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It is interesting how for such a Christian nation, America has such a harsh penal system -- one would expect all those Christians to just let the criminals be p
by valkyrja 16y ago
It is interesting how for such a Christian nation, America has such a harsh penal system -- one would expect all those Christians to just let the criminals be punished in the afterlife.
It's not really that surprising. If I'm not wrong, the range of offenses in America included "sins" like idolatry, blasphemy and witchcraft. Society reflects on what gets a man into prison. Religious judgment has had something to say and it's not always "turn the other cheek"
Believing that a christian nation wouldn't be able to have such a harsh penal system is naive at its best.
- rdtsc 16y agoI guess the point is that it indirectly reflects the hypocrisy and highlights the lack of faith in the religious beliefs for those who profess them. In other words, the extreme expected outcome would be to either forgive, or to not forgive and let afterlife take care of delivering the just reward or punshment. Neither one of those choices should result in severe punishment for criminals just for the sake of revenge. > Believing that a christian nation wouldn't be able to have such a harsh penal system is naive at its best. I do not actually believe that. I was arguing more as a logic exercize, to highlight the inherent inconsistency and hypocricy in how the judicial and legal system is setup vis-a-vis the prevalent religious beliefs in this country.