1 divine- Criminals were believed not to have only challenged the fundamental regulation of law but to have also challenged the sacred code of life that God preordained. By taking the life of a criminal they were accelerating the onset of divine justice which came during the final judgment. These criminals were even thought to have been chosen by God as “monuments of divine justice” that were a tool in scaring the people straight.<\/p>\n
2. ritual – the arduous process of trying, convicting and executing a criminal became a symbol of governmental power and dramatic lengths it went to became a ritualized process. The criminal would be tortured, paraded through town and given the chance (and encouraged) to repent in hopes that the other world would recognize genuine sorrow regarding their sins. the crowds that came to watch even became part of the ritual by cheering, jeering, attacking and occasionally saving the person to be executed.<\/p>\n
3. individual – As the popularity of criminal narratives became a more and more fascinating form of literature for the colonies the criminal as well as the crime began to be placed in context.\u00c2\u00a0 The motivations for crime and the situations surrounding it were looked to for answers as to why these acts were committed.\u00c2\u00a0 Although the criminals themselves were many times portrayed in a fashion that the ministers wanted, where the text served as a parable\u00c2\u00a0 and an example of conversion or that the author wanted, a sensationalized account, the public began to see the condemned souls having unique personalities.\u00c2\u00a0 The public now viewed criminals as having more to them than simply being heathens that have mocked God and the executors of his will.\u00c2\u00a0 The rise of secular thought in regards to crime had a large role in this because people now saw crimes as acts against the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1 divine- Criminals were believed not to have only challenged the fundamental regulation of law but to have also challenged the sacred code of life that God preordained. By taking the life of a criminal they were accelerating the onset … Continue reading