Capital Punishment
Attitudes vary – due to different interpretations of the Bible
• Teachings about sanctity of life and Jesus’ teachings on compassion and forgiveness
• Liberal Christians -> only God has the right to take away a life
• “Thou shalt not kill” Christians believe that God commanded
• “whoever sheds blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” - Genesis
• “eye for an eye”
• Death has been approved and created by God
• Jesus was openly forgiving to the adulterous woman (John 8)
• Also pleaded with God for his execution to be forgiven when he was in the cross (links to
crucifixion and resurrection)
• Many Christians prefer reformation over execution and are involved in prison reform ->
work as prison chaplains
• Jesus taught to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew) and to “love our enemies and to
forgive” (Matthew as well)
• Quakers have campaigned against death penalty since 1818
• All life should be respected as every person is a reflection of God
• Punishments should be used to reform
• First prison reformers were Quakers who worked to maintain the dignity and humanity of
prisoners
• “Do not repay evil for evil” Romans
• Elizabeth Fry
• Conservative Christians -> in 1997 the Vatican issued a statement saying that execution can
only take place where the identity of the criminal was absolutely
confirmed a where execution was the only means to protect society from the aggressor
• “… the dignity of the human person” Pope John Paul II
• Goes against the gospel “think it goes against the Gospel message of the Good News
which is a reformation, forgiveness, repentance, atonement and salvation”
• God is the CREATOR and the only TAKER of life, not humans
Christian Views against the death penalty
• Sanctity of life – life is holy - made in image of God, God creator and taker of life - Do not
murder (10 Commandments)
• Person could be wrongly convicted
o Derek Bently – found innocent to killing a police officer
• God is the creator and the only taker of life
• Nobody is innocent
o ‘all have sinned and fallen short’ – Paul
o ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’ – Jesus
• God has the power to reform anyone
• ‘Do not repay evil for evil’ - NT
• MLK – ‘I do not think God approves of the death penalty as it goes against the highest
expression of love’
• Against Gospel message of the Good News which is reformation, forgiveness, and
repentance
• Pope Benedict – ‘it punished one crime with another crime’
Attitudes vary – due to different interpretations of the Bible
• Teachings about sanctity of life and Jesus’ teachings on compassion and forgiveness
• Liberal Christians -> only God has the right to take away a life
• “Thou shalt not kill” Christians believe that God commanded
• “whoever sheds blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” - Genesis
• “eye for an eye”
• Death has been approved and created by God
• Jesus was openly forgiving to the adulterous woman (John 8)
• Also pleaded with God for his execution to be forgiven when he was in the cross (links to
crucifixion and resurrection)
• Many Christians prefer reformation over execution and are involved in prison reform ->
work as prison chaplains
• Jesus taught to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew) and to “love our enemies and to
forgive” (Matthew as well)
• Quakers have campaigned against death penalty since 1818
• All life should be respected as every person is a reflection of God
• Punishments should be used to reform
• First prison reformers were Quakers who worked to maintain the dignity and humanity of
prisoners
• “Do not repay evil for evil” Romans
• Elizabeth Fry
• Conservative Christians -> in 1997 the Vatican issued a statement saying that execution can
only take place where the identity of the criminal was absolutely
confirmed a where execution was the only means to protect society from the aggressor
• “… the dignity of the human person” Pope John Paul II
• Goes against the gospel “think it goes against the Gospel message of the Good News
which is a reformation, forgiveness, repentance, atonement and salvation”
• God is the CREATOR and the only TAKER of life, not humans
Christian Views against the death penalty
• Sanctity of life – life is holy - made in image of God, God creator and taker of life - Do not
murder (10 Commandments)
• Person could be wrongly convicted
o Derek Bently – found innocent to killing a police officer
• God is the creator and the only taker of life
• Nobody is innocent
o ‘all have sinned and fallen short’ – Paul
o ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’ – Jesus
• God has the power to reform anyone
• ‘Do not repay evil for evil’ - NT
• MLK – ‘I do not think God approves of the death penalty as it goes against the highest
expression of love’
• Against Gospel message of the Good News which is reformation, forgiveness, and
repentance
• Pope Benedict – ‘it punished one crime with another crime’
