Moral Choices by Rae Scott;

Author:Rae, Scott;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Published: 2018-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Questions for Discussion

1. Your friend has asked you what you think of his decision. What would you tell him? What reasons would you give for your opinion?

2. Your friend challenges you to provide places in the Bible that speak to his decision. Where would you point him?

3. How would you care for him as a friend, or as his pastor, at present, having just found out about his diagnosis?

Chapter 9

Capital Punishment

Whenever there is an execution in one of the US states that have the death penalty, one can usually find both advocates and opponents of capital punishment gathered outside the prison to make statements about the morality of the death penalty. The advocates claim that the condemned murderer is getting what he deserves, that the demands of justice are about to be satisfied. Opponents protest that capital punishment is a barbaric practice, out of place in the modern world, and unconstitutional as cruel and inhuman punishment.

Some of the most passionate supporters and opponents of the death penalty are religious believers from a variety of traditions. The advocates of the death penalty cite Old Testament passages that speak of the principle of “life for life” and insist that condemned murderers should justly receive death as a consequence of their actions. On the other hand, opponents of capital punishment (CP) reference Jesus’ emphasis on mercy, the fact that vengeance belongs to God, and the sacredness of human life.

Imagine a situation in which you are a member of a jury that is hearing a murder case. The jury has already convicted the person of first-degree murder. You now proceed to the sentencing phase of the trial. Here you must decide if the crime committed warrants the death penalty. In most states, carefully defined conditions, such as the heinousness of the crime or multiple murders are necessary for a death sentence. You were likely questioned by the attorneys about your view of the death penalty prior to being selected for the jury. Neither the prosecution nor the defense had reservations about your view. But now that it is time to make a decision that may result in the death of another person, you are seriously reconsidering your view.

The United States is one of the few developed countries that still has CP. At present, thirty-one US states have the death penalty (though four have a moratorium on it), and nineteen (plus the District of Columbia) have abolished it.1 Most recently, New Mexico (2009), Illinois (2011), Connecticut (2012), and Maryland (2013) have eliminated it. The momentum in the United States seems to be toward abolition of CP since one-third of the states that have eliminated CP have done so since 2007. Most countries in Europe have prohibited it, while it remains in force in some Asian, Middle Eastern, and African countries.2 Other countries still have the death penalty as the law but have not executed anyone for several years. Some countries apply the death penalty for a variety of crimes, not just for murder. For example, drug trafficking warrants the death penalty in countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.

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