Cold Mountain Penitentiary houses 500 prisoners sentenced to Life Without Parole. There are about 200 sex offenders and 300 killers. Very few killers have more then one victim. This statistic is not in any way unusual -- it represents the statistical makeup of about 160,000 lifers in the whole of USA. Many of the prisoners attend a Protestant prison chapel. Recently, the chapel got a new minister. Reverend Cain is a very respectable 80 yo man. He was a Valedictorian in his High school. Later he joined US Air Force. During the Vietnam War, Mr. Cain has served USA -- he piloted a B52 bomber on 300 sorties during the Vietnam War. He received multiple rewards for his bravery and outstanding service. Since the end of 1970s, Mr. Cain went to a Protestant College and became a Reverend. Reverend Cain preaches energetic sermons and encourages all sinners -- particularly killers to repent. He also stresses the enormity of their crime. He tells them that they must never forget what hey have done. How should the prisoners react to Reverend Cain's sermons? Should they take these sermons to heart? Should they react with skepticism?
Of course, lifers guilty of murder have a lot to repent for. Nevertheless, one question is who has moral authority to judge others.
I am sorry I did not make my point more clearly: My point can only be understood in terms of my response here.
Is this about the Reverend going to war and possibly doing the same crimes in his duties? Like taking a life? So, did he forget what he did? Is he a total hypocrite???
The vast majority of about 800,000 civilian losses during Vietnam War resulted from US Air force and long range artillery. A pilot who flew B52 bomber on 300 sorties is likely to have between 50 and 100 civilian losses on his account.
Being a killer is no worse than any other sin according to God. Because they are in Prison for life is irrelevant.
The killers should stop killing people. As long as they don't kill anymore, they can listen to the sermon any way they like.
Very few killers become recidivist killers or serial killers. Of course this does not excuse their original crime.
When it comes to morality we should bring in Kholbergs stages of moral development which takes moral choices out of the realm of black and white looking at the reasons a person bases moral choices. A person a lower level might chose not to kill people because of a fear of punishment, while a person in the higher levels of development might choose not to kill people based on universal principiles around the sanctity of human life. It is scary to think that there may people out there who would happily kill you if they thought they wouldn't get caught.
Senator John McCain was ordered on sorties that would kill civilians. He had moral doubts. He was afraid of AntiAircraft fire. Nevertheless, he obeyed the orders. Here.
Being a reverend at all preaching at all would be the same moral dilemma. I'm not sure if you're aware of this but preachers and ministers priests so forth they are human beings we can't expect them to be perfect. To think that they don't repent for their sins is to pretend you know what someone else is thinking. A penitent sinner encouraging other sinners to also be penitent is not a moral dilemma.
Seems like a True Scotsman argument. Faith is about one's own relationship with god, the universe, or whatever the center of the faith is. The prisoners should accordingly react in accordance with their own relationships with god, the universe, or whatever the center of their respective beliefs or disbeliefs are. If Rev. Cain's sermons add value to the prisoner's religious experience, then more power to him/them. If not, at least these people had something to do with an hour a week other than sit in their cells I guess.
Are you asking from a Christian perspective. It sounds like you might as well be asking if Christianity is true or not. Or is you question from a secular atheist perspective, asking if there's any good repenting for your evil when you are locked up and will never be allowed to commit that evil again? I think you're going to have to be a little more specific with what type of answer you are looking for before I waste time trying to write a good answer.
I'll also point out that you are basically talking about a change in heart, and not physical actions, in the case of prisoners who are sentenced to life in prison. Interesting to think about, isn't it? According to the atheist perspective, does it even matter what a person believes, if they'll never have an opportunity during their lifetime to translate those beliefs into a change of actions?
The problem is that he is a killer who was rewarded for his sins. Now he shames other killers who are serving life sentence for their sins.
Well, they should all be released immediately, if your take is a killer is a killer is a killer, right?
How does that story get that point across? The minister/reverend did not seem like an unethical person in your story.
Sorry, your story is not making any sense at all. I get very frustrated at stupidity and waste of time posts. You're not making your point, whatever that is, very well.
No. They broke the law of the land and thus they serve a lifelong term. I believe 15-20 years is more appropriate, but The Law in the Law.
I apologize for not making it clear. He piloted a B52 bomber on 300 sorties during the Vietnam War -- thus he did personally kill several dozen civilians. Most civilian losses in Vietnam War resulted from US Air Force and long range artillery.