The Morality Of Capital Punishment In The Bible

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For centuries, the question as to whether or not capital punishment is ethical has been debated. In the modern age, is it truly ethical to continue to execute people over a crime? Many feel that the pros to execution often outweigh the cons justifying it with the old saying “an eye for an eye”. However, others feel that capital punishment can have too many inconsistencies and mistakes as to who gets put on death row. Many also feel that the justice system has a bias toward certain types of people which shows how many people can be wrongly accused as guilty for a crime they might have not even had involvement in.
To better analyze the morality of the subject, it is important to understand what capital punishment is. Capital punishment is the
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This can be seen in Genesis, the very first book in the Bible. Chapter four of Genesis is about Cain and Abel. They were both brothers. Abel took care of the sheep and Cain worked in the fields. Next, the two brothers brought offerings to the Lord. Cain offered the fruit from the earth and Abel offered the best lamb from his flock. God favored Abel’s offering which in turn angered Cain. Cain’s jealousy causes him to murder his brother. God becomes furious upon finding out about the death of Abel. He punishes Cain by telling him that as he works the land it will offer him no produce. This leads to Cain saying “Look, you have now banished me from the ground. I must avoid you and be a constant wanderer on the earth. Anyone may kill me at sight” (Genesis 4:14). However, God would not stand for Cain being murdered even though he murdered his brother. In the Bible it says “Not so! the LORD said to him. If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged seven times. So the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one would kill him at sight” (Genesis 4:15). Although this text is thousands of years old, it solidifies the Church’s stance on being against the death penalty. When Cain killed Abel, God didn’t end Cain’s life in retaliation. Instead, he spared Cain’s life and even put a protective mark on Cain so no one would kill him. This shows how merciful God is and how the Church finds it important to show mercy to those who have done

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