Is The Death Penalty Ever Necessary In Our Society

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='ThyWillBeDone' date='Jul 8 2004, 04:24 PM'] So you have decide to trust your own interpetation of scripture instead of the Magisteriums. I will trust the Magisteriums interpetation.
Chris [/quote]
It is a failure to understand the relationship between Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Church, to argue that the Magisterium can either alter what God's has revealed, or change the immutable principles of the natural moral law. The Magisterium, as Vatican 2 teaches, is not above the word of God, but is its servant, and thus it cannot alter anything that has been revealed. [cf., Dogmatic Constitution [u]Dei Verbum[/u], no. 10] Do not confuse the prudential judgments of the Pope with statements that bind in conscience. Cardinal Ratzinger's recent letter to the US Bishops about politicians who dissent from Church teaching on abortion and who still receive communion is illustrative of this, for in that letter Cardinal Ratzinger points out that the faithful are not bound to accept the judgments of the Pope as [i]de fide[/i], in matters touching on capital punishment or whether or not to go to war.

I want to be clear on this, I am not arguing for the indiscriminate use of the death penalty, because in most cases it can be avoided, but that does not mean that it cannot be used at all.

Edited July 8, 2004 by Apotheoun

[CatholicCrusader]

ThyWillBeDone, the Magesterium spoke outright that it is NOT immoral to have the death penalty. In fact, She stated that it is in [i]paramount obedience[/i] to do so. Either that is wrong (as you claim), meaning the Magesterium erred, or the new idea of the death penalty is wrong and is a liberal idea from modernism spurred on by the "dignity of the human person" (be he a homosexual, murderer, heretic, etc., etc.). The new catechism is not infallible. The Roman Catechism is not, either; however, for those who take "whatever the Pope says as doctrine" it is impossible to deny the Roman Catechism, especially when the new catechism does not contradict it outright nor does it condemn the death penalty outright. Furthermore, it does not quote any document whatsoever, be it from a council, the Church Fathers, etc. All it can muster is a speach from the Pope. Do you trust Sacred Tradition, Scripture, Popes and Saints from all days, the Church Fathers, and many councils, especially the Council of Trent as well as the Church's stance throughout history (inquisition, etc.) or do you trust this new idea invented c. 1980 from the Pope's opinion?

[qfnol31]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='Jul 8 2004, 04:31 PM'] I want to be clear on this, I am not arguing for indescriminate use of the death penalty, because in most cases it can be avoided, but that does not mean that it cannot be used at all. [/quote]
Do you think the US should ever use it?