"The Death Penalty - Why the Church Speaks a Countercultural Message."
In 1966, less than half of the U.S. population
approved of the death penalty. Today, 75 percent of U.S. citizens favor the death
penalty. This dramatic increase is caused by the increasing fear and frustration citizens feel concerning
violent crime committed in the United States. With such a large number of people supporting the death penalty, it stands to reason that there would be an equally large group of people opposing the death penalty. That is where the Catholic Church comes in. The Church, aligned with Christians and Jews, and people from other religions, fight those that support the death penalty.
People support the death penalty for many reasons. They feel that having the death penalty will deter other criminals from committing crimes. The United States Government has even suggested the death penalty to be applied to more crimes. Many people feel that for the crimes some people commit, such as homicide or rape, the only just punishment is the death penalty.
Arguments against the death penalty include the stance that in a civilized society, there is no place for legalized killing. They also doubt that killing is a way to "balance" out the violent crime that has been committed. People arguing against the death penalty claim that society's laws can be respected without the threat of being killed.
The Catholic Bishops have weighed in on this issue, applying the teachings of the Universal Church to American Society. They may not be very well received, as a super majority of Americans advocate the death penalty. They recognize a government's ability to protect its citizens, but preach that the only way to truly protect citizens in the long run is to "break the cycle of violence." Violence, as we all know, tends to escalate. An eye for an eye turns into an eye for a hand, a hand for an arm, and so on. The Bishops do not want to add fuel to the fire through usage of the death penalty.
Opposed the the death penalty, the Church advocates imprisonment and rehabilitation for those that have harmed another person. In this way, the criminal has a chance to atone for their sins and attempt to become a better person, a chance taken away by the death penalty. The Church is not forcing its views upon the public; they simply want people to open their minds and truly think about the issue of the death penalty. But it all starts with developing a new attitude about violence, an attitude rooted in the countercultural message of the gospel.
This article was obviously biased towards the anti- death penalty side of the argument, even though they did bring up points advocating the death penalty. However, what the article did not talk about and what I hold as my views, is a compromise. I believe that the death penalty should not be illegal. However, I also believe that it should not be used in 99% of cases. I advocate imprisonment and, if applicable, rehab, but this is not always possible. In some cases, there are criminals so violent that they only way to ease citizens is to make sure she/ he will never operate again.
I am not proposing we kill every criminal that ever commits a crime, but we should keep the death penalty as an option for those that have truly deserved it.
People support the death penalty for many reasons. They feel that having the death penalty will deter other criminals from committing crimes. The United States Government has even suggested the death penalty to be applied to more crimes. Many people feel that for the crimes some people commit, such as homicide or rape, the only just punishment is the death penalty.
Arguments against the death penalty include the stance that in a civilized society, there is no place for legalized killing. They also doubt that killing is a way to "balance" out the violent crime that has been committed. People arguing against the death penalty claim that society's laws can be respected without the threat of being killed.
The Catholic Bishops have weighed in on this issue, applying the teachings of the Universal Church to American Society. They may not be very well received, as a super majority of Americans advocate the death penalty. They recognize a government's ability to protect its citizens, but preach that the only way to truly protect citizens in the long run is to "break the cycle of violence." Violence, as we all know, tends to escalate. An eye for an eye turns into an eye for a hand, a hand for an arm, and so on. The Bishops do not want to add fuel to the fire through usage of the death penalty.
Opposed the the death penalty, the Church advocates imprisonment and rehabilitation for those that have harmed another person. In this way, the criminal has a chance to atone for their sins and attempt to become a better person, a chance taken away by the death penalty. The Church is not forcing its views upon the public; they simply want people to open their minds and truly think about the issue of the death penalty. But it all starts with developing a new attitude about violence, an attitude rooted in the countercultural message of the gospel.
This article was obviously biased towards the anti- death penalty side of the argument, even though they did bring up points advocating the death penalty. However, what the article did not talk about and what I hold as my views, is a compromise. I believe that the death penalty should not be illegal. However, I also believe that it should not be used in 99% of cases. I advocate imprisonment and, if applicable, rehab, but this is not always possible. In some cases, there are criminals so violent that they only way to ease citizens is to make sure she/ he will never operate again.
I am not proposing we kill every criminal that ever commits a crime, but we should keep the death penalty as an option for those that have truly deserved it.
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