« *SNORT* | Main | So Sorry »

March 29, 2005

Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead

Or not:

Ruling that juries cannot turn to the Bible for advice during deliberations, a divided Colorado Supreme Court threw out the death penalty for a convicted murderer because jurors discussed Bible verses.

Harlan was sentenced to death in 1995, but defense lawyers learned that five jurors had looked up such Bible verses as "eye for eye, tooth for tooth," copied them and discussed them while deliberating behind closed doors.

For the moment, let's overlook the fact that these individuals willingly gave up their ability to think for themselves, and instead turned to a book written by ignorant, ancient peoples who thought that it was just groovy to kill homosexuals and that virgins made fine spoils of war (but put the men and boys to the sword, ye faithful).

OK, so we've overlooking that.

I'm more interested that these Christians didn't know the stance their own holy book takes on a pretty broad issue. I mean, this isn't something small, like how women have no business teaching men anything - this is the big DP, the death penalty.

Granted, the Bible is kind of mixed on the matter, what with the whole "eye for an eye" and "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" stuff, but that's more of a reason for these yahoos to avoid their book of silly myths than to consult it.