I am not so idealistic as to advocate the abolishment of prisons.

In fact one of the aims of punishment, including prison, is to reform the offendor besides other aims as that of being a deterrent to other offendors.

Christianity tempered the harsh application and punishments of Roman law.

One can compare the Western system of law with Islamic law or the law applied in countries such as China. These latter systems apply a harsh concept of justice based on retribution.

Aww Daphne, you’ve broken my heart . . . I shall post about it on Facebook now . . .

He’s saving Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious for the last meeting before the election.

Eh?

Wise words indeed and now we have made our point it is high time we take heed

Of course the law cannot jail the error but only the errant when the latter is considered responsible for his actions. Imprisonment can be said to be a necessary evil.

However one of the purposes of punishment is the rehabilitation of the convicted person.

The Christian view of justice appplies humanity to justice. Justice which is not tempered with mercy would be simply vindictiveness. I think this sounds familiar to you:

“The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”

[Daphne – ‘The Christian view of justice’…they have justice in secular states, too, you know, and the indications are that it’s a whole lot more just than what happens here.]

I guess you meant “cease”.

“It is always perfectly justifiable to distinguish between error as such and the person who falls into error—even in the case of men who err regarding the truth or are led astray as a result of their inadequate knowledge, in matters either of religion or of the highest ethical standards. A man who has fallen into error does not cease to be a man. He never forfeits his personal dignity; and that is something that must always be taken into account. Besides, there exists in man’s very nature an undying capacity to break through the barriers of error and seek the road to truth. God, in His great providence, is ever present with His aid. Today, maybe, a man lacks faith and turns aside into error; tomorrow, perhaps, illumined by God’s light, he may indeed embrace the truth.”

(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_xxiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_11041963_pacem_en.html)

As the saying goes “God hates sin but loves the sinner” .

[Daphne – Fortunately, the law sees things differently, and jails the errant not the error.]