The Death Penalty: Killing in the name of God is the ultimate act of blasphemy

by Abdul Olugbala Shakur

The Death Penalty is one of many signs of a society that is morally deter­iorating, especially a society that proclaims an affinity with God and the Holy Scriptures. First of all, there’s nothing in the Holy Scriptures which gives moral support and/or credence to the implementation of the Death Penalty. This is a man-made evil, and it is this spiritual contradiction that will eventually condemn us all to a spiritual and moral death.

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For the first time, on the night Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger executed his old body-building competitor, author Stanley Tookie Williams, on Dec. 13, 2005, a huge crowd, largely Black youth, rallied outside San Quentin’s gate in opposition, vastly outnumbering death penalty supporters. A month later, Clarence Ray Allen was executed, but since then, public and legal pressure has, in California, held off the blasphemous act of killing in the name of God. – Photo: Minister of Information JR Valrey

This is a moral and spiritual issue, and being thus, it is imperative for society at large to analyze the social and moral dynamics pertaining to the Death Penalty from a perspective that magnifies and values human life – humanity – for its social and moral implications are beginning to manifest within the norm of societal beha­vior and attitudes.

For example, at every execution there is always a crowd of people who are proponents of the Death Penalty standing outside the prison gates cheering the execution of the condemned. Many of them often have signs jokingly mocking the human life that is about to be taken in the name of man’s warped sense of justice.

This celebration of death, of state-sponsored homicide, in many instances is carried out right before the family and children of the condemned. They shout out, “Kill the bastard!” completely oblivious to the impact their venomous hate is going to have on these children.

I have witnessed on a number of occasions these proponents of the Death Penalty direct their venom towards the children of the condemned, children who are hours away from being without a father. It is unfortunate that most people are not able to recognize the implications of these confrontations but, more poignantly, many of them appear not to care as they are caught up in a bloodletting frenzy orchestrated by the government and law enforcement.

Rather than create laws that are designed to encourage forgiveness, compassion and fairness, the government chose to orchestrate a social climate that incites the fallible, primeval nature of mankind when violent aggression was man’s expression of recompense. This is not by accident.

The Death Penalty is one of many signs of a society that is morally deter­iorating, especially a society that proclaims an affinity with God and the Holy Scriptures. First of all, there’s nothing in the Holy Scriptures which gives moral support and/or credence to the implementation of the Death Penalty.

In order for the Death Penalty to become an acceptable practice within a professedly democratic society that claims to be founded upon the Holy Scriptures, the government had to reconstruct the societal psychosis in a way that it would become more susceptible to draconian governmental laws for dispensing so-called justice.

I realize that the very implications of my accusatorial proclamation sounds incredible, but allow me to elaborate: A perfect analogy that I believe would both facilitate and convey my assessment is how the government orchestrated the social climate in California to help pass the state three-strikes law. This law was already lying on the political shelf because the government understood that most California taxpayers would oppose the implementation of the three-strikes law, so they never introduced it at the time it was originally presented to them by an individual whose daughter was murdered.

But when 10-year-old Polly Klaas was viciously raped and murdered by a repeat offender, it rapidly altered the socio-political climate.

Via the media, the government and law enforcement bombarded the people of Ca­lifornia with images of this little girl’s dead body, and the criminal history of the sick individual who murdered and raped this precious little girl. This enraged the people – and rightfully so.

The conditions were now ripe for the introduction of the three-strikes law. This law was presented as a law designed to protect our children from sexual predators, and the people had no reason to disbelieve the government.

But the government and law enforcement knew from the outset this law had nothing to do with protecting our children from sexual predators. They had intentionally exploited the violent torture and death of a little girl to incite and solicit the emotions – the rage – of the people to make this racist law more acceptable.

As we all know, when humans become emotional, they tend to overlook details. Now the true intentions of the three-strikes law have revealed themselves, but the damage has been done. Even though efforts are being initiated to mitigate the damage, it is too late.

The Death Penalty is another example. It is not a deterrent, but a government-sponsored medium to exact societal revenge, and we as a people are the primary tar­get of that societal retribution laced with racial hate.

People, I do understand your fear, anger and frustration, but it is these extreme emotions which often impair our moral vision and corrupt our sense of spiritual awareness, and the Death Penalty is clear example of that impaired moral vision.

Once a society loses its moral vision, it becomes subjugated to the plagues of human atrocity after human atrocity, unable to stop  the self-destructive cycle. What was once unacceptable now becomes the norm. I ask what have your eyes seen to wish to see no more?

The Death Penalty is not a deterrent, but a government-sponsored medium to exact societal revenge, and we as a people are the primary tar­get of that societal retribution laced with racial hate.

The moral and social ramifications of the implementation of the Death Penalty permeate all levels of this society. Even the family of the victim(s) equate the closure of their personal loss with the execution of the accused. In some states, the government is making it a victim’s right for the family of the deceased to be present at the execution of the accused; and many of the politicians are elected into office simply because they advocate for the Death Penalty, the legalization of gov­ernment-sponsored murder.

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Abdul Olugbala Shakur

I ask once again: What have your eyes seen to wish to see no more? Must I dare ask, are we worthy of the Garden of Eden? Not only did we eat the apple; we planted the damn tree! It is symbolic of our spiritual and moral de­mise.

I often wonder, for those who believe in heaven, how does one explain to God the execution of an innocent person? Or even how does one justify one’s thirst for revenge? Are these qualities of a Christian?

Will this heaven have a Death Penalty? Will the Prophet Muhammad, Moses and Abraham be part of the firing squad? Or would Jesus be required to insert the lethal injection? Oh, I almost forgot; only man has the honor to execute another human being, for we have yet to provide this human privilege to God and his Prophets.

I ask for you to open up your Holy Qur’an, Holy Bible or Holy Torah and whisper to your sense of humanity: What have your eyes seen to wish to see no more? And what have your ears heard to wish to hear no more?

Has God capitulated his will to man? No! He has not! Mankind has raped our beloved God of his true virtues. The devil must be very proud of mankind, for we have mastered the art of killing in the name of God – the ultimate act of blasphemy!

Send our brother some love and light: Abdul Olugbala Shakur (J. Harvey), C-48884, PBSP SHU D1-119, P.O. Box 7500, Crescent City CA 95532.