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AMERICA’S GUILT CULTURE AND THE DEATH PENALTY PT2
By Steven Garofalo, February 14, 2025 (Copyright 2025)
February 14, 2025

BE GUILTY!-America's Guilt Culture And The Death Penalty PT2

By Steven Garofalo M.A.A.  February 14, 2025

We (America) are a “National of Laws”. If we don’t properly, swiftly and justly execute the law, we end up-quickly becoming “Lawless”.

Today, I am going to show you what happens when we fail to enforce the Law due to our guilt culture.

On December 23, 2024, President Biden communed the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row. Those individuals will have their sentences reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole.  Three men remain on federal death row: Robert Bowers, convicted in the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 worshippers dead; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted in the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured more than 260 people in 2013 and Dylann Roof, convicted of fatally shooting nine people at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.

So, why did the President treat three differently from the 37? I submit that Biden is an extremely immoral man when compared to biblical norms and standards. As such, he not only rejects biblical standards and mandates, but embraces evil. The psychological term to describe a person who blames another person for which he is guilty of is called “PROJECTION”. Projection is a defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to someone else. For example, a person who is feeling angry may accuse other of being hostile or aggressive. This in turn often allows the individual to avoid confronting their own feelings or actions by externalizing them. This can and often morphs into narcissism which can be an incredibly challenging and painful ordeal-as the entire country has experienced over the past four years with the Biden administration which was full of such characters. Politics in general are corrupt, but it’s wrong to call all politicians or people equal violators of the law. Equal sinners? Yes, perhaps, but equal violators of the law-NO. This past administration led to lawless criminals being let out of prison, who in turn went out and murdered again. As such, there is culpability on behalf of all prosecutors and politicians involved. This begs the question though as to WHY people don’t support Capital Punishment, or the “Death Penalty”?

DEATH PENALTY AND THE TRUTH ARE 100% CONSISTENT

It seems for political reasons. If you don’t believe in the death penalty, it follows logically that you would be consistent in that belief. Set all that aside, the best way to get to the truth is to discover the “truth”, and in turn, you don’t have to make sense of mankind’s inconsistent moral standings. Man’s morality is always inconsistent in relation to money, power, political favors and sinful agendas. God’s morality is 100% consistent. He doesn’t care how much money you have or what you position is. While God is a God of mercy, if you do the crime, you do the time-in other words, there are always consequences. In the case of murder, it cannot be overlooked. Stealing a pack of chewing gum and returning to the store to confess that wrong is less weighty than premeditatively taking the life of an innocent person. This falls under “ethics and morality” in the sense that different crimes differ in their “weightiness”. That’s a discussion for another article. This leads us to ask WHY people don’t support the death penalty and what does God say about the death penalty. I submit that it comes down to malformed cultural understanding of truth and morality. In other words, America’s CULTURE has become unbiblical.

DO DIFFERENT CULTURES SEE PUNISHMENT THE SAME?

Each country has their own cultural leading. Take for example Japan which has a “shame culture” based on “honor”. According to “AI Overview” on Google, A "Japanese Shame Culture" refers to the societal phenomenon where Japanese people are deeply sensitive to the perceptions of others and prioritize maintaining social harmony, often experiencing shame when they fail to live up to societal expectations, leading to a strong focus on outward appearances and avoiding actions that could bring negative judgment upon themselves; this concept is largely attributed to anthropologist Ruth Benedict's work describing Japanese culture as primarily based on shame rather than guilt

If you do something that goes against their cultural, moral and religious norms you are to be shamed.

On the other hand, American has a “guilt culture.” This has been born out of an “underdog” mentality which America was founded on, but more so from the politically correct minority mindset starting mainly in the 1960’s when instead of helping minorities rise-up, government put non-minorities down to elevate people of color. You cannot elevate someone unfairly without putting someone else down. Simply put, inequality was personified in the name of trying to create equality. Leave it to the government to do more harm than good. The black population is equal to all humans and ought to have been helped to rise-up to their full potential, not allowed opportunities based on the pigmentation of their skin. That is wrong, based upon the fact that God created all men and women equal. I say all this to illustrate the fact that America has a wrongful guilt culture. No other country in world history has done as much good for the world as America-as imperfect as she is.

AMERICA’S GUILT CULTURE VS. THE BIBLE

A casualty of our “guilt culture” is the inerrancy of the Scriptures. What I mean by that, is that people take the parts they want. The parts of the Bible they emotionally feel in disagreement with, they deny in the name of grace and “compassion.”! And this truth is on full display in Genesis 9:6 which addresses the death penalty. This is what it says:

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6).

Leviticus 24:17 states, "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death"

The verb suggests murder, not accidental homicide in the case of killing a human. It’s not speaking to manslaughter or running a red light, causing death. It’s speaking to First Degree, pre-meditated murder. To get the death penalty in America, you have to go through a special hearing (called bi-cameral hearing) to make sure that the case qualifies for the death penalty. This leads us to ask what the God says about the death penalty through His Word, the Bible.

THE BIBLE ON THE DEATH PENALTY

God is clear in Genesis 9:6 in that “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6)

Homicide (which in a sense is always “fratricide” (killing of one’s brother or sister) (v.5): “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man” (Genesis 9:5). As such this demands a punishment that matches the crime. The justification for capital punishment here established is “the nobility of the human life”, FOR GOD MADE MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE”

Hence, murder shows contempt for God as well as for one’s fellow man. Romans 13:4 makes clear where governments have the power to use the death penalty. We are not allowed to take the law into our own hands and murder those who have violated us.

In closing, the United States has become a much less safe place to be. It seems daily that we read about innocent people who are murdered by people who have been convicted in the past for murder. God’s ways are not our ways. When we follow His ways, we live in peace. When we allow our guilt culture and emotions to lead out criminal justice system, innocent people get hurt or die. Let’s not allow our guilt culture override God’s truth. I know this is a touchy subject and there is so much more to be said. I read Genesis 9 this morning and wanted to share in today’s entry. How we apply God’s Word is not politics, it’s God’s ways. How we apply God’s ways is up to us. In the end, it’s still God’s Word. The bottom line is that while we (America) are a “National of Laws”, if we don’t properly, swiftly and justly execute the law, we end up-quickly becoming “Lawless” due to our guilt culture. Let’s put a stop to this today and seek God’s Word-His Truth, despite how we feel about His command for Capital Punishment-the Death Penalty.

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When I was in seminary, the question was raised as to if pets or animals in general go to heaven. Our professor, Dr. Norman Geisler said this: “Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross for the human race, not animals.” I was working out at the gym one day when one of the regulars, who had just moved to Charlotte, NC from California told me that one of her beloved dogs died; and would that dog go to heaven. I have her the same answer. But, was that the whole story? That’s what we are going to look at today.

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AN ETHICAL ECONOMY IS GOOD FOR ALL
By Steven Garofalo, May 2, 2025

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ECONOMY

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Today, I am going to show you through Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 that vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, will devour one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Let’s get started.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor is an interesting subject in light of wealth, corruption, and the human heart. This subject effects many things, including what makes a good economy. 

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses eight to nine, Solomon says the following:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
“8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

COMMENTARY: There are two things king Solomon is saying here within the theme of the vanity of WEALTH and HONOR. Wealth and honor are two different things, as one can have wealth with or without honor or honor with or without wealth. That being said, let’s look at verses 8 and 9 independently to see the simple message God provides us today through Solomon.

BREAK DOWN
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY & WEALTH
 “8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them." 

COMMENTARY: Verse 8 clearly illustrates that there is a corruption at every level of government, with higher level oppressors plundering the equally oppressive lower-level magistrates. This perhaps explains the st state of America and the world. With blackmail running. Rampant and the public sector unchecked, they have been robbing the everyday citizen of their hard earned money. As a result, the system became insulated and division between the haves and have nots became more defined. When the high level government officials rob and abuse those below them, someone above that person robs and abuses the higher level person himself.

In America, where we print money out of thin air for the world, in this short period of history, there is little need to plunder those under one authority because there is so much to steal that those in authority can simply pay them off or blackmail them; whichever is most convenient. Either way, Solomon makes abundantly clear that when there is nobody minding the ship, evil perpetuates to the point of overtaking the government in whole. As a result, we end up with a 2024 government, riddles with corruption, immorality, blackmail, lawlessness, and all other things evil due to the lack of God-ness which equates to “goodness”. 

Economically speaking, when this happens to a country, its own economy begins to decline into debt due to their insatiable desire and emotional need for more money and resources. When resources are stripped and money is squandered, the elite few are smart enough to collect those resources and money and we end up with a U.S. Stock Market where only 5% holds up to 80%  of the entire market wealth. 

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The answer and solution is to keep to return to the system we created in the first place which is free market capitalism that allows those who desire to work hard, to have a fair chance at success, making money and turning a fair profit. This is called “honor for everyone”.

HONOR FOR EVERYONE
"9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

CONCLUSION:

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, devours one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Solomon (Qohelet) considered goverment to be frustrating becuase it was a necessary evil, something deply flawed but indespsnsible. On the one hand people sould "not be shocked" when they see OPPRESSION and injustice in a governmental province (v.8). After all, bloated government bureaucracy tends to frustrate justice (v.8b). On the other hand, government has it advantages (v.9). Many hold to the belief that this verse continues the negeative assessment of government. Others see this passage better understood more positively since it fits with Qohelet's normal pattern of "on the one hand, on the other.." way of teaching. 

Even a corrupt government is better than anarchy, which devastates a country, it's culture and in Solomon's time, an agrarian economy that would lead to starvation. Keeping to God's ways is the only solution to man's sinful nature; especially in governmental rule. In the end, a king who devotes himself to developing the resources of the land ushers in a systems that brings the opportunity for profit to all, not just the corrupt few.

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SOLA SCRIPTURA
A Protestant & Catholic View Comparison

I grew up Catholic and now go to a Protestant or non-Catholic church in Charlotte, NC. Michael Houdmann, Founder and CEO of GotQuestions.Org writes that a major difference between the two boils down to believing in the Bible alone as God's word verses believing that God's word plus man's input as the divine inspired word of God.

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A major difference is the issue of sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God's special revelation to mankind, it also speaks to everything we need to understand as necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants view the Bible as the STANDARD for Christian morality and ethics which governs our behavior. This is called sola scripture and is one of the five Solas in Christianity. (Solas meaning "alone" in Latin. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes clear that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

WHAT DO CATHOLICS BELIEVE?

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura hence do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They see both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition as equally authoritative and binding on the Christian. While not all Catholics hold to doctrines such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., the Catholic doctrine hold to them even though they have little or no mention or basis in the Bible. In truth, these doctrines are based on Roman Catholic traditions based on the Catholic Church's insistence that the Bible and tradition are equal in authority. The problem with this is that it undermines the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

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