PA Jury Decides that the Synagogue Killer, Bowers, is Eligible for Death Penalty

[2nd trick op]

s e

Originally Posted by Wells5

The question is will Governor Shapiro sign Bowers' death warrant?

It will never get that far; the death penalty (as a common practice) is limited to only a small number of states. mostly in the Deep South; Pennsylvania has not seen an involuntary execution since 1962.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Gerania

"...There are a number of assumptions here that are either demonstrably false or (at the least) highly debatable, but among the most significant, perhaps, is the idea that Exodus 20:13 represents a biblical injunction against “killing.” There are two major problems with this assumption."

"1. It would make nonsense of much of the rest of the Old Testament."

"2. The second major objection to citing Exodus 20:13 as a prohibition on killing is that it is based on an incorrect translation of the verse. It should be translated as “Thou shalt not murder” rather than “Thou shalt not kill,” and there is quite a moral distinction between the two terms."

https://apholt.com/2015/03/17/thou-s...lt-not-murder/

I belong to a progressive church that realizes we aren't living in ancient Israel and growth is needed.

My church voted on this very thing. 1978, the General Assembly went on record as saying, “Capital punishment is an expression of vengeance which contradicts the justice of God on the cross.

In 1985, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), reaffirmed these positions and declared “its continuing opposition to capital punishment.

In 2000, and a decade later in 2010, the General Assembly reaffirmed its stance against capital punishment, and called for “an immediate moratorium on all executions in all jurisdictions that impose capital punishment,” authorizing direct advocacy by the Stated Clerk with the President of the United States, Congressional representatives, and governors and state legislators in states where persons are incarcerated while awaiting execution.

In 2008, the General Assembly approved “A Social Creed for the 21st Century” which includes the call for Christians to work for: “A system of criminal rehabilitation, based on restorative justice and an end to the death penalty.

*** Again, I think it is important to note, we aren't living in Ancient Israel. Some religions progress and some don't. Believe it or not gay marriage has been approved as well to give an idea of progression.

Now my personal beliefs also matter as I am not just a follower. I have no problem disagreeing with my chosen church. I don't believe people can claim to be a different sex. Gender is biological and there would need to be separate category for them. A man certainly can't claim women's status because women should be a protected class. I post this to show my stance and progression.

So all that history being said, I'm not for the death penalty. Life in prison will put this person out of the public and keep us safe from them. No need to end someone's life.

Hope this helps and makes people realize that there are many different religions and you can't simply lump them together with ease and pretend you are some overseer of all religions.

[gg]

https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/jury...NWNQDDOOEW5AY/

[North Beach Person]

I have a question.

Was this conviction on state or federal charges? If the state, then a death penalty means nothing since your previous Governor imposed a moratorium on it. If federal the same thing, the current President has declared his opposition to it and Federal prosecutors are hesitating to ask for it.

[MarketStEl]

To add something to gg's post upthread that might also inform what's going on here:

Even though it hasn't been headquartered here for quite some time, the Presbyterian Church USA and its predecessors have a long history in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. This used to be the location of the (Northern) Presbyterian publishing and Sunday School boards, and the Presbyterian Historical Society is located here was well.

Neither Gov. Josh Shapiro nor his predecessor, Tom Wolf, are Presbyterians, however.

I have returned to the fold even though I, baptized Presbyterian, became a confirmed Episcopalian at age 14. I now attend services at First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, whose associate pastor (part-time, and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Philadelphia the other part) is an old college buddy of mine.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I have returned to the fold even though I, baptized Presbyterian, became a confirmed Episcopalian at age 14. I now attend services at First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, whose associate pastor (part-time, and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Philadelphia the other part) is an old college buddy of mine.

My maternal grandmother was Methodist and my grandfather was Lutheran. But they couldn't agree on which church to send my mother and uncle to, so they split the difference and sent them to Presbyterian Sunday school and never got them baptized. Fast forward to the 50's, my mother was set to marry my father in a Catholic church, and one of the stipulations may have been that she had to at least be a baptized Christian, so she chose the Methodist church for that. But with the RC Church there's no splitting the baby, so my sisters and I were all baptized, confirmed, etc. as Catholics.

I think almost all mainstream religions in America are officially in favor of the sanctity of life in all its forms, but as a political and practical matter, none of that is handled by the clergy.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Neither Gov. Josh Shapiro nor his predecessor, Tom Wolf, are Presbyterians, however.

They are not. But Wolf entered the death penalty moratorium, and I don’t see Shapiro lifting it under any circumstances (and that’s perfectly fine by me).