ETHICAL REFLECTIONS

[Name if the Institution]

Table of Contents

Abstract3

Introduction4

Christian Views4

Rehabilitationism7

Christianity and Legal Arguments7

America's Death Penalty9

Biblical Arguments11

Counter Arguments13

Conclusion14

Bibliography15

Abstract

There are three different opinions found when assessing the Christian perspective on the capital punishment. These are namely Retributionism, Reconstructionism and Rehabilitationism. Retributionism only offers the death penalty for fixed few capital crimes. Reconstructionism is the favor of the death penalty decreed for any grave crime. Rehabilitationism is the position that there should be no capital punishment. Retributionism and Reconstructionism somewhat share their arguments as they both support the capital punishment in various degrees. We will discuss Rehabilitationism in this paper. This paper argues that capital punishment may be just but to exercise mercy is a lot better solution to the problem.

Introduction

Capital punishment is more commonly known as the Death Penalty. It is the legal process of a state to put a person to death due to him as a punishment. It refers to the judicial order to punish someone. It does not refer to the actual method of execution. The crimes for which capital punishment can be decreed are termed as capital crimes. This term has its root in the meaning of capital. Capital in Latin means, “Concerning the head”. It referred to method of beheading people as a punishment. Capital punishment has been actively practiced in the past by almost all societies. Recently, there has been debate over its use as a punishment. Only 58 countries are currently practicing it. 97 countries have stopped it as a punishment or have not used it over the last decade. European Union has prohibited the use of capital punishment among its member countries. Still, most of the population of the world lives in countries where capital punishment is practiced. China, India, the United States of America and Indonesia currently practice death penalty. They voted against its prohibition in General Assembly of United Nations. Nearly all societies executed criminals and political opponents. Capital punishment has always been used not only against crime but also against political upheaval. In some countries, a few additional crimes are decreed to the death penalty. They include treason, spying and military crimes. In many countries, drug trafficking is also a capital crime. Formerly, when human societies were not much advanced, blood feuds occurred regularly among different tribes.

Christian Views

Christian views on the death penalty vary greatly among the Christian believers. Some condemn the death row as a form of revenge and in opposition to Christ's message of love and harmony. Then there are some marked supporters of the capital punishment. These people drive their support of it from the laws presented in the Old Testament. In the Gospel of Luke and Gospel of Matthew, examples are found that tend to support the Christ's message of non violence. The supporters of the death penalty provide their support of it from the Book of Romans. Many Christians believe that Christ's message of peace speaks of personal ethics and does not account to social justice for crimes. In the Old Testament, a list of capital crimes is ...