Essay Capital Punishment (Religious Perspective)

Submitted By idefineebeauty
Words: 1236
Pages: 5

“Death Penalty” What type of punishment does it require in order for today’s society to feel some sort of justice? Although some may feel relief by bringing justice, per se, it is not the right thing to do. We as Christians, it is stated in the Ten Commandments that, “Thou shall not kill”. The death penalty should be revised because it is an immoral action, and from a religious perspective, there are better options than forcing death upon someone’s mistake. The death penalty is just an easy option for the government to rely on. It does not interfere much with the public and has been made easier to perform as the years have passed. Forced death upon someone’s mistakes should not be left in the hands of anyone. Yes, the criminal may have murdered someone, or committed a crime so horrible we could not even imagine. The death penalty is still not a viable route for punishment. It does not give Christ the chance to work in someone’s spiritual life. “There are as many degrees of guilt and culpability as there are crimes, yet the death penalty imposes one definitive, final, indiscrimate punishment on all, halting the action of the Holy Spirit on the condemned person’s soul for eternity” (“Christian Doctrine”). The death penalty does not teach criminal lessons. It is a simple statement to accept. They will be put under, and die in their sleep. It is not an imperative lesson that they will learn in the long run. All they have to look forward to is eternity in darkness. It does not allow criminals the right to a second chance. “Using a panel data set of over 3,000 Countries from 1977 to 1996, Professors Hasem Dezhbakhsh, Paul H. Rubin, and Joanna M Shepherd of Emory University found that each execution, on average, results in 18 fewer murders” (Muhlhausen 3). There are many stories in the Bible that may contradict the belief of not executing in today’s society, but mainly those penalties were used for slave trade back in the Old Testament. In Exodus 21:16, it says, “He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.” Although we live in a non-strict religious country, if the United States were to uphold to Biblical standards, slavery would never have been implemented in the first place. There are other ways to punish criminals for their heinous choices than by putting them to death. “True life imprisonment is a more effective deterrent than capital punishment. To most inmates, the thought of living a whole lifetime behind bards only to die in a cell is worse than the quick, final terminations of the electric chair or lethal injection” (Cuomo). Death is the easy, quick, less efficient way out because it does not give criminals the opportunity to try and change themselves. According to statistics by inmates, jail is much worse than the death penalty itself. So much evil goes on in jail, like, rape, bullying, cliques formed, everything you could possibly not imagine go on in jail actually happens. The death penalty happens so quick, it seems as though it is the easier route to take, than having to face years in prison. “I believed as governor, and I still believe, that the practice and support for capital punishment is corrosive; that it is bad for a democratic citizenry and that it had to be objected tom and so I did then and I do now and will continue to for as long as it and I exist, because I believe we should be better than what we are in our weakest moments” (Cuomo 4). As genuine humans, it is sometimes hard to fully admit to our wrong doings. If we look at things from a Christian standpoint, anything that has a negative effect or outcome is wrong, no matter the circumstance. Money that is put into executions could be put into programs for prisons. They are so many things progressing in this world, it is important to keep the inmates in tune with the basic knowledge of the outside world. In case, any of them were to be released it is fair that they leave with