Think for a moment about the fall into sin. Think about the people inNoah’s day. Sodom and Gomorrah.
What is the punishment inflicted upon all ofthem by God? Death. The death penalty, or capital punishment, is the first andharshest penalty for sin. Although it has evolved and changed form over theyears, and is now decided upon by men playing God, it is still an acceptable, Godpleasing form of punishment. I am going to tell you what capital punishment is, itshistory, its current role in the justice of criminals, and why I believe that it pleasesCapital punishment, simply put, is killing someone for a crime that theyhave committed.
This crime is murder. In some countries and states, it isconsidered acceptable to kill the person who has taken the life of another. Themethods of execution have varied since the beginning of time, but three currentpopular ways include the gas chamber, lethal injection, and the electric chair. Myoverhead shows the different ways that states used for execution in 1994.
Inaddition to the three most popular choices, a hanging and a firing squad are alsoused in a few states. According to the book “Should We Have CapitalPunishment” by JoAnn Bren Guernsey, these choices were made with the goal ofa more humane murder in mind. The gas chamber is a small, sealed room inwhich the prisoner sits strapped to a chair. A lethal gas is sent through the floorof the room, and death usually takes about five minutes.
Lethal injections simply involve the insertion of a needle filled with poison into a vein and injected. Thisprocedure can be effective, but also takes long amounts of time quite often. Theelectric chair was invented as a way to quickly and painlessly kill the prisoner, buthas proven to not be as effective as thought. It has taken up to three 2000 voltshocks to kill someone, with fire, sparks, and smoke reported to be seen comingfrom their head.
None the less, the electric chair is currently the most popularThe history of capital punishment goes back to the beginning of time. Thepunishment for the fall into sin was death. God first punished Adam and Eve bybanishing them from the Garden of Eden, and forcing them to endure pain andconflict as a reminder of their sin. After they had endured this, they were to die.
Since this incident, death has been used as punishment for sins. God chose who to punish the people in Biblical times. Since then, men have taken on the role of“playing God.” In times long passed, this punishment was delivered in muchharsher ways than would ever be permitted in this day and age.
These waysincluded burning at the stake, cruxificion, and being boiled alive. Thesepunishments were also delivered to people who broke what would now beconsidered petty crimes, and to children as young as age ten. These crimesincluded stealing, adultery, and even gossiping. In the book “Dark Justice: AHistory of Punishment and Torture” by Karen Farrington, it is stated, “Somedeserved to suffer.
But many were innocent…”Capital punishment’s current role in the justice of criminals differsdepending on where you live.
Some countries as a whole forbid the act, usingthe defense that the punishment is cruel and inhumane. The book “CriminalJustice: Opposing Viewpoints” points out that some people use the death penalty as a way to make themselves feel good, and to get a revenge on murderers. Other countries divide themselves and let their states and subdivisions decide for themselves whether or not the death penalty is right for them or not. InWisconsin, the death penalty is not considered acceptable.
My overhead hereshows which states have abolished the death penalty. They are, North Dakota,Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, West Virginia, New York,Vermont, Maine, Massachusetss, and Rhode Island. As you can see, themajority of states permit capital punishment. Allowing these criminals that wouldotherwise be sentenced to death to sit in jails until they die is acceptable,however.
The jail system would be much more efficient and less crowded ifcriminals were sentenced to serve a period of about three months in jail,reflecting on their sin and being given time to repent and to make right with theirHeavenly Father. After this time is given, I believe that they should be executedI believe that capital punishment is God pleasing because of the fact thathe sentenced Adam and Eve and the rest of the world’s population to deathbecause of sin. He also punished other sins with immediate death. The tenth plague is also a unfortunate example of God’s wrath to sinners.
He killed the firstborn of each unbelieving household as a punishment for their sins. He even felt itacceptable to kill His own Son for our sins. In my opinion, God obviouslyapproved of death as a punishment. If He had not, he would never havesentenced His creation to certain death after the fall into sin.
And He certainlywould not have used death as a method of salvation. Due to these reasons, Ibelieve that capital punishment should be allowed in each and every state and3 sources included in paper
