In the 21st century, Christians are faced with countless choices every day. The death penalty, a modern moral issue, is a choice that determines life or death. With reference to the New Testament and Catholic bishops and popes, the Christian perspective on Capital punishment is investigated. The Catholic Church has spoken out passionately about the need to protect human life. The fifth commandment, ‘You shall not kill’ relates directly to the dignity and worth of human life. This taking of life is a direct affront to human dignity. While it continues to be widely used, the death penalty has been in retreat across the globe over recent years; with fewer than 60 countries actively retaining the death penalty as of 2009. Capital punishment is most commonly applied in cases of murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking. A number of countries enforce the death penalty for crimes such as adultery, prostitution and homosexuality - where methods of killing such as beheading, electrocution, lethal injection, and hanging are used. Whatever form it takes, it is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that has no place in today’s world. It is also discriminatory. The poor and members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities are disproportionately subject to it. To take someone’s life is take away their chance to be granted the same forgiveness for sins that all Christians have been granted. Perhaps the chances of a death row prisoner having a change of heart is slim to none, or that there is an increase in taxes to keep up with the additional prison population. But surely that is not worth the price of a soul. Pope John Paul II once stated, “May the death penalty, an unworthy punishment still used in some ... ... middle of paper ... ... effect on the justice system and humanity. Works Cited Beyer, C., Helium, 2010, viewed 1 March, 2010 http://www.helium.com/items/263950-christian-reflections-on-the-death-penalty Death Penalty, 2010, viewed 1 March, 2010 http://www.2facts.com/icof_story.aspx?PIN=i1100420&term=death+penalty GotQuestions.org, 2010, viewed 1 March, 2010 http://www.gotquestions.org/death-penalty.html Harlan, C., Helium, 2010, viewed 1 March, 2010 http://www.helium.com/items/275481-christian-reflections-on-the-death-penalty Healey, J., (ed), 2010, The Death Penalty, The Spinney Press, NSW, Australia Sarat, A., 2001, When The State Kills, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, USA Schonebaum, S., 1998, Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime? Greenhaven Press, Inc., California, USA Suslis, P., 1995, viewed 20 March, 2010 http://www.vincenter.org/95/surlis.html
humanity? When I think about death penalty it reminds me about Jesus and when he confronted the people who gathered to stone a woman who had been caught committing by saying, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her.” (John 8:7) This action clearly demonstrates that Jesus believed that there was a problem in imposing death penalty because no one is sinless. Jesus did not say that adultery should not be a crime punishable by death, but he did point to a problem
Introduction The Old Testament law is seen as irrelevant by most modern Christians today. Christians are now under the blood of Jesus Christ, which is said to abrogate the Law. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (NASB). The law of Christ is to love God and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). This does not mean, however, that the Old Testament Law does not apply to Christians today. Author J. Daniel Hays expounds on this topic in his
no penalty to pay for sin, which includes past, present or future sins that we may commit. Those who have been justified by faith, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Therefore, if we are justified there is no penalty to pay for sin and we are free to any charge of guilt or condemnation. Douglas Moo writes it beautifully, “Because we are justified by faith in conjunction with our union with Christ, we escape the sentence of spiritual death that
not Jesus came to the earth to bring judgment or deliver us from it. In more than one instance the gospel of John gives us scripture that, if taken out of context, can lead to confusion on this issue. Through research of scripture and commentary by experts, this paper will affirm that Jesus’ divine purpose in coming into the world was to die on the cross as a final atoning sacrifice for the sins of all nations. However, it also stands true that although Jesus will be
The pastor Sam Allberry offers an insightful view into his experience of homosexuality as a practising Christian in his book Is God Anti-Gay? and clearly highlights how the Bible deals with the topic of same-sex attraction and sexual acts. Since Jesus’ time, homosexuality in the Church has been frowned upon as rejecting God’s will for humanity. Genesis emphasises the unity between male and female leading to procreation as God commanded humankind to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). However
message that serves as the basis of the Old Testament. The conflict between Jewish officials and Jesus Christ in many of the gospels extricates the perception that the New Testament does not necessarily fall in line with the Old Testament. Jesus asks that we “not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5.17). While the teachings of Jesus Christ conflict with certain habituated beliefs of Jewish officials, his basic ideas are the
either. This is of high concern for the future as the number of young people who actually attend church is decreasing and therefore the religious community will resultantly suffer. A person’s values and morals are heavily linked to the Christian teachings. If people do not practice religion regularly or become involved in some way there will be a great decrease in a person’s morals and values and there will be a great increase in negative behavior in society. Much of the Australian society celebrates
Religious Opinions and Views on Abortion In examining religious opinions on abortion, one must find common ground on which to form a foundation of comparison. With most of the religions to date, that common ground lies on the argument of whether or not a fetus is an actual person. Some religions protest by saying a fetus isn't a conscious being -- therefore there is no loss in doing away with it. But for those religions that do believe there is a life -- or any spiritual being -- in a fetus
towards Catholics (Christianity and the Founders). Legal punishment of English Catholics was more severe than that of the non-denominational citizens. Catholic conspirers were publicly executed out of spite, and the Anti-Priest law of 1647 threatened death to all clergy (Christianity and the Founders). This general attitude of the people was carried over seas with the colonization of the Americas. Several colonies during the early 1700’s enacted laws to restrict the practice of Catholicism (Christianity
Contemporary Thinkers: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aguinas Question #1 : Please discuss the political organization of the Greek city- states, particularly Athenian democracy at the time of Pericles, Plato, and Aristotle. Also discuss the backgrounds of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and the fate of the Greek city-states historically. During the time of Pericles, Plato, and Aristotle, Greece was divided into city-states with a wide variety of constitutions, ranging from Sparta's military dictatorship