Indiana, you know, the state, is again preparing to kill a man

It's been fifteen years since the state of Indiana violated the sixth commandment, "you shall not kill," from Exodus 20:13. The translation of the original text to "you shall not murder" in the last century by many churches is not without controversy. Professor Wilma Ann Bailey of the Christian Theological Seminary devoted an entire book to the debate in 2005. Either way, Indiana is scheduled to kill Joseph Corcoran on December 18th.  His sentence for murdering four men in 1997 was upheld last week by the Indiana Supreme Court. It's a sad truth in a modern society that 60% of Americans support this barbaric practice, according to Pew Research. Their research shows minor ebbs and flows of support and opposition over time, which indicates to me that some dramatic change in the national perspective on the matter is unlikely anytime soon. Twenty-two states use the death penalty as a legal criminal sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Take a look at that map of states. Now, take a look at the state map from The Guttmacher Institute showing the new restrictive laws on abortion access. It's not a perfect match, but it's close. Life is so precious in these states that an embryo is worth statutorily protecting, to the detriment of a human woman. In primarily the same places, a human adult can be destroyed, specifically by the state's government, because the people of that state are mad at them. Yes, the reasons states and the federal government sentence people to death is almost always officially for murder, but not every murder, only the really bad ones. I often wonder why this killing qualifies and that one doesn't, even though deep down I know the answer. Some horrific killing happened in a state and the people responded angrily by adding that type of act to the list of acts worthy of a death sentence. The anger is the key.   Connect with Michael Leppert Visit michaelleppert.com to read the full post and links to any resources or articles mentioned. Twitter @michaelleppert  Facebook at Michael Leppert