Religion and the Death Penalty

2352 Words5 Pages

The death penalty or some prefer to call it capital punishment has been around since 1608. During the foundation of our country there were twelve death – eligible crimes of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and they were as follows: idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, bestiality, sodomy, adultery, man stealing , false witness in capital cases and conspiracy & rebellion. While some are absolutely for it and some are absolutely against it there is one factor that comes into play on both sides of the argument and that factor is religion. Many people will state that there is or should be a line between church and state however religion has and will always play a major role in ones conceptual thinking as to what is right and as to what is wrong what is moral and what is immoral. Despite the fact that people would rather think or rationalize without involving religion is nearly impossible. “By virtually any definition, religion involves a central concern with making sense of life and death. The American legal system, rooted in Judeo-Christian ethics, routinely confronts issues that test our basic assumptions about the meaning and sanctity of life and about the role of the State in shaping and sustaining such meanings” (Young,1992). In the study conducted by Miller and Bornstein in 2006 regarding the use of religion and religious appeals in a death penalty case the researchers set out to find if these “religious appeals influenced the way of thinking. It is said that defense attorneys are hired to defend their client and give an argument that will be most beneficial for the client. There are various cases that have occurred dealing with the religious appeal argument that attorneys have used to persuade jurors i... ... middle of paper ... ... one does and believe how one believes. From devout Christians to confirmed agnostics and atheist religion shapes how one thinks, acts and conducts oneself. Also those who tend to most affected by the death penalty tend to be the most against it. The results of Eisenburg, Garvey and Wells’ researcher overlap the study Young did 9 years prior. Those results being that Black jurors are substantially more likely than white jurors to vote for life on the first ballot, but not on the final one. All jurors tend in the end to vote with the initial majority. Jurors who identify themselves as Southern Baptists (almost all of whom are white) are apt to cast their first vote for death. Support for the Death Penalty Matters. Capital juries often contain members whose support for the death penalty undermine their impartiality and renders them legally ineligible to serve as jurors.

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