God Help Us

The Colorado Supreme Court has overturned a death penalty sentence because jurors looked up and discussed biblical passages to determine God's position. The court said that it was enough that only 1 person could have been swayed, as the vote for the death sentence was 3-2.

Of course, people are seeing this as an all-out attack on the bible. Gov. Bill Owens said the ruling was "demeaning to people of faith and prevents justice from being served." This morning, octogenarian pause-reporter Paul Harvey observed, "So, in our country it's against the law to seek God's guidance."

No, in our country we have a rule of law that is, much the apparent chagrin of many people, distinct from religious texts. And, as a jury, you are obligated to use man's law in determining the guilt and punishment. The ironic part here, for all the hand wringing over this guy who has now 'escaped' the death penalty, is that if they had managed to avoid the temptation of using the bible, they probably would have come to the same conclusion and the sentence would not have been overturned.