Death Penalty II
The Death Penalty and the Bible
The Bible is an important and valuable book providing a wealth of information, and it should be used as a determination as to whether the death penalty should be chosen for certain, specific crimes, despite the often-cited issue of separation between church and state.
Biblical Crimes
Rape
Sodomy
Bestiality
Adultery
Murder
f. Other Crimes
The Death Penalty
Biblical Times
Ransom From the Death Penalty
The Separation of Church and State
The death penalty has been around since biblical times, during which it was commonly used for a number of offenses. It is important to point out, however, that these offenses were punishable by death, meaning that the death penalty could be used. That does not mean that it had to be used, and there was discretion available. Here, several common crimes will be looked at in the context of biblical death penalty issues, and will be considered in the context of today's death penalty. That will be done in order to determine whether the death penalty that is used today should be based on the Bible, or whether it is better off being judged in some other way. The ransom that could be used to get out of the death penalty in biblical times, and the comparison of how that is done today is also discussed, along with the separation of church and state and how it relates to using the death penalty in today's society.
The Death Penalty and the Bible
Introduction
The death penalty has been part of the culture of human beings for centuries. In biblical times, for example, there were a number of crimes that were punishable by death. That does not mean that the death penalty was always used in these cases, but only that the option to do so legally was available. There are serious arguments as to whether the Bible and its contents should still be used for death penalty cases today, because there is a move toward a separation between church and state. However, the insight the Bible provides when it comes to the serious nature of crimes and the importance of severe punishment can provide a great deal of information for how to operate a society where there is less crime. The Bible is an important and valuable book providing a wealth of information, and it should be used as a determination as to whether the death penalty should be chosen for certain, specific crimes, despite the often-cited issue of separation between church and state.
Biblical Crimes
It is important to remember that what was a crime in the Bible may not be considered a crime today, in the legal sense. Ethically, though, there are still problems with many of the issues that the Bible spelled out as worthy of the death penalty. For example, the Bible called for the death penalty for adultery, which is not even prosecuted as a crime in modern society (Anderson, Bishop, & Newman, 2006). Whether adultery is right or wrong is not the issue, but society has moved toward a lack of interest in recognizing it as a truly criminal act. However, in order to better understand the way the world has changed, several biblical crimes will need to be discussed here.
Rape
Rape was a crime in biblical times, and is still a crime now. In the Bible it was punishable by death, and many people were put to death for raping others. However, the "value" of the person who was raped played a part in whether it was a criminal act and whether it was severely punished (Gundry, 1993). Those who were important to society could get away with much more than those who were not, and that was true even when they committed crimes like rape. Now, rape is still a crime, but there is no designation that makes the rape more or less of a crime based on who was harmed by it (Mandery, 2005). Socially, people are not equal, but they are all, allegedly, equal under the
Death Penalty as Retribution The Retributive Nature of the Death Penalty The peaceful fabric of society is torn whenever a crime is committed. In the case of murder, the suffering of the victim's loved ones can be unbearable and last for a lifetime. The destructive ripple effect of these tragedies cannot be compensated for in any way, not even by the capture, conviction, and execution of the killer. However, many states still
However, on the contradicting side, the question is "Can death penalty really deter criminals?." Several studies show it does not. An online source indicates the following evidences. From 1976 to 1996, the number of executions per year in the United States has increased from 0 to just under 60. The homicide rate per 100,000 population has remained constant at just under 10. Criminologists who belong to the American Society of Criminology,
The study also made an assessment of the 14 countries who eradicated the capital punishment. Murder went up by 7% from five years prior to the abolition period to five years following the abolition claimed by the study. Besides, researches were conducted by Prof. Issac Erlich from the years 1933 to 1969. He came to the conclusion that "An added execution per year might bring down the number of
Death Penalty Whether or not the death penalty should be utilized as a punishment for serious crimes is a contentious issue, one that is hotly debated throughout the world. In the past few decades the number of nations that sentence criminals to the death penalty has dramatically decreased, as more than two thirds of countries in the world have abolished the use of the death penalty in practice or law (Amnesty
Death Penalty is the most severe forms of punishment that can be accorded to a criminal who has committed a crime and deserves to be punished. The brief history of death penalty shows that this is nothing new, because it was something that was practiced right from the eighteenth century BC, in Babylon, and thereafter in Athens, and in Rome, and in Great Britain. The death penalty methods of punishments
Capital Punishment Like abortion, the institution of capital punishment is a very divisive topic. The line dividing the supporters and opponents of capital punishment is variably drawn across political philosophies, race, sex and religion. The Governor of Illinois, not long ago, declared a moratorium on death penalty cases in his state. This essay is dedicated to a presentation of facts about capital punishment, without delving into personal opinions in support or
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now