It seems to me that persecuting people is neither the job of the State or the Church. Prosecution and punishment is strictly the province of the state.
Persecuting an abuser would mean what - preventing them from having a job, making them move away, looking the other way when they are assaulted, exiling them permanently from society? Any of those would be preferable to death. Why not torture them that would teach those pervs a lesson!!! Prosecution, punishment, probation, prevention all have their place in dealing with abusers. I am all for strict laws I just cannot see how anyone even a pedophile is beyond redemption.
My wife and I have work with many people (children and adults) who have been abused. What we have seen makes us abhor this species of sin as exceedingly vile. It is not just an act. It crushes the spirit causing a wound which may not heal or which may become virulent and cause the abused to become an abuser. The damage and pain can go on and on.
When you see the situation up close it can certainly change your perspective. Some things people have shared with my I wish I had never heard like the case of an autistic kid who, lacking words, was only able to communicate by demonstrating what happened with toys Saying that "its all in the past, water under the bridge, get over it" shows a profound ignorance of the nature of the human heart and a cruelty no Christian should have.
My wife who usually opposes the death penalty makes an exception in this case. Although I am far more conservative than she is I am not so dogmatic. I mean, Paul killed a lot of Christians and that is a particularly serious crime too. Its hard to come up a crime more serious than taking someone's life. Murderers should be put to death. As far as I can see a life for a life is the only rationale for execution.
