Religion and the Death Penalty

It’s something of a mixed bag, but in general religious organizations oppose Capital Punishment.

The majority of Christian sects, including The American Baptist Church, The Episcopal Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church, The Orthodox Church, The Presbyterian Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Unitarians, The United Church of Christ and The Methodist Church, have clearly stated that they oppose Capital Punishment. I have to applaud these folks for taking, based purely upon principle, a stand that could well be unpopular with their flock.

However, both The Lutheran Church: Missouri Synod and the Southern Baptist Convention support the use of Capital Punishment. The Assemblies of God and the Mormons are neutral and take no stand either in opposition to, or in favor of, the Death Penalty.

All of the sects that take a stand claim to do so based upon the bible and/or the teachings of Jesus. I’m uncertain how either The Assemblies of God or the Mormons can justify being neutral. The AoG appears to take that position due to a wide range of positions within the congregation. The Mormons simply state that it’s a matter for civil law to determine and that they are neutral. They give no explanation for not having a position on an issue that most folks would consider a moral question.

The full range of Judaism, from Orthodox to Reform, based upon pronouncements from representative assemblies, opposes the Death Penalty. While Buddhism and Hinduism have issued no central announcement, killing of any kind breaks the First Precept under Buddhism and violates the principle of ahisma, or non-violence, under Hinduism so both would probably tend to oppose Capital Punishment.

This brings us to Islam. Western Muslims try to spin this question by claiming that there are only two instances where the Death Penalty is allowed. Unfortunately those two instances, a crime against an individual or a crime against the state, are so broad the Death Penalty could be applied to just about anything. The sole saving grace is that Islamic Law extends to the victim’s family the right to limit the penalty for a murderer. Of course it also allows the victim’s family to decide that death sounds just about right. Where do you suspect most families would stand on this question?

So now I guess the question becomes why do some 65% of Americans still favor Capital Punishment? It’s not the fault of all those godless atheists because only 57% of secular folks support the Death Penalty. Don’t you people listen to your Priests and Pastors?