In the mass of reactions to Zacarias Moussaoui being sentenced to life in prison. I have heard some make statements that “this will be worse than death for him”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Aside from the insane reasons to give Moussaoui life in prison, which show a profound amount of White Guilt, his sentence will be easier than death will ever be for him.

Let’s keep in mind the next stop for someone after death, judgement. Of course I am not God and he makes the final decision, but I don’t think Zacarias Moussaoui has heaven in his future. So with the understanding that Zacarias Moussaoui probably has a judgement awaiting him of eternal damnation, what on earth could man ever devise that would be worse? Nothing! So people who feel that any prison on earth could be worse than death are ignoring the heinousness of true death.

Also there are Christians that feel no one should ever be sentenced to death, because Jesus protected a woman from being stoned.

There are some who extrapolate this to all death penalty cases and feel that since the Lord views all sin the same, that no one who sins is deserving of death. In terms of the church passing judgement they are correct. The church should not kill anyone for violating a law of God. And to extrapolate this view into general society would mean that anyone in prison that says they are sorry should be immediately freed and fully forgiven. We know this is pure foolishness. So we cannot treat crimes against society the same as crimes against God. God can stand up for himself. But society must maintain its own level of order. In maintaining order, those who cause disorder must be removed. Each society decides the punishment that is appropriate for the given offense. A sentence of death is not unreasonable, because there are some offenders who simply will never be of any good to society and even keeping them alive poses a threat.

When Jesus was crucified, even one sentenced to death with him knew who deserved to die.

Jesus was on a cross in the middle of two thieves. Under Roman law, the thieves were sentenced to death. And the thief that Jesus had join him in paradise knew that he deserved his sentence. He knew the law before committing the crime and made the choice to break the laws of that land. He broke a law established to maintain societal order, not a law established for living a Godly lifestyle. If Rome’s government felt that adultery was against the order of society and established laws against it, then judgement against anyone committing the act would not come from a church in the name of upholding what they saw as a standard set by God. Because it is not for the church to judge in handing down a sentence. If Rome had laws established by government against adultery, then the government of Rome would be enforcing the laws in order to maintain order in society. Even if a member of the church was part of the government, they would be maintaining the laws of the land. Government can enforce laws and pass earthly judgement in the name of maintaining order. The church does not enforce laws by handing down any sentence. This is how things are done in America today.

(Keep in mind, Muslim nations with death sentences for adulterers are enforcing a set of Islamic laws, which are separate from their other societal laws. Known as Sharia, these are the laws used to kill Muslims that convert to Christianity.)

So once one understands that man can maintain order within a society by the enforcement of laws, those who break the laws can be punished. In the case of a terrorist, his social background should not determine his sentence. I’m sure the thieves on crosses with Jesus had their own sad stories about their childhood. They deserved to die, Jesus did not. Society invites disorder when it does not enforce laws effectively. To grant a terrorist life in prison only invites more to attack us. A terrorist in prison can instruct others, be used as a hostage negotiation tool, escape to attack again, find a means to harm others in prison and waste resources making judicial appeals. Our society should not turn from use of the death penalty. It is a just punishment for those who kill and wish to kill. Also it may deter others from doing the same.