Being Rehabilitated

In a much earlier America, it was not uncommon for a person who committed a crime to be whipped in public, to be placed in the stocks for a while, to be tortured in some way, and then let go. When they had been punished, the matter was finished and that went on with their lives. Today, we sentence a person to long periods of time, often locking them up in small rooms with other people, in conditions that would be considered inhumane by the ASPCA and expect that at the end of their sentence they will be model citizens. The Quakers, when they conceived of "pentientiaries" considered them to be places for people to contemplate their sins and thus reform themselves by finding the light of G-d. Their ideas have gone terribly wrong.

Most citizens are woefully unaware of what goes on in prison. They have the misconceived belief that it is country club where prisoners are taught college educations and that at the end of their sentence they are able to rejoin society without difficulty. Such beliefs are false and in fact detrimental to the system.

One such example happened yesterday in Kansas City. A man, high on PCP, took a vehicle and slammed it into a bunch of cars waiting for the light to change. He had been suspended 16 times from driving. He was totally unfit to be behind the wheel. He killed Damian Slayton. Clayton Dunlap was sentenced to 34 years in prison. He will be an old man when he comes out, if he comes out. Damian's mother said that the man should go to prison to keep him from doing this again. She said, "I don't see Clayton Dunlap as a monster. I see him as a person who made bad decisions. I want him to genuinely want to be better, and I want him to use the time he has in prison to make himself a better person -- to get an education, do what it takes to be, and want to be a productive member of society -- then I would welcome him back." What she said is meant to sound kind and merciful; in fact, it is just the opposite. Clayton has no chance to be a better person. He will be a much worse person when he comes out. And, education, people with Ph.D's are out of work. What chance does education offer him to get a job after serving time for murder. Such statements show how air-headed this woman was and how false her view of the world.

It is hypocrisy to say things like this when in fact the real reason the man is going to prison is to put him away from society because we are afraid of him. It is far more just and kind to put him on an island far from society than to lock him in a cage. And forget about these false promises that he will be treated fairly after paying the price. He will not be able to survive and will be forced to use the lessons he has learned in prison to rob, kill and survive.

I propose that corporeal punishment is far more humane. It is time that we empty the prisons. Execute those who are guilty of murder. Whip those who are guilty of serious crimes. Put to hard labor for a set period those who smoke marijuana or use drugs. Empty the prisons. Let these people get back to their lives and if the state wants to give them rehabilitation, hurrah. But do not do it as an incentive to be pardoned or paroled.

Reconciliation Before the Sun Goes Down

Today I write with a heavy heart. Seventeen years ago I met a man. He seemed to like me and I liked him. He was distant but he was intelligent and I enjoyed being around him. We went to several events together. He was an acquaintance; he was not at the level of being a friend, but we knew each other and talked when we saw each other.

Last year, my dog, who is aggressive with larger dogs -- I think he has a Napoleonic complex -- met this man's huskie and picked a fight with his dog. His dog was not in the wrong, but on the other hand, his dog did not ignore my dog as most larger dogs do. This man was angry with me for not restraining my dog and others were angry at him for not intervening with his bigger dog and quieting the situation. He angrily stomped out of the puppy park and when he saw me, he would ignore me and play as if I was not there. I knew that he was still angry at me over the fight our dogs had gotten into.

This man, the Rev. Dr. Bruce T. Hall, passed away yesterday at 49 years of age. My heart is broken that I never reconciled with him. I waited until he made the first gesture, as he had stomped off the yard. I waited too long. Now, he is gone and I have waited too long.

There is an old saying that says we should not let the sun go down on our anger. The wisdom of this addage has always been clear, but today it is poignant.

The command of the great teacher is that we must make reconciliation on the way to court, on the way to communion, on the way of life. It is not that we are to wait

I seldom sin. But I have sinned and fallen short of the will of the Most High and I heartily confess my sin, hoping that my confession will help someone to make the first step toward reconciliation before the sun goes down today. Please have mercy on me, O Great Comforter, and grant me pardon and remission of my sin. Amen.

The Right of Sanctuary

The right of sanctuary was based on the inviolability attached to things sacred, and not, as some have held, on the example set by the Hebrew cities of refuge. It was recognized under the Code of Theodosius (399) and later by that of Justinian. Papal sanction was first given to it by Leo I, about 460, though the first Council of Orange had dealt with the matter in 441.

The earliest mention of sanctuary in England was in a code of laws promulgated by King Ethelbert in 600. The right of asylum was originally confined to the church itself, but in course of time its limits were extended to the precincts, and sometimes even to a larger area.

Violation of the protection of sanctuary was punishable by excommunication.

The right of sanctuary was also supported by the tradition begun in the early Byzantine period forbidding weapons of any kind in Church. Even the Emperor had to remove his weapons to enter the church.

The principle of sanctuary and the exclusion of weapons from the church is a necessary ideal to maintain the holiness of a church. The right of the people to pray in peace, to worship in peace, and to be free from acts of violence within the sanctuary is necessary to maintain the freedom of religion from the State.

However, there is a growing attitude that the right to keep and bear arms should extend even to the church. While I am a stalwart supporter of the right to keep and bear arms to protect us against the state and agressors, I oppose without reservation the introduction of arms into a church or other place of worship or sanctification like a shrine or cemetery. The church and it alone must decide whether a weapon will be allowed in a sanctuary.

Now is the time for civilization to speak up. We as a civilized people must not allow guns or weapons of any kind in the church without the express permission of the highest church authority.

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