As a spiritual person I have learned in the many years that I have been studying spirituality that the real truth about who Jesus Christ was and what he stood for when he walked this earth isn't hard to find, especially if people would put the time in to find out.
When Jesus Christ walked this earth he did many different things but never committed or endorsed violence of any kind against anyone. He was a teacher, a carpenter, and a communicator among many other positive things. He made friends with many different kinds of people, many of whom were shunned by society: People like lepers, the mentally ill, the lame and the blind, and prostitutes.
Jesus loved all people for who they were, no matter what they were or how different they were from everyone else. His purpose was to help, heal, and forgive all who would come to him. Though Jesus knew that he was indeed the son of God and therefore had all the powers of God at his disposal, he chose not to misuse that power for evil things or for the entertainment of man. He chose not to use that power to kill other human beings, no matter who they were or what they did. This profound decision by him led to his ultimate downfall. His friend Judas betrayed him just because of that stand that Jesus took about not misusing his powers.
Judas, like many other Jews at that time, hated the Roman Empire and all that it stood for. Judas wanted Jesus to use his godly powers to destroy the Romans, to do to the Romans exactly what the Romans were doing to the Jews. But Jesus refused. Judas wanted Jesus to execute the Romans just as the Romans executed the Jews, but Jesus said no.
Judas wanted revenge against the Romans, but Jesus didn't, so Judas, in his anger and frustration, betrayed Jesus. Many religious people use whatever excuse they can in order to justify the murdering of poor people. Even certain scriptures from the Bible are used in their cause, even though Jesus wasn't born when those Old Testament scriptures were written. Nonetheless, they use those scriptures as a reason to support the death penalty in this country from a religious standpoint. Truth be told, those Old Testament scriptures have nothing to do with legalized murder by the government. They speak to things like an eye for an eye, which is mostly between two people, not a government.
This religious justification for governmental murder can't stand if we don't allow it to. In other words, enough is enough when it comes to distorting the truth. We people who know the truth must now stand up and challenge these people by showing them that we know the truth about Jesus Christ and his mission here on earth.
We know why he was born, why he lived, and why he died and, most importantly, we know how he died! He was executed!
Between the dates of December 17th 2003 when I received a date of execution, and February 9th 2004 when I was to be murdered by this state of California, I received a great deal of mail. Most of the mail that I received was in support of me and from people fighting for my life and against my being murdered by the state.
I did receive a few letters that have to be called hate mail, which were in support of my being murdered by the state. I wasn't surprised to get this hate mail, and to be honest I thought that I would get more than I did. I wasn't even surprised that the vast majority of the hate mail that I received was from religious people. People who told me that Jesus Christ was their personal savior, and if I wanted him to be mine I must confess my sins, repent, and ask for forgiveness. Then after I did that they wanted me to slowly feel the poison that was pumped into my body and to hurt until I died.
Because I have read many books of the history of this country, I wasn't surprised by the fact that these religious people felt this way. After all, most of the crimes against humanity committed in this country against whole peoples were done in some religious context or another. But what did surprise me was the fact that these people called Jesus their savior, then wanted me to be executed. Those two things are like oil and water; they don't mix.
The way these people included Jesus Christ into their beliefs about the death penalty made me think that there are a great deal of misinformed religious people out there. If those people knew the truth about Jesus Christ then they would know and understand that the death penalty stands against everything that Jesus Christ stood for when he was alive, and stands for now, after his death.
Here are a few examples concerning what each stands for, just to set the record straight. If more religious people and their leaders would tell the truth about this most important issue, then maybe there wouldn't be so many confused people out there speaking about things that they shouldn't. Most religious organizations no longer support the death penalty, and that's a good thing. But they don't preach it in their churches, and that's a bad thing. If they did preach it, then maybe many people of religious faith who support the death penalty would stop. I bet many of them don't even know that their organized religion doesn't support this manmade death!
In Struggle From Death Row
At San Quentin State Prison
Kevin Cooper
| Jesus Christ Stands For� Made by GOD Love Forgiveness Redemption Power of GOD Truth Healing People Faith in GOD Peace Spirituality Equality All Powerful Helping Others Son of GOD Good Positivity Frugal Life Natural Tranquility Reborn Judged by GOD Humane Hope Freedom Joy |
The Death Penalty Stands For� Killed by Man Hate Revenge/Retribution Arrogance Wickedness of Man Deception Hurting People Deceit by Man Violence Manmade Relion Racism and Classism Self Righteousness Terrorism Against Others Made by Man Evil Negativity Expensive Death Unnatural War Sudden Death Judged by Man Inhumane Helplessness Imprisonment Pain |