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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