On August 2, 2018, the Vatican announced that it had formally changed the official Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty, calling capital punishment “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and deeming it “inadmissible” in all cases.
Database of convicted people said to be innocent includes 150 allegedly wrongfully executed.
More than 7 in 10 Protestants (71%) support the death penalty, while 66% of Catholics support it. Fifty-seven percent of those with no religious preference favor the death penalty for murder.
ACLU OBJECTIONS TO THE DEATH PENALTY
- Capital punishment is cruel and unusual.
- Capital punishment denies due process of law.
- The death penalty violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection.
- The death penalty is not a viable form of crime control.
- Capital punishment wastes limited resources.
It is forbidden to murder, as it says "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17).
Arguments in favour of capital punishment
- Retribution.
- Deterrence.
- Rehabilitation.
- Prevention of re-offending.
- Closure and vindication.
- Incentive to help police.
- A Japanese argument.
The Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 12, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him.
The U.S. death penalty system flagrantly violates human rights law. It is often applied in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner without affording vital due process rights. Moreover, methods of execution and death row conditions have been condemned as cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment and even torture.
Capital punishment is the practice of executing someone as punishment for a specific crime after a proper legal trial. It can only be used by a state, so when non-state organisations speak of having 'executed' a person they have actually committed a murder.
The case against capital punishment is often made on the basis that society has a moral obligation to protect human life, not take it. There is no evidence to support the claim that the death penalty is a more effective deterrent of violent crime than, say, life imprisonment.
The ethics of the death penalty are clear — taking a life in punishment for murder is not justice, but vengeance. One does not right a wrong by creating another wrong. The usual excuse for executions, that they are a 'deterrent' has been proven untrue, time and time again.
The ethical problems involved include the general moral issues of punishment with the added problem of whether it is ever morally right to deprive a human being of life.
A: No, there is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. The death penalty has no deterrent effect.
