"I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice"

The death penalty has unfortunately been a topic of discussion as of late. First, Tennessee tried to execute its first woman in 200 years; there were court orders and stays and back-and-forths, but ultimately, Christa Pike received two lethal injections. And then she lived. And then there was the fallout of reviving a person condemned to death, the trauma imposed on her and those watching, and the discussion of what happens now. It’s been a mess from beginning to almost end.

Then, it was announced that not only would the Fort Hood shooter be executed, but that the firing squad execution would be live-streamed. Even people who generally approve of the death penalty found broadcasting it distasteful. (It now seems like the administration may pull back on this due to backlash.)

I understand the desire for the death penalty. When someone has committed a horrendous act of evil, it feels like no punishment is proportionally adequate. But often, we don’t really want justice, we want vengeance. We want the causer of pain to feel our pain. And that desire drives us to committing acts that are not merciful.

To see people call not just for killing but for it to be celebrated and broadcast is horrific. It feels like we’re going back to picnics at lynchings. To take a life is already wrong; to delight in it is even darker. There is no mercy in that. There is not even justice. There is only vengeance and puerile power plays. It is not a necessary to stop the shooter, who is paralyzed and has been safely imprisoned for years. It is not a deterrence to future crime. It is merely a display of power, a message that the state will kill.

There are a lot of reasons to oppose the death penalty (wrongful convictions, costs, trusting the state to determine live or death, etc), but the greatest is that even the most horrible person deserves human dignity. We may think they have forfeited it, but human dignity and the right to life are not something that is earned. It is not a reward for right behavior. It is a right endowed by God. Assuming the person is not a threat to others’ lives, we can seek justice without seeking death. It may feel inadequate, but it is merciful. It gives a very lost person the chance of redemption, and it shows that we value human life. It is easy to defend the rights of an elementary school child; it’s harder to defend the rights of a cold-blooded murderer. We are called to treat all people with dignity. That does not preclude justice. But it doesn’t preclude mercy either. The condemned has already been tried; we will tried by how we treat them.