Christians advocate for and against the death penalty based on secular laws. However, Christians also make their arguments based on the tenets of the biblical teachings and their faith. In the Old Testament, the death penalty is considered as part of capital punishment; the scripture argues that life is sacred; therefore, those who kill another human must also be subjected to death (Heirs, 2004). According to Genesis 9:6, any person that sheds the blood of another human should also die by the hand of man, since God has made man in his image. This scripture is part of the covenant agreement that God made with Noah, and it illustrates the value God has placed on human life. The death penalty is also supported in the Mosaic laws, whereby any person that commits murder (except accidental) should be executed.
The Old Testament directly mandates the death penalty as part of capital punishment. However, in the New Testament, there are no specific laws that support the death penalty. In Romans 13: 1-7, Paul explains that each person is subject to the rules implemented by the civil government; thus, man must submit to the authority of the federal government. Paul reminds his readers that whoever commits an offense should be ready to face the legal consequences, including execution.
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The U.S Supreme Court excludes juveniles and the mentally ill from facing the death penalty. Mental health experts argue that people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar have cognitive impairment that interferes with their ability to make proper decisions (Wilson, 2016). For this reason, mentally ill culprits are, in most instances, do not face the death penalty. On the other hand, juvenile offenders are incarcerated and provided with treatment and rehabilitative services aimed at correcting their behavior and preventing them from participating in law-violating acts. Nonetheless, the death penalty is a valid punishment option in today’s society due to the heinous acts of murder and crime occurring.
References
Hiers, R. (2004). The Death Penalty and Due Process in Biblical Law, 81 U. Det. Mercy L. Rev. 751, Retrieved from http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub/741
Wilson, R. (2016).The Death Penalty and Mental Illness in International Human Rights Law: Toward Abolition, 73 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1469. https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/wlulr/ vol73/iss3/13
