Report On Christian Ethics 3

Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
• Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal

process whereby a person is put to death by the state
as a punishment for a crime. Capital punishment is a
relevant issue for every human society and it
constitutes a “dilemma of hidden human divinity
versus hubristic death penalty.” The concept of a right
to life is central to debates on the issues of capital
punishment.
Definition
 Capital punishment also called the death penalty, is the

execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for
crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences.
 According to Encyclopedia Britannica “capital punishment, also

called death penalty, execution of an offender sentenced to
death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense.
Capital punishment should be distinguished from extrajudicial
executions carried out without due process of law.
Historical Background
• Eighteenth Century B.C. Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon,

which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes.
• “Lex Talionis“ or “ The law of Retaliation "
• Seventh Century B.C.'s Draconian Code of Athens, which made

death punishment for all crimes;
• MIDDLE AGES: before the development of modern prison systems,

the death penalty was also used as a generalized form of
punishment.
Historical Background
• The 12th century Jewish legal scholar, Moses Maimonides wrote,

"It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to
put a single innocent man to death. "
MOVEMENTS TOWARDS PAINLESS EXECUTION
Trends in most of the world have long been to move to less painful, or more humane,
executions.
Shah of Persia introduced throat-cutting and blowing from a gun as quick and painless
alternatives to more tormentous methods of executions used at that time.
In the U.S., the electric chair and the gas chamber were introduced as more humane
alternatives to hanging, but have been almost entirely superseded by lethal injection,
Biblical Arguments on Capital Punishment
(Death)
In the Hebrew Bible, Exodus 21:12 states that “whoever
strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus, however, rejects the

notion of retribution when he says “if anyone slaps
you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
RELIGIOUS VIEWS
CHRISTIAN
Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel

of Matthew, message to his followers that one
should "Turn the other cheek" and his example in
the story Pericope Adulterae, in which Jesus
intervenes in the stoning of an adulteress, are
generally accepted as his condemnation of physical
retaliation.
ISLAM
In the four primary schools of Sunni fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and the
two primary schools of Shi'a fiqh, certain types of crimes mandate capital
punishment crimes against Allah and require capital punishment in public.
1. Apostasy (leaving Islam to become an atheist or convert to another
religion such as Christianity)
2. Fasad (mischief in the land, or moral corruption against Allah, social

disturbance and creating disorder within the Muslim state)
3. Zina (consensual heterosexual or homosexual relations not allowed by

Islam).
1.Decapitation
2. Devouring by animals
3. Drowning
4. Crucifixion
5. Shooting
6. Impalement
7. Hanging
8. Stoning
9. Electric Chair
Reasons to Support Capital Punishment
(Death)
• Life in prison just means the criminal is still around to haunt the
victim. A death sentence brings finality to a horrible chapter in
the lives of these family members.
• Crime would run rampant as never before if there wasn’t some
way to deter people from committing the acts. Prison time is an
effective deterrent, but with some people, more is needed.
• Modern crime scene science can now effectively eliminate almost
all uncertainty
• Prisoner parole or escapes can give criminals another chance
to kill
Arguments against Capital Punishments
• Denial of basic right – According to Humans Right Association capital

punishment overrules our most basic human right – the right to life. Human life
has fundamental value. The blessedness of human life is denied by the death
penalty.
• The possibility of error –The most common and most cogent argument against
capital punishment is that sooner or later, innocent people will get killed,
because of mistakes or flaws in the justice system.
• Unfair Judgment – In many death penalty cases the defendants remain poorly
represented or not represented at all because of their poverty, which cause
greater injustice
Conclusion

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Capital Punishment

• Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal

 Capital punishment also called the death penalty, is the

 According to Encyclopedia Britannica “capital punishment, also

• Eighteenth Century B.C. Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon,

• “Lex Talionis“ or “ The law of Retaliation "

• Seventh Century B.C.'s Draconian Code of Athens, which made

• MIDDLE AGES: before the development of modern prison systems,

• The 12th century Jewish legal scholar, Moses Maimonides wrote,

MOVEMENTS TOWARDS PAINLESS EXECUTION

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus, however, rejects the

Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel

2. Fasad (mischief in the land, or moral corruption against Allah, social

3. Zina (consensual heterosexual or homosexual relations not allowed by

• Denial of basic right – According to Humans Right Association capital

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