Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers

CAPITAL PUNISMENT - IMMORAL OR NOT As a minority of US bishops once said, â€Å"We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing.† The Catholic Church has spoken out repeatedly and passionately about the need to protect human life of every stage of existence. All issues and matters relating to the dignity and worth of human life fall with the realm of the fifth commandment, â€Å"You shall not kill.† The Catholic Church consistently communicates the importance of human life. As the late pope John Paul II once stated, â€Å"May the death penalty, an unworthy punishment still used in some countries, be abolished throughout the world. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.† Capital punishment is one of those moral issues that divide society. Most people in favour of the death penalty think that it should only be for those that have committed brutal premeditated crimes, mass murders and convicted multiple rapes. But Christians teaching, whatever the religion, believe that the criminal should be given the chance for rehabilitation. Early references to penalties for murder and capital punishment can be found in the bible. The first mention of appropriate punishment for murder is found in Genesis 4: 11 – 15 â€Å"Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer...