Comments on: Religious People Are the Best People L http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/ THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER ACTIVE. We've retired this blog, but the GifS gang is now active at Atheist Oasis (atheistoasis.wordpress.com). Visit us there! Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:44:32 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Revenant http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-299303 Revenant Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:44:30 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-299303 So Bruce, you're saying that if someone accidentally killed your kids you wouldn't want them punished? So Bruce, you’re saying that if someone accidentally killed your kids you wouldn’t want them punished?

]]> By: God is for Suckers! - Commentary, news, and rants on the evils and stupidity of belief in the big invisible daddy in the sky. Illuminating and watchdogging the widespread attempts to institutionalize the theocratic rule of the US. Making fun of believers http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-299298 God is for Suckers! - Commentary, news, and rants on the evils and stupidity of belief in the big invisible daddy in the sky. Illuminating and watchdogging the widespread attempts to institutionalize the theocratic rule of the US. Making fun of believers Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:15:23 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-299298 [...] Three more stories that prove what you already know: that Religious People Are the Best People. [...] [...] Three more stories that prove what you already know: that Religious People Are the Best People. [...]

]]> By: BruceH http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-298233 BruceH Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:42:12 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-298233 Revenant, just because the courts punish people for accidental deaths does not make it right. If the death was truly accidental, what good does punishment do? In my mind, it is better to let off a few guilty people because their crime was mistakenly ruled an accident, and forgive the vast majority whose mistakes were justly ruled. After all, crimes of that nature are actually fairly difficult to cover up as accidents. Evidence is left behind, etc. Sending someone to jail or prison for something that they had no real control over, and would avoid could they do it again, serves no purpose but to assuage the vengeful feelings of the persons impacted by the tragedy. Catharsis is not justice, no matter how much it may feel that way. If one wants to avoid such accidents in the future, one's time is better spent finding actual solutions to the problem rather than locking away the reminders. Accidents can and should be avoided, but they happen, and like it or not, they can happen to you. You can say that you would never, ever be so forgetful as to leave a defenceless child locked in a car, but you would be lying to yourself. Even if you are perfect enough to rule out such a situation entirely, not everyone is. Simply locking away those unfortunate enough to make such mistakes does not make said mistakes one iota less likely to happen to someone else. All it does is further torment those who are already deeply sorry for their actions. Revenant, just because the courts punish people for accidental deaths does not make it right. If the death was truly accidental, what good does punishment do?

In my mind, it is better to let off a few guilty people because their crime was mistakenly ruled an accident, and forgive the vast majority whose mistakes were justly ruled. After all, crimes of that nature are actually fairly difficult to cover up as accidents. Evidence is left behind, etc.

Sending someone to jail or prison for something that they had no real control over, and would avoid could they do it again, serves no purpose but to assuage the vengeful feelings of the persons impacted by the tragedy. Catharsis is not justice, no matter how much it may feel that way.

If one wants to avoid such accidents in the future, one’s time is better spent finding actual solutions to the problem rather than locking away the reminders. Accidents can and should be avoided, but they happen, and like it or not, they can happen to you. You can say that you would never, ever be so forgetful as to leave a defenceless child locked in a car, but you would be lying to yourself. Even if you are perfect enough to rule out such a situation entirely, not everyone is.

Simply locking away those unfortunate enough to make such mistakes does not make said mistakes one iota less likely to happen to someone else. All it does is further torment those who are already deeply sorry for their actions.

]]> By: Revenant http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-298095 Revenant Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:18:58 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-298095 No they shouldn't, but it also doesn't mean they shouldn't be punished at all. Sure, the loss of the child is a trememdous punishment if it was indeed an accident, but they still punish people for accidental deaths, whether it was their own child or not. No they shouldn’t, but it also doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be punished at all. Sure, the loss of the child is a trememdous punishment if it was indeed an accident, but they still punish people for accidental deaths, whether it was their own child or not.

]]> By: vastleft http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-298090 vastleft Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:56:54 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-298090 Revenant, I understand you're suggesting that Smith and Yates could have staged "accidents" and might have gotten off that way. Always hard to tell when someone is caretaker of someone very young or very infirm. But it doesn't mean everyone who has an apparent accident should be convicted of manslaughter or murder. Revenant,

I understand you’re suggesting that Smith and Yates could have staged “accidents” and might have gotten off that way. Always hard to tell when someone is caretaker of someone very young or very infirm. But it doesn’t mean everyone who has an apparent accident should be convicted of manslaughter or murder.

]]> By: vastleft http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-298062 vastleft Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:16:52 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-298062 Did Susan Smith forget to take her kids out of the car when she drove it into the water? Did Andrea Yeats forget to stop shoving her five children's heads in the bathtub? Some people are pretty forgetful, I guess. Did Susan Smith forget to take her kids out of the car when she drove it into the water?

Did Andrea Yeats forget to stop shoving her five children’s heads in the bathtub?

Some people are pretty forgetful, I guess.

]]> By: Revenant http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-297982 Revenant Sun, 16 Sep 2007 16:03:00 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-297982 By failing to prosecute, now anyone who doesn't want their kid any more can say they just forgot. Does Susan Smith or Andrea Yates mean anything? By failing to prosecute, now anyone who doesn’t want their kid any more can say they just forgot. Does Susan Smith or Andrea Yates mean anything?

]]> By: BruceH http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/comment-page-1/#comment-297981 BruceH Sun, 16 Sep 2007 15:30:57 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2007/09/14/religious-people-are-the-best-people-l/#comment-297981 I'm afraid I must side with VL on this one. I can't imagine that mother was anything other than a loving, caring parent who had a million things to do and not enough time to do them in, like millions of other parents. Perhaps she simply forgot to drop the child off at daycare. Tragic, yes, but it happens. It happens more often than any of us would like to admit. Further proof that god is <b>not</b> watching out for us. My heart goes out to that woman. For what it's worth, I also agree with the DA's decision not to prosecute. What happened is quite clearly a tragic accident. Why should that woman be made to suffer in prison for something that will haunt her for the rest of her life? Where is the "justice" in that. Her baby is dead. No amount of justice will bring that child back, and no amount of prison time will save another baby from such a fate. To prosecute would simply be misplaced and wilful persecution; vengeance, not justice. I’m afraid I must side with VL on this one. I can’t imagine that mother was anything other than a loving, caring parent who had a million things to do and not enough time to do them in, like millions of other parents. Perhaps she simply forgot to drop the child off at daycare. Tragic, yes, but it happens. It happens more often than any of us would like to admit.

Further proof that god is not watching out for us. My heart goes out to that woman.

For what it’s worth, I also agree with the DA’s decision not to prosecute. What happened is quite clearly a tragic accident. Why should that woman be made to suffer in prison for something that will haunt her for the rest of her life? Where is the “justice” in that. Her baby is dead. No amount of justice will bring that child back, and no amount of prison time will save another baby from such a fate.

To prosecute would simply be misplaced and wilful persecution; vengeance, not justice.

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