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A 3 page research paper/essay that looks at the idea of ambiguity in religion as illustrated in Helen Prejean’s Dead Man Walking. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khdpamb.rtf
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Christian task is "to discern the institutions and values that serve the common good and offer them support," while opposing those that "damage the common good" (Baum). This task, however,
can be quite complicated as the national debate in the US over the death penalty indicates. For example, Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, is a staunch opponent
of the capital punishment, basing her stance on the position of the Catholic Church and her own convictions, while Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a Catholic, has said that he
does not consider his support for the death penalty to be contrary to his religion, as the "pope has not spoken ex cathedra against" it (Hines-Brigger 8). As this indicates,
people of faith on both sides of this debate feel that religion supports their position. Examining Prejeans book sheds light on this perplexing ambiguity. Americans seem inordinately fond of
the death penalty. Since 1609, it is estimated that at least 19,000 people have been put to death in the US, and some experts believe that this figure is much
higher (Sharp, et al 133). The three principal reasons why Americans support the death penalty have historically been "deterrence, religious conviction (an eye for an eye)" and the expense of
housing a prisoner for life ("Revenge" 21). Social research suggests that support for the death penalty in the US stems from "vigilante cultural traditions" that include the "idea of harsh
punishment as a communal ritual on the victims behalf" (Messner and Rosenfeld 559). In rationalizing this position through religion, proponents inevitably cite Old Testament scripture. This is an argument that
Prejean addresses in her book. Prejean recounts a conversation with the warden of the prison after the execution of Patrick Somnier. The warden asks how Prejean can care for
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