Over the course of time various groups of humans have taken the stance that it is okay for their society, their community to murder. They come up with their various reasons as to why it is okay. If you look upon the sacred texts from Abrahamic faiths, and probably others as well, you find various accounts of people attempting to rationalize and justify their world view, their faith, and their societies taking of another life. for some within these faiths they may try and uses these texts to justify their positions, ignoring themselves of love, compassion, caring for all that may be found within. Ignoring aspects of the stories, written, or hinted at that may indicate this may be the law and reasoning for it, but perhaps it isn’t how things should really be. Ignoring the logic puzzle that is created by the cases for communal murder, that even those writing may have ignored.
For if the punishment for say, murder is death, and that punishment is carried out by the community, then the community has murdered, and thus they now should face the same punishment, yet because they are the ones committing the crime of murder they tend to over look that they are doing so and live on to murder another day.
Yes, I know this is not the way many think of it. In part it may be the language we use, as we tend to not use the term murder when we refer to the act of the calculated, planed taking life of one who has been accused and convicted of taking the life of another. We also tend to separate ourselves from the act, and not think of the aspect of our involvement. This post is mainly focusing on the communal murder described earlier in this paragraph, but I want to express that this is not the only form of communal murder we commit. There is also the communal murder committed by military and related action, by excessive police force, by our choosing to not eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, even though it could be done for a lot less then the communal murder done through acts of war, the deaths caused by us refusing to ensure all have access to basic life saving medical care… So when I describe numbers of how many communal murders I have been a part of it is in reference to just that type of communal murder and not the others, unless I state otherwise.
In some ways I am a lucky person, if I look at just the acts of the communities in which the governments represented me. In my lifetime, like all Americans alive in that time period we have communally murdered three people, and in the states where I was a legal resident of, I have been a party to 3 additional murders for a total of 6. The three state level communal murders took place prior to my having the legal right to vote, the the three federal after I had the right to vote. In addition to this I have lived while attending school and participating in internships and fellowships in states where additional communal murders took place, though my legal residence remained in a state where none took place. Summer 2004- I was in Ohio, during those three months: 3 communal murders, Once more in Ohio for most of 2006, 7, 8, 9, and 10 for School, during the time I was in that state there were 14 communal murders. Thus through the governments that represented me I participated in 6 murders, three of them enacted once I had voice and vote, three before I had voice and vote, and was present in a state where I had no vote for an additional 14 for a total of 20 that I was present in the legal jurisdiction where the communal murder took place. Compare that to someone the same date as I who lived in say Texas their entire life- 489TX+3Fed for a total 491 (289 of them after age 18), I am lucky to have murdered so few (3,6, or 20 depending on how one counts… or 22 if one counts the 2 in Ohio that took place while I was not in Ohio, but while I still had belongings in a residence in Ohio). In my lifetime 1273 people have been communally murdered within the various legal jurisdictions of United States, 697 since I turned 18. Since it is possible for federal level law to end communal murder even in the states, my count could rise up to these numbers as well. I don’t have numbers for the rest of the world, but that will rise it even higher as a member of the Human family. I do not want to be a murder, and am very sorrowful that I have communally murdered so many… not to count the thousands, if not millions we have communally murdered during this time through lack of action, war…. This is not Okay.As a person of faith, I stand with clear voice saying this is not okay.
The first communal murder I have much recollection of, is the first of the three that took place in states where I lived. It took place while I was 10 years of age. I wasn’t physically there, but I do recall sitting in the living room, the TV on and watching the news as they talked about the man we were about to murder, as they showed the protestors outside, the governor’s refusal to commute the sentence… I don’t recall much details of the case or the man. I remember seeing pictures of where the death would take place… and things like that…
Here in Oregon our current Governor, has just prevented the first communal murder in 14 years(scheduled for the 6th of Dec.) from taking place. In the last 49 years only 2 communal murders have taken place in Oregon, one in 1996, one in 1997. Both of these took place under the governorship of the same man who is once again our Governor, even though he himself was not for communal murder, and has described it as the hardest decision he has ever made and he expressed regret in allowing them to take place. However, he did not commute the communal murder, but postponed it stating no communal murders will take place during his time as governor, but that he feels that while he has the authority to commute all 34 who are waiting to be murdered by us to sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, it is something that the voters must address. I hope that we as Oregonians will take this chance to step up, and say we will murder no more and end the practice all together. The Governor has stated that that is what he intends to push for, the elimination of communal murder sentencing, and instead life without parole being the option. (I find it interesting that Oregon has had at least two Governors who have allowed communal murder to take place whose personal beliefs and morals is that communal murder is wrong, our current Governor Kitzhaber [D] his past stint, and Gov/Sen Hatfield [R]… there could be others, I just know of these two, in in Kitzhaber’s case we know he has regretted doing so, and has said it will not happen again while he is Governor)
For those of us who follow Christ, the communal murder of Jesus son of Mary and Joseph so long ago should be reason enough for us to stand in opposition to communal murdering of those who have committed crimes. If it is not, then the communal murders of many of the first apostles and disciples should be, along with the laws against murder, the teachings of Christ, should be… I’m glad my faith tradition stands in opposition of communal murder, though I am sad it took us until 2000 to pass a world conference resolution stating we stand against it. I am sad that in this act, as in many others, that while we are called to be prophetic we we late to the game and followed others to standing up for the worth of all persons. (In one of the whereas we indicate that we were not courageous to act prophetically until others did by stating “ A growing number of nations and faith groups including Catholic, Protestant, orthodox, Jewish, and other traditions have either already rejected or urged extreme caution in using the death penalty as a means of punishment or as a deterrent for violent crime.”) The binding parts of the resolution, are the resolves and so the resolves of World Conference resolution 1273 are: “Resolved, That we stand in opposition to the use of the death penalty; and be it further Resolved, That as a peace church we seek ways to achieve healing and restorative justice.”
May we have the courage and conviction to step forward and be prophetic, may we have the courage to act now, and not wait for others to lead the way. Let us embrace our eternal call to care for the world, to bring about healing and reconciliation. Let us stand with conviction that the Holy calls us to love one another and that “One being is as precious in God’s sight as the other” (Jacob 2:27 as quoted in resolves of WCR 1273) and bring an end to the suffering and pain in the world. Bring an end to the communal murder that is described in this post, but also the communal murder we participate in through our actions and inactions though the means of world hunger, extreme poverty, lack of access to basic healthcare, proper sanitation, through acts of war, through violent use of force by police…. Let us stand with our sisters and brother of other faiths within the circle of all those who call upon the name of Christ, and in the larger circle of faiths of all who call upon the Holy, the Ultimate reality.., and upon the larger circles of all of humanity and all of creation, and heal our broken world…
Peace,
— Lyle II