood to be a race problem and an economic/class problem.
- adrusi 11y ago
  Yeah but that's more tied with the "right wing" than the "Christian". Sure there's overlap between those groups, but you won't find more left-wing Christian groups pressing for harsher sentencing, and you will find right-wing non-christian (non-religious) groups pushing for harsher sentencing, so I think referring to them as " Christian is really a misidentification.
- humanrebar 11y ago
  Sure. And from a Christian perspective, they ignore Christ's teachings when they do so: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:35-40 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:35... Christ always had a special place for the people in the worst circumstances, even if they deserve their problems.

spacemanmatt 11y ago

It's easy to find self-described Christians who are extremely right-wing and favor harsh sentences for "lawbreakers" because they see themselves as the good people who will never break a law, and therefore never experience or otherwise have to think about proportionality.

LesZedCB 11y ago
Quite frankly, I think it's possible to find that in almost any group that is middle class or higher. Reducing it to a religious problem is pretty simplistic, especially since it's already pretty well understood to be a race problem and an economic/class problem.
adrusi 11y ago
Yeah but that's more tied with the "right wing" than the "Christian". Sure there's overlap between those groups, but you won't find more left-wing Christian groups pressing for harsher sentencing, and you will find right-wing non-christian (non-religious) groups pushing for harsher sentencing, so I think referring to them as " Christian is really a misidentification.
humanrebar 11y ago
Sure. And from a Christian perspective, they ignore Christ's teachings when they do so: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:35-40 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:35... Christ always had a special place for the people in the worst circumstances, even if they deserve their problems.