melon said:
I look at it this way. We "judge" people, based on what we can "observe." Since we are not supernatural, we can only observe the concrete--actions and spoken/written words.
We know, however, that we have internal thoughts, which cannot be observed by the outside world, and, as such, cannot be "judged" by mankind. God, by definition, though, is able to see us both internally and externally, so the true judgment of intolerable people like those on Death Row can only be reserved by God. If many Christians are to state that we are judged solely by our faith and not by our works, then we must accept that even the most despicable of people can have such faith and enter heaven.
From a theological POV, this makes the death penalty an act of incredible hatred, as someone stuck in prison without possibility of parole is always with "the possibility" of finding his or her faith until the day they die. By prematurely ending these lives, we might be cutting short the chances for these individuals to get that faith; and, as such, we are "playing God." As for whether we, ourselves, are going to be judged for killing these people, potentially depriving them the chance to "find God"? I guess we'll find out someday.
I love it when you get theological on us.