Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment

"Let's keep society safe and give murderers what they deserve - the

death penalty".

In this essay I will hope to set out both sides of the argument, for

and against Capital Punishment. The advantages and the disadvantages

will be considered in conjunction with Christian teachings and belief.

The Christian teachings, Old Testament and New Testament will also be

compared with human reactions to the subject. From my research and

analysis in this essay I will be able to come to a conclusion as to

whether or not I feel the death penalty is ever justified

Murder is a crime whether you look at the Bible - Thou shalt not kill

The Sixth Commandment - or at a book of English law - Murder: an

indictable crime punishable in a court of law.

There are advantages to Capital Punishment and the threat of the death

penalty. It is a deterrent and a clear warning that says, if you

commit this crime and take a person's life your life will also be

taken from you. This is echoed in Christian teachings from the Old

Testament Exodus 21:24 - "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".

But this is not forgiving or promoting peace, which is what Jesus

taught and it is he, above all others that Christianity is all about.

Another thing that Jesus taught was to 'love your neighbour as

yourself' and therefore protect him, as you would want to be

protected. If protecting another means removing a murderer from

society permanently then it cannot be wrong to do so. But then there

is the question of the murderer's right to protection and if every man

is your neighbour then the murderer is as-well and therefore you

cannot hurt him bec...

... middle of paper ...

... not and that opinion will be influenced by the circumstances

and personal involvement.

It is my opinion that the death penalty can never be justified no

matter how strong your feelings are for it. What a person has done

does not affect the care they get. Every person is different and that

is why judging others by your own standards is wrong. I hope that I

have viewed this subject objectively and represented religious and

non-religious feelings justly. In conclusion the death penalty can

never be justified and I disagree with the title statement.

Bibliography

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The Bible Old and New Testaments: Sermon on the Mount

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The Lord's Prayer

Contemporary Issues - Capital Punishment. Pages 52 - 55

Dorling Kindersley Encyclopaedia.