Cruel & Unusual Punishment?

Question for December 17, 2005

IN THEORY

Cruel & Unusual?

Q: Before he was executed this week, many argued that Stanley Tookie Williams had been rehabilitated. Others argued that his lack of contrition and the nature of his crimes justifiably doomed him to execution. Do you agree? Is the death penalty a morally acceptable form of punishment?

A: By the time this article is printed, talk of Tookie will be at a minimum, if there is a murmur about him at all. The greatest tragedy associated with the death penalty is that it desensitizes us to death and therefore life. We begin to think that justice can be delivered as a commodity - an eye-for-an-eye - rather than a response which warrants sensitivity, especially for the victims!

Today a great injustice is happening in Darfur. Tens of thousands of people are being murdered just as they were being killed in Rwanda a decade ago. It's not that we don't care; it's just that we've become so immune to killings and violence that we understand life as numbers rather than flesh, blood and souls. And when the State executes someone, we receive a booster shot to our immune system. So four days later we've forgotten about Tookie, subsequently, we close our eyes to mass murder such as Genocide.

Stan Tookie Williams died. Four others died because he shot them. Hundreds of others have been and are being killed by gang violence. Over a 2000 of our troops have died in Iraq. And on the "other" side, 30,000 Iraqis have died since the start of the war. Add to that the 29,000 kids who die each day because of hunger and the statistics and numerical values of life and death become overwhelming to the point of desensitization. So when we hear that 1.5 million Armenian were murdered in the Genocide of 1915, we accept it as a statistic to history, rather than a call to action against injustice in the world.

It all begins when we tune-out the value of the life of one man, even if he be a criminal. John Donne described it so eloquently, "No man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind; therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

The Death Penalty does not bring about justice. It only punishes us, those who remain to see another injustice.

FR. VAZKEN MOVSESIAN

Armenian Church

Youth Ministries

Taking the Christ out of Christmas

Published December 10, 2005 - Glendale News Press - Los Angeles Time

IN THEORY

Taking the Christ out of Christmas

Q: Commentator Bill O'Reilly is on a campaign to promote the use of the holiday greeting "Merry Christmas" in retail stores, reflecting a concern that outlets are replacing the greeting with non-denominational sayings such as "Happy Holidays." Do you think secular forces are wiping out such seasonal displays? Are you offended by the lack of the word "Christmas" in such displays and advertising?

A: Corporate America and the "secular forces" are doing a great job of removing Christ from Christmas, but it's not because of a reference to a generic holiday. Frankly, as a Christian I'm offended and even insulted by some of the signs that label their products with Christmas banners.

What makes a cruise a "Christmas cruise?" Do they have a plastic nativity tucked away in the corner of the dining hall? What makes the car dealer proclaim a "Christmas Sale"? Is it the big red bow over the car, or the Bible in the glove compartment? And what about the "Christmas Sale of Scotch Whiskey"? After the drunk driver kills innocent people are we to be comforted that he was returning from a Christmas party?

Christ was taken out of Christmas long ago. Whether advertisers use the word Christmas or holiday is really insignificant because what we've lost is not the word or even the person of Christ, but the message. The celebration of Christmas, with trees and ornaments, with gifts and giving, is all about a sacred relationship that we enjoy with God. The message of Christmas is all about giving to those who have absolutely no way of giving back to us -- the poor, the hungry, the starving and the sick. After all, the example was given to us on that first Christmas, when God gave to us, something so sacred, knowing that we had and have no way to return the gift, only by giving to others.

So Happy Holidays, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas.

Buy, spend and give. It's good for the economy and be comforted knowing that retailers rely on Christmas for their survival in much the same way we rely on God for ours.

FR. VAZKEN MOVSESIAN

Armenian Church

Youth Ministries

A Tangled Web of Morality

Published December 3, 2005

IN THEORY

A Tangled Web of Morality

Q: An orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, N.J., has banned the Internet for families that have school-age children, citing concern over access to sexual images. Under the ban, students with home access to the Web face expulsion from the area's Jewish private schools. What do you think of this policy, and the Web's effect on morality?

A: The Web is a tool -- a means -- by which information is passed along. It is like asking, what is the effect of a hammer on a wall. It depends on the person using it, the place of impact, type of nail and so on. The Web is a means by which good and bad information comes to us.

The critical issue at hand is that the Web is vast, global and the "bad" is no longer a subjective issue. So its use by vulnerable children should be monitored. The community in New Jersey is exercising its voice on matters of morality.

They should be commended for doing so whether we agree or disagree with the policy. As orthodox Jews, this community is saying that their standard is different and does not have a place for the trash that pollutes the mind of so many.

This is where the religious community (not government) should be.

And ultimately it is the followers of that religion that will decide whether to belong. Hence, it is up to parents (again, not government) to accept or reject those guidelines as it pertains to their children.

For me, the opportunities afforded by the Internet are tremendous in terms of evangelization and communication.

Every rose has thorns but with proper pruning and care, you can preserve and present the beauty of the flower without damaging its integrity. As with all of life, the challenge for us is to use and not abuse the wonders that are around us.

FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN

Armenian Church

Youth Ministries