234
That’s the number of people executed during Rick Perry’s time as governor of the Lone Star State. Just to put that in perspective, that equals one person killed every 17 days since he has been in office. “I never struggled with that at all. The state of Texas has a very thoughtful a very clear process in place,” Perry stated in last night’s Republican presidential debate. “If you come into our state and you kill one of our children (or a police officer)….you will face the ultimate justice in the state of Texas and that is you will be executed,” he continued.
It was not so much Governor Perry’s words that caused me alarm as I watched the debate, but rather the strong applause he received in his support when asked about the killing of 234 people. I had a similar feeling when I watched as people gathered outside the White House to celebrate the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Somehow our country has become a nation that does not value human life. This is evident first and foremost in the fact that abortion is legal in our country and that countless women choose to end the life of their own children every day. But it is also apparent in the applause at last night’s debate. 234 people are 234 too many to be killed in a nation that has the ability to keep those same people behind bars if we would just choose to do so. But it goes further than that. We continue to spend enormous amounts of money on weapons (including weapons of mass destruction) that have no purpose other than the destruction of human life.
We also continue to devalue human life by the way we objectify women in every form of media available. And what’s more, we have begun the process of doing the same thing to men. It as if we have no problem with allowing ourselves to be debased before the whole world.
This is not meant to be a depressing post, but rather one that raises the question to Christians of how to respond to such issues, to such a time of crisis. I have watched as those dedicated to pro-life efforts have worked tirelessly to fight for those who have no power to fight for their own lives. I have been attacked by those who feel that I am standing in the way of a woman’s right to choose. I have listened to the confessions of women who wished they could go back and make a different choice and assured them of God’s mercy for them and his care for their aborted children.
Our fight for life and for the dignity of all people, however, is far from done. The applause I witnessed last night tells me that too many Americans do not value life to the extent that they ought. It tells me that we are all too willing to place a low value on human life. My hope is that Christians, myself included, can begin to live in ways that will show others why we should never celebrate the death of another person.
More on this topic over at Mark Shea’s blog.
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