The Christians would also argue that Christians should allow capital punishment by using the Mosaic Law to support their argument. The Mosaic Law set numerous offences which could be punished by death. The first was murder and example of this is in Exodus 21 where God commanded capital punishment for murders (or what the Old Testament described as “lying in wait”. The second offence punishable by death was involvement in occult, which meant that if you were involved in sorcery, divination and sacrificing to false Gods. The third offence punishable by death was to be against perpetrator of sexual sins
Therefore the Mosaic Law suggests that capital punishment should be permitted for a wide range of sins and not just for murder and was not just bound to Genesis 9:6. Many Christians also believe that capital punishment should be allowed under the principle of Lex Talionis which is the principle that says, “a life for a life”.
However many Christians argue that Christians should not allow capital punishment, by using the “Sermon on the Mount” to support their argument. In the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus does not argue about the principle of “a life for a life”, but he is speaking about personal desire and lust for vengeance. Jesus does not deny the responsibility of the Government but instead on the “Sermon on the Mount” he is speaking to individual Christians and he tells the Christians that they should not try and replace the power of the Government. Here it appears that Jesus is arguing against the use of capital punishment but at the same time he seems to be supporting it. In my opinion it seems that Jesus is saying that Christians should allow capital punishment but they do not necessarily need o believe that it is right. This then shows that he is saying that capital punishment is wrong but it should be allowed as you can not replace the power of the Government. This shows that God is suggesting that capital punishment is wrong but if the authority’s such as the government allows it then you should as well but you do not need to believe that it is right. Hence this is coming back to the theory that capital punishment should be based on the belief in sanctity of life. This means that god is possibly suggesting that capital punishment should be allowed according to the holiness and belief in that certain country or region.
The Christians would argue that Christians should allow capital punishment because in the New Testament we see the principle of capital punishment being reinforced and supported by the New Testament. In Romans 13 1-7 the bible says “we are to obey the Government for we are taught that the government does not bear the sword in vain.” This suggests that the government has the power of capital punishment and they will not use that power in vain. The fact that Apostle Paul uses the image of a sword shows and symbolises the emblem of the Roman Sword to again reinforce the idea of capital punishment.
The Christians would argue that Christians should allow capital punishment, because they think that the punishment will deter other criminals from committing the same sort of crime. The U.S.A claims that capital punishment will create fear amongst criminals who are thinking about committing the same crime will be deterred by the cruel penalty and therefore would not commit the crime.
However many Christians would argue this point and say that capital punishment does not necessarily deter the criminal from committing the crime because for an example in the USA the crime rate has been steadily increasing and their societies are slowly becoming gradually more violent. This is a country where there is still capital punishment yet the crime rate is still increasing which shows that it is not necessarily the case that capital punishment will bring the ratings of crime down and reduce the amount of crime in a certain area. Also many would argue that capital punishment may possibly encourage crime because its offer for example terrorists martyrdom and also may encourage criminals as some get a thrill out of the possibility of being caught. Therefore there are also many Christians whom would argue that Christians should not allow capital punishment because it is not necessarily a deterrent for crime and possibly it might even encourage crime.
The Christians would argue that Christians should allow capital punishment because it offers the ultimate protection and also provides retribution. The Christians would argue this because they believe that by not having capital punishment it possibly allows the criminal to re-offend the same crime again and therefore would not be safe for other in the community if the criminal was allowed to live. The Christians also argue that capital punishment should be allowed because it offers sufficient revenge for an example say if a criminal killed your mother then the revenge that the relative would want would be for the criminal to be executed and the family would probably accept no less than that. Therefore the capital punishment offers sufficient amount of revenge and ultimate protection which is also why some Christians believe that capital punishment should still be allowed.
The Christians would argue that it Christians should not allow capital punishment, because many Christian believe that only God gives life and therefore only God should be allowed to take away life. Therefore some Christians believe that the Government should have the right to take away life as they believe only God should have that power and nobody else.
However many Christians would argue that if a criminal has committed murder then he has taken a life way which only God has the right to do, therefore then another person or the Government can also take the life of the criminal because he has done the same crime.
The Christians also argue that Capital punishment should not be allowed because the courts decision can never be 100% correct or justified. This is major problem with capital punish, because it in a un reversible act. Therefore if the criminal is innocent but one judge may think him guilty and sentences the criminal to death then it is not possible to change the verdict. Therefore Christians would argue that capital punishment should be allowed because the courts decision is not usually 100% right.
The Christians also argue that Christians should be allowed because the death of the criminal is humiliating and undignified. However many Christians will argue against this and say that the criminal deserves and undignified death, because of they way he killed another human and took their life away in an undignified and horrific manner.
The Christians also argue that Christians should not allow capital punishment using Matthew Chapter 5: verses 21-22, which states that “the cause of the crime lies in the attitudes and the mind. If you want a better society you have to cure it and by executing it does not cure the society. This is suggesting that the Christians should try and cure the criminal’s attitudes to help them not commit crimes instead of executing and giving harsh punishment after the crime.
The question, “Should Christians allow capital punishment” is a difficult question and there is never just one correct answer. Many Christian’s would try and answer the question using the bible. The problem to this is that in the bible it does not actually state whether capital punishment should be allowed or not, because in different parts of the bible there are different chapters and verses which support both side of the argument. Therefore I think that Christians will answer this question depending on their upbringings and their religious beliefs.
In my opinion Capital punishment should not be allowed, because I believe that every person even a criminal should be given a second chance to change and improve themselves. Therefore I support the principle that the punishment should fit the offender as much as making the punishment fit the crime. I also think that capital should not be allowed because it has been proven that at least a minimum of 11 people were not guilty but still executed and therefore then the government has committed a crime, but there is no punishment for them, also normally for an example say if a criminal gets sentenced 5 years and is innocent then there is a possibility to change the verdict, but if a criminal gets sentenced to death there is no way to change the verdict. Also I believe that Capital punishment should not be allowed because I strongly feel that no one has a right to take away a persons life under any circumstances accept for God.
