Capital Punishment Essay, Research Paper
Capital Punishment
Introduction:
Think for a moment about the fall into sin. Think about the people in
Noah?s day. Sodom and Gomorrah. What is the punishment inflicted upon all of
them by God? Death. The death penalty, or capital punishment, is the first and
harshest penalty for sin. Although it has evolved and changed form over the
years, and is now decided upon by men playing God, it is still an acceptable, God
pleasing form of punishment. I am going to tell you what capital punishment is, its
history, its current role in the justice of criminals, and why I believe that it pleases
God.
Body:
Capital punishment, simply put, is killing someone for a crime that they
have committed. This crime is murder. In some countries and states, it is
considered acceptable to kill the person who has taken the life of another. The
methods of execution have varied since the beginning of time, but three current
popular ways include the gas chamber, lethal injection, and the electric chair. My
overhead shows the different ways that states used for execution in 1994. In
addition to the three most popular choices, a hanging and a firing squad are also
used in a few states. According to the book ?Should We Have Capital
Punishment? by JoAnn Bren Guernsey, these choices were made with the goal of
a more humane murder in mind. The gas chamber is a small, sealed room in
which the prisoner sits strapped to a chair. A lethal gas is sent through the floor
of 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. This
procedure can be effective, but also takes long amounts of time quite often. The
electric chair was invented as a way to quickly and painlessly kill the prisoner, but
has proven to not be as effective as thought. It has taken up to three 2000 volt
shocks to kill someone, with fire, sparks, and smoke reported to be seen coming
from their head. None the less, the electric chair is currently the most popular
method of execution.
The history of capital punishment goes back to the beginning of time. The
punishment for the fall into sin was death. God first punished Adam and Eve by
banishing them from the Garden of Eden, and forcing them to endure pain and
conflict 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 much
harsher ways than would ever be permitted in this day and age. These ways
included burning at the stake, cruxificion, and being boiled alive. These
punishments were also delivered to people who broke what would now be
considered petty crimes, and to children as young as age ten. These crimes
included stealing, adultery, and even gossiping. In the book ?Dark Justice: A
History of Punishment and Torture? by Karen Farrington, it is stated, ?Some
deserved to suffer. But many were innocent…?
Capital punishment?s current role in the justice of criminals differs
depending on where you live. Some countries as a whole forbid the act, using
the defense that the punishment is cruel and inhumane. The book ?Criminal
Justice: 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. In
Wisconsin, the death penalty is not considered acceptable. My overhead here
shows 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, the
majority of states permit capital punishment. Allowing these criminals that would
otherwise 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 if
criminals 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 their
Heavenly Father. After this time is given, I believe that they should be executed
as ruled by the judge.
Conclusion:
I believe that capital punishment is God pleasing because of the fact that
he sentenced Adam and Eve and the rest of the world?s population to death
because 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 first
born of each unbelieving household as a punishment for their sins. He even felt it
acceptable to kill His own Son for our sins. In my opinion, God obviously
approved of death as a punishment. If He had not, he would never have
sentenced His creation to certain death after the fall into sin. And He certainly
would not have used death as a method of salvation. Due to these reasons, I
believe that capital punishment should be allowed in each and every state and
country.
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