The Objectives of Capital Punishment - Essay Example

?Capital Punishment Prior to actually tackling the issues behind the death penalty, the aspects linked to the death penalty or capital punishment ly: the Sacred Tradition, the Magisterium, the Sacred Tradition and Human Reason will primarily be discussed. First of all the Sacred Scripture is considered as the written word of God, which are Divinely certain facts that was assigned to the Catholic Church; who in turn implements its “lawful administration”(The Original Catholic Encyclopedia). The Magisterium on the other hand, pertains to the “teaching authority of the Church” that is generally achieved through the Pope and the Bishops of the Catholic Church (Most). The Magisterium is the means of educating people or individuals about the Divine truths written within the Sacred Scriptures which is the divine Word of God. The Magisterium is associated with the Sacred Tradition and is regarded as the “unwritten truths” about faith and morals which can normally be expressed by the faithful in words. However, the Sacred Tradition cannot be actually based on any written or spoken words – so they are referred to as the unwritten truths that are usually used in the administration of the Magisterium; where teachings from the Sacred Scriptures are done (Conte). The last aspect often linked to the matter of capital punishment or the death penalty is Human Reason. Human reason is what separates a person from lower forms of animals because human beings possess a level of intelligence that motivates them to discover and explain salient issues, which eventually leads to the understanding of important matters. Although such characteristics are often restricted when it comes to expressing opinions regarding religious views and truths (wordiQ.com). Capital punishment has always been debated upon but those who are for and against its imposition on individuals who have committed unspeakable crimes like murder and rape. The grounds of the arguments are often centered on the Holy Bible which contains the Sacred Scriptures, and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Since the Sacred Scriptures are the basis of performing the Magisterium and discussing the Sacred Tradition it can be said that the Holy Bible as a whole is a reliable source for the Church to tolerate the capital punishment meted out by any State or government for dreadful crimes. Since Church leaders are normally bound to adhere to the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Traditions. Accordingly, the Magisterium has never expressly supported the idea of abolishing capital punishment, but neither does it specify in any way that using it is necessarily required and should only be implemented rarely because respect for all human life is a must. This means that even the most hardened criminal whom we see as lower than any animal must be given human dignity despite his or her deeds; and should be given the chance to repent and turn over a new leaf (Pope). In support of the foregoing, the teachings of Jesus Christ and His way of life, as also portrayed in the Holy Bible contradicts the toleration of killing or taking away of life in exchange for serious offenses. This is likewise stated in the Sixth Commandment which states that “thou shall not kill”, which is the foundation of argument for those who are against capital punishment. In light of this the Magisterium makes it clear that capital punishment should only be implemented or equated to the crimes committed; and that the State or the government “does not act on its own authority but as an agent of God – who gives and takes away life” as per the Sacred Scripture. Relevant to this issue, Dulles presents the four goals of why punishment is in place for identified crimes committed against a person and the society in general, which are as follows: rehabilitation, defense against the criminal, deterrence and retribution. The first objective of punishment is rehabilitation. In order for somebody to recuperate or recover from a serious misdeed, he or she must be given the chance to be reintroduced back to normal society. Unfortunately capital punishment prevents the person from doing this because he or she is facing the death penalty. But for arguments sake, everyone must be given the benefit of the doubt because to be held in line for the electric chair, the gas chamber or lethal injection makes a person realize the need to convert and repent. While reconciliation may be nil with the general society – when the remorse is true, it is acceptable to God because the Sacred Scripture states that even for those who have gravely sinned against man and God but repents in his or her last hours will still have a place in heaven. The second objective of punishment is defense against the criminal. While it is true that capital punishment prevents a criminal from doing or perpetrating crime again, there is always the possibility of release or escape. However imposing the death penalty is not the only way of protecting the society from such threats since modern techniques installed by the penal system generally makes it difficult for convicted criminals to escape from jail. So execution is not the only answer to be able to keep the community or society safe. The third goal of punishment is deterrence. The possibility of being put to death normally will subject a convicted inmate to fear and other psychological distress and may from time to time make others think twice before committing a similar offense. In the past, executions were usually viewed publicly subjecting the criminal to pain and degradation that clearly violates human dignity or what little is left of it. In order to do away with such public disgrace, executions nowadays are done privately and as much as possible painlessly. But the prevention of crime does not solely lie on the State’s authority to execute a human life because there are other ways and means to keep the society safe and sound. Last but not the least of the objectives of punishment is retribution. All types of offenses or crimes for that matter require an equivalent kind of punishment and death is generally perceived as the correct form of penalty for serious offenses. Although this may be the case in some situations it cannot be said that this is the form of justice or payment required by God since the State or government is not as supreme as God and only acts or implements what it perceives to be “God’s perfect justice”. The main objections for the implementation of the death penalty or capital punishment, still according to Dulles are: the possibility of innocence, the desire for revenge, devaluates the value of life and is not in accordance to the teachings of Jesus (based on the Sacred Scriptures) about forgiveness. It is without a doubt that some inmates who are found guilty are innocent of the crimes they are being accused of; as it is difficult to establish whether the court, jury, witnesses and evidences are very reliable or trustworthy. Being human and getting hurt over the death of a loved one who has been wronged by an accused normally leads to anger with a desire for revenge which is quite understandable. This eventually will lead to wishing for the optimum justice, which is capital punishment that calls for the payment of life for the life that was likewise taken. And whereas family members of the victim or victims may find closure with the sentence of death penalty, it is often a sad case that while the Scriptures tolerate capital punishment to a certain degree, people fail to remember that the Scriptures and Traditions expressed via the Magisterium also calls for forgiveness. It can be recalled that while Jesus Christ knows He was facing death, He held no ill will or anger against those who inflicted pain upon Him, but instead forgave them for they do not know what they were doing. And as the debate for or against the death penalty rages on, it is always important to value life and human dignity according to the Scriptures and Traditions of the Church. But it is likewise essential to understand what is really significant since people are given the intelligence to discern what life, respect and dignity is really all about. Works Cited Conte, Ronald, Jr. New Insights into Sacred Traditions. 02 February 2006. Web. 30 October 2011. < http://www.patheos.com/community/exploringourmatrix/2011/05/26/trusting -the-bible-vs-trusting-human-reason-from-the-archives/>. Dulles, Avery. Catholicism & Capital Punishment. 2001 April. Web. 30 October 2011. < http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0461.html>. Most, William. The Magisterium or Teaching Authority of the Church. 1990. Web. 30 October 2011. . Pope, Charles. On the Inopportune Nature of Capital Punishment. n.d. Web. 29 October 2011. . The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. Scripture. n.d. Web. 30 October 2011. . wordiQ.com. Reason. n.d. Web. 30 October 2011. Read More