Capital Punishment

Capital punishment has always been an incredible controversial issue when it comes to our society and especially among certain religious groups like Christianity. The Christian opinion over capital punishment is very controversial because it changes from domination to domination and from church to church. Personally I was raised in the Evangelical Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and they believe that the capital punishment is alright before God. This “Christian opinion” on capital punishment really does influence me because my religious beliefs have definitely shaped my subjective position on controversial issues such as capital punishment. Because I have a strong Lutheran faith when it concerns the individual practices of my church, I do feel justified in supporting the death penalty

The reason why I personally feel justified before God when it comes to capital punishment is because in the book Leviticus God specifically lists people like adulterous, prostitutes, and murders as people who deserve death. There are also other numerous passages in the Bible that talk about the justification of killing those who break some of God’s commandments like murder. Of course I am not saying that we should use capital punishment every time someone breaks the Lord commandments, (we all break the Lord’s commandments), but in certain circumstances I do believe that the death penalty is appropriate. Why should you be able to keep your life when you took someone else without justification? We could talk about when it is justified to kill someone but that is a different discussion for a different time.

Of course religious reasons are probably not the only reason why I have been influenced in my supporting of the death penalty. As people we are tremendously influenced by our environment and the environment I was raised where the death penalty was viewed as a justified punishment. My parents are active supporters in capital punishment and I am sure that their influence has contributed to my belief in the death penalty. It is hard not to believe in the appropriateness of capital punishment when you grow up with a father that mutters “I hope they fry” whenever a person comes on the news that have been convicted of killing a child or other people.

Now of course not everyone will take my opinion on capital punishment because people have their own subjective positions that have been influenced by their own personal and religious beliefs. There are many people, for example, who believe that capital punishment is not acceptable in our society. They believe that capital punishment is a cruel and unusual punishment. Many people also believe that capital punishment should be banned because we as people do not have the right to take one’s life away. Many people who are raised in an environment where their guardians and role models are against the death penalty would probably be influenced in taking these positions. For example in places like Britain where the death penalty doesn’t even exist, most people would view it as barbaric. Christians especially feel that they can justify the anti-death penalty movement through the Bible and Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness. Many Christians have the position that God gave life so he is the only one who should be able to take it away, which is a totally understandable position and interpretation of the Bible. People especially who have had loved ones executed will also have different opinions about the death penalty than those who have lost people who were victims in a crime.

Just to sum all up I would like to say yes I believe in the death penalty because of religious and environmental influences but these are my own personal beliefs. I believe that people who kill others in certain circumstances do not deserve life. On the other hand, people definitely have different beliefs than those of mine about the death penalty because of their environment and religious beliefs. Their beliefs could also be absolutely right. It is all the matter of opinion.