Infinite Punishment for Finite Sins—Justice of Tyrants

The war on drugs is a failure. Mandatory sentencing is a crime.

Robert J. Riley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1993 for distributing LSD and psychedelic mushrooms to other fans of the Grateful Dead. The judge in his case counted the weight of the blotter paper on which the LSD was dissolved, upping the total weight and triggering the harsh sentence. 
A George H.W. Bush appointee, the judge told Riley “Congress was keeping me from being a judge right now in your case, because they’re not letting me impose what I think would be a fair sentence.” He later called the sentence the harshest he’d ever given and said it brought him no satisfaction that a gentle person such as Mr. Riley will remain in prison the rest of his life.”

While this is just one of few travesties in the US justice system, it is literally a drop in the bucket compared to what god will do to you long after you’re dead.

Christianity’s scare-tactics are among the worlds finest—life in prison would be a cake walk for Mr Riley compared to what’s happening after he’s dead. If you don’t take the plea deal offered by Jesus the writers, eternal fire, burning in hell torment—Physical punishment. Once again, as bad as it can be sometimes, punishment and torture are against the laws of the land and the Geneva Convention. Once again the morality of mere mortals trumps that of god. Who would even perform such cruel and unusual torture on someone to the endless precipice of wishing for death during eternal life—but a god, or one of his foot soldiers?

This, from Tom Ascol of Ligoniare Ministries—

“The punishment must fit the crime. The misery and torment of hell point to the wickedness and seriousness of sin. Those who protest the biblical doctrine of hell as being excessive betray their inadequate comprehension of the sinfulness of sin. For sinners to be consigned to anything less than the horrors of eternal punishment would be a miscarriage of justice“. That my friends…is tyrannical bullshit!

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Paddling Restraints

If Christian educators would have their way, paddles would be rehung behind every teachers desk in America. Once again, man’s morals have surpassed gods morals and archaic scripture condoning bad parenting. “Spare the rod or spoil the child” is a ridiculous force of wills, but is still a mainstay around the country and memes surface daily wishing back the practice to force kids to conform or else, to respecting without questioning. At what age do you want your kids to start thinking for themselves and becoming themselves, instead of kowtowing to religious based authority? 15? That’s the number where you can be yourself. Or is it 18? All of the sudden you can question and claim independence, while all along it should have been a process. Cultural norms frequently have no moral ground, and many traditions in manners are often rooted in religious belief and reverent servitude. Get rid of that, and there is a near total relief from corporal punishment. Hitting and bullying your kids to live up to your ideals of faith, is not only wrong headed, but principally unsound. Granted we all make mistakes, but those mistakes should not become routines.

Data also shows that spanking is ineffective as statistics show lower SAT scores in every state that allows paddling and physical threats.

Just because you were raised that way, doesn’t mean there is not a better way. Be humble. You might be wrong. Why do they tout free will then take it away by force? What many are doing is taking away the creativity and natural instinct of the creature, and trying to pigeonhole him to conformity, when what we really need is more individual creativity of thought. Kids will surprise the hell out of you given the chance to expand in their best ways.

Beating children is a sure sign of bad teaching or parenting. There is a better way if you look. And while demanding respect through force may seem necessary, the reality is force is a divisive tool that promulgates resentment and frequently lifetime scarring.