\u201cThere is a solemnity to these executions that must be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pre-meeting is always\u00a0the space where one is told where to stand, how to move and what to say.\u00a0This pre-meeting was no different.\u00a0I was there to be instructed on how to act during the execution of one of the guys that I\u2019d served as a spiritual advisor to.\u00a0Everything was so pleasant that I almost forgot what we were there to talk about. Then, it all came rushing back with one phrase.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is your job to keep the person calm while the execution is carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suddenly, all of the evil that I was about to wade into became apparent once more. I thought I\u2019d known what I\u2019d signed up for \u2026 to be a loving presence for someone condemned to die \u2026 I now began to realize that the powers that be had different ideas about my role than I did. As I pondered the juxtaposition of conflicting expectations, I began to realize exactly who they expected me to be.<\/p>\n
I also realized, I\u2019d heard this before in a different yet altogether similar context. Suddenly, I was transported back\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to see you go through this hell no more. No more, no more, no more. (Pause) We\u2019re trying. If everybody will relax. The best thing you do is to relax, and you will have no problem. You\u2019ll have no problem with this thing, if you just relax.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not to be afeared. It is not to be feared. It\u2019s a friend. It\u2019s a friend\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLay down your life with dignity. Don\u2019t lay down with tears and agony. There\u2019s nothing to death\u2026it\u2019s just stepping over into another plane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFree at last. Peace. Keep your emotions down. Keep your emotions down. Children, it will not hurt. If you\u2019ll be \u2014 if you\u2019ll be quiet. If you\u2019ll be quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you knew what was ahead of you \u2014 if you knew what was ahead of you, you\u2019d be glad to be stepping over tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more pain now. No more pain\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what death is, sleep.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Are these the phrases I was supposed to say? Were these the labored phrasings of the Jonestown pavilion decades back? The mechanical words were so hollow. The stains of evil were so palatable. Or were these the phrases of a state official determined to put a positive spin on a very evil moment? The blatant attempts to disguise murder as something more humane made me sick. If it weren\u2019t for Jim Jones\u2019 words on the death tape, I might have gotten it twisted. Since I\u2019d heard the evil words before, I knew were they\u2019d come from. I knew what their intention was.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026to keep the person calm while the execution is carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the setting is different, the result is the same: poisonous words introduced to mask poisonous actions to bring about a poisonous end.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, the greatest temptation is always to do what they tell you. Then again, what choice do you have?<\/p>\n
For the sake of the one who asked me to accompany them to the execution chamber, I followed their rules. In my words, I sought to resist. In my presence, I sought to give witness to the evil before me. In my anger, I sought to make sure that everyone knew how righteousness should respond to injustice. After it was over, I made sure to tell the official\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has never been and there will never be solemnity in the midst of an execution.\u201d<\/p>\n
I have no doubt that the expectations that were placed upon me were much more akin to Jim Jones than Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose this day whom you will follow\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n
(Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood<\/strong> is a Baptist pastor, theologian and activist living and working in Arkansas.\u00a0Dr. Hood\u2019s extensive work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including in the Dallas Morning News, Huffington Post, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Los Angeles Times, WIRED magazine and on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR.\u00a0He writes regularly at\u00a0https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/<\/a>. The collection of his articles for this site appears here<\/a>. He can be reached at jeffrey.k.hood@gmail.com<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThere is a solemnity to these executions that must be protected.\u201d The pre-meeting is always\u00a0the space where one is told where to stand, how to move and what to say.\u00a0This pre-meeting was no different.\u00a0I was there to be instructed on how to act during the execution of one of the guys that I\u2019d served as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":123916,"menu_order":18,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-123926","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/123926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123926"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/123926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124680,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/123926\/revisions\/124680"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/123916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}