Capital punishment has been a piece of human culture and the legal system for an extended period of time. It is viewed as an important deterrent to perilous crimes and the simplest way to liberate the public from lawbreakers who are dangerous. Many people are confused whether or not capital punishment – the death penalty – should still be appropriate to be used today. Should Christians support capital punishment – the death penalty? Some Christians think the Bible tells all about this issue in both the New and Old Testament, however there are others that oppose this idea and believe the ethics of love in the New Testament takes the place of the law of the Old Testament (Lee 1). Let’s explore some of the ideas of how capital punishment …show more content…
Matthew 7:12 tells us, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (C. Miller). I take this to mean that everyone should be treated equally and punishment should be equal. K. McAlpin stated in the article Death Penalty a Difficult Dilemma, “The New Testament clearly teaches that capital punishment is God’s will for human civilization” (McAlpin 2). In Acts 25:11 Paul says, “For if I be an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die” (C. Miller). David Miller, a writer for Apologetics Press, said “Paul was acknowledging that the state properly possesses the power of life and death in the administration of civil justice” (McAlpin 2). Miller also says, “Every individual deserves the opportunity to understand Christ’s sacrifice, and none are beyond God’s grace, but the Bible is clear that taking others’ lives is punishable by death” (McAlpin …show more content…
These Christians think Christ’s law of love rules out divine endorsement of the death penalty. Many think that God’s laws tell us not to kill and many think that the death penalty is cruel, atrocious, and barbaric. In James 8, God does not call for the adulterous women to be put to death by being stoned. Verse 7 states, “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (C. Miller). Many think this was used to reject capital punishment because God did not have her stoned. Matthew 5:38-39 states, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (C. Miller). Here some believe God is telling you to turn the other cheek and resist revenge on the other person. These people believe that individuals should not look for revenge; that we are to love one another, and that Christ commands us Christians to forgive as Christ did. Another verse that opposes the death penalty us is Romans 12:21, which tells us to “overcome evil with good” (C. Miller). Many use these verses to refute the death
Sometimes we can not always give what they deserve but, giving them less than what they deserve is unfair. The bible believes in an eye for an eye. Meaning you can kill someone who has killed. I believe in punishing murders and they should get nothing less than what they deserve, but an eye for an eye, to me, is not always the correct punishment. I am in favor of proportional retributivism because it allows flexibility within a range of murder cases. It would allow a more heinous murderer to receive the death penalty and a less severe murder criminal to receive life in prison without violating
There are two different kinds of righteousness that are explained through scripture; passive righteousness and active righteousness. In the film Dead Man Walking, Sister Helen, a nun, comforts Matthew, a convicted murderer and rapist, and the tension between her comforting Matthew over the families loss of their children grows. Sister Helen opposes the death penalty, whereas the Apostle Paul, in Romans 13, did not object to the death penalty. The Apostle Paul teaches that we must live by grace with each other, but Paul also clearly states that we are to obey and respect human government. Passive righteousness and active righteousness are examined in Dead Man Walking.
ABSTRACT: In this paper I present a moral argument against capital punishment that does not depend upon the claim that all killing is immoral. The argument is directed primarily against non-philosophers in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Oddly, the moral argument against capital punishment has not been effective in the United States despite the biblical injunction against killing. Religious supporters of the death penalty often invoke a presumed distinction between ‘killing’ and ‘murdering’ and avow that God forbade the latter but not the former. Self-defense and just wars are cited as cases of morally justified killing. Accepting these premises, I point out that when cases of justified killing in self-defense are altered to include an element of delay, disarming and premeditation, they too become murder. Since the death penalty clearly involves the elements of delay, disarming and premeditation, I conclude that the death penalty is murder in the biblical sense and ought to be abolished in any God-fearing (or otherwise moral) society.
Capital punishment is an age-old practice. It has been used in civilizations for millennia, and will continue to be used for millennia to come. Whether used for the right or wrong reasons, capital punishment is unmistakable in its various forms. From hangings, to firing squads, to lethal injections, capital punishment and the associated proceeding have evolved over time. There have been many arguments against capital punishment, many of which still hold true. As capital punishment has evolved over time, however, many of the most valid arguments have been proven all but null. Capital punishment still has its ethical and moral concerns, but as it has evolved over time these concerns have not necessarily become less valid, but fewer in number when specifically addressing capital punishment. The proceedings that come hand-in-hand with capital punishment, however, have become increasingly more rigorous and controversial and are the main focus of most capital punishment concerns.
This extreme penalty was instituted by God subsequent the flood of Noah. According to Genesis 9:5-6, God says, "From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his image. "This is restated in the Ten Commandments, where God mandates, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13) .Romans 13:1-4 says, "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil." In regards to Romans 13:1-4, a Christian is clearly taught to be in subjection to the governing authorities. This is a provision for harmony. The evidence states that the bible clearly states that if you take ones life, yours should be taken. This is stated abundantly throughout the bible therefore christian doctrine supports that the death penalty is a necessary
Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1” has an overarching influence in the world of classical piano and modern music because of the ambiance, rebellion, and the structure of the piece. Satie is able to use dissonance and a simple melodic line to defy the compositional standards in the late-romantic era. Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1” was an example of rebellion to the compositional thought, just as Satie was a rebel in the eyes of the established musicians.
Religiously speaking, God is the only one who is to judge whether a person should live or not, if He can forgive us for our all of our sins then so should we. Mark 3:28 “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter”. Those who answer to God’s calling will know that through Him they will be given the gift to be repent and be cleansed from all sins committed. There should be no sides, but in the world we live in today and in dealing with the death penalty in the chapter we see those for it and against it. What makes us any better than them, we all do things that in somebody else’s eyes are wrong the only real difference is we don’t get caught. It seems that much rather then putting the person in jail and a chance to do better the world we live in today feels the person better off dead. Utilitarianism believes “it is better that one man should die than that the whole people should perish” (Kant, 355). We learn that Immanuel Kant is a retributivist and believes in the death...
The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. According to Hugo A. Bedau, the writer of “The Death Penalty in America”, capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty has been used since ancient times for a variety of offenses. The Bible says that death should be done to anyone who commits murder, larceny, rapes, and burglary. It appears that public debate on the death penalty has changed over the years and is still changing, but there are still some out there who are for the death penalty and will continue to believe that it’s a good punishment. I always hear a lot of people say “an eye for an eye.” Most people feel strongly that if a criminal took the life of another, their’s should be taken away as well, and I don’t see how the death penalty could deter anyone from committing crimes if your going to do the crime then at that moment your not thinking about being on death role. I don’t think they should be put to death they should just sit in a cell for the rest of their life and think about how they destroy other families. A change in views and attitudes about the death penalty are likely attributed to results from social science research. The changes suggest a gradual movement toward the eventual abolition of capital punishment in America (Radelet and Borg, 2000).
To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been
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).
The death penalty has been present, in one way or another, for virtually as long as human civilization has existed. The reasons why are apparent; it is intrinsically logical to human beings that a person who takes the life of another should also be killed. This philosophy is exemplified in the famous Biblical passage, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." However, in light of recent research into ethics, criminology and the justice system, the time has come for us to re-examine our ageless paradigm of revenge. Capital punishment is a custom in which prisoners are executed in accordance with judicial practice when they are convicted of committing a “capital crime.”
Capital punishment goes against almost every religion. Isolated passages of religious scripture have been quoted in support of the death penalty, almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral. There is no credible evidence that capital punishment deters crime from the streets in America. Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime anymore than long prison sentences. Moreover, states without the death penalty have much lower murder rates. Executions are carried out at staggering cost to taxpayer.The funds spent for execution should be used to target the issue of killing and find solutions to help communities unite to demonstrate a more peaceful environment. Recent CNN reported how studies done have found that the death penalty criminal litigation, costs taxpayers far more than seeking life without parole. (CNN, 2015) The states spends millions of dollars to put away death row inmates when the funds could be used to help channel society in tune with how to become more positive and getting help to those who need
Justification for Punishment Justification on punishments can vary depending on people’s point of views. Cases should be justified differently depending on the crime not by the book. Prisons does not deter offenders from actually offending which makes prisons a little useless when it comes to punishments. Not every case is going to be justified correctly, but there should be more of an effort to make it happen and make prisons actually deter. Ultimately, views on punishment should be handled different in every case, depending on the severeity of the crime and the offender’s crime history.
The best support documentation for this point of view comes directly from the word of God; where, in the Old Testament, the death penalty was required for a wide range of offenses, both civil and religious.
Capital punishment is the punishment of death for a crime given by the state. It is used for a variety of crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and treason. Many countries also have the death penalty for sexual crimes such as rape, incest and adultery. The lethal injection, the electric chair, hanging and stoning are all methods of execution used throughout the world. Capital punishment has been around since ancient times; it was used in ancient Rome, and one of the most famous people to be crucified was Jesus Christ. Capital punishment is now illegal in many countries, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, but it is also legal in many other countries such as China and the USA. There is a large debate on whether or not capital punishment should be illegal all over the world as everyone has a different opinion on it. In this essay, I will state arguments for and against the death penalty, as well as my own opinion: capital punishment should be illegal everywhere.