(ANALYSIS) The planned execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan sparked renewed debate among Christians over capital punishment. Catholic leaders cited church teaching opposing the death penalty, while some evangelical leaders defended it biblically. Disagreement also centered on whether televising executions promotes justice or glorifies violence.
Read MoreThis week’s topic was religion-news coverage of the White House call to execute Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad, in response to the U.S. Army psychiatrist’s 2009 mass-murder of 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, while injuring 32 others.
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a planned Pentagon livestream of the execution of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan illustrates the competing pressures that can shape his approach to controversial questions of punishment, national security and public morality. Although Trump supported broadcasting the execution, he reversed course after widespread criticism.
Read MoreLeaders across the religious spectrum have condemned U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, warning that the decision risks turning state-sanctioned killing into public entertainment.
Read MoreIn the wake of Christa Pike’s botched lethal injection in Tennessee, Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. reflects on the role of spiritual advisers at executions. The practice has a history that precedes the founding of the United States.
Read MoreNine police officers were sentenced to death in India over the 2020 deaths in custody of a father and son.
Read MorePresident Donald Trump is calling for federal prosecutors to push for the death penalty in capital cases involving undocumented people. The move was one of dozens of executive orders the president signed on day one of his second term. The order encourages the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty and prioritizes two sets of cases: Those involving the murder of a law enforcement officer and those for crimes for which the death penalty is an option and the defendant is undocumented.
Read MoreFaith leaders called on President Joe Biden on Monday to commute all federal death row sentences before President-elect Donald Trump, who supports capital punishment, takes office next month. The group — which includes Black pastors, Catholics, former corrections officials, civil rights advocates, current and former prosecutors — reflects bipartisan concern about the use of capital punishment.
Read MoreA coalition of diverse Christian leaders across the United States have intensified their fight this week against the death penalty, arguing that the state does not have the right to take the life of another. The fight against the death penalty is nothing new. While executions across the country have been in steady decline, many lawmakers are running on platforms seeking for it to be used more.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in starts with the death penalty sentence in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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