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Bible & Capital Punishment

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Religion vs death penalty: Is it morally acceptable to execute people under certain circumstances?

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Solution Summary

The solution discusses the topic of death penalty and capital punishment in the American legal context and the Biblical positions that argue or mandate it. Resources are listed for further exploration of the topic. A word version is attached.

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Dear Student,
Hi and thank you for using Brainmass. The solution below should get you started. In this particular task, you are asking for help in putting together a paper on the topic of capital punishment and the Bible. This asks you to take note of the Baptist position as well. Since it comes with instruction on presentation, I suggest taking note of that as you draft your paper. I suggest this simple outline:
1. Title Page and abstract
2. Table of Content (please work on this as you add sections)
3. About the topic - 200 words
4. About capital punishment - 300 words
5. Biblical passages on the topic - 500 words
6. Popular opinion from Christian sources - 500 words
7. Baptist position - 500 words
8. Opinion - 500 words
9. Resources
This should cover what you need. Remember that it is important to note the source being Biblical canon and as such, it is important to cite and to use footnotes to explain if necessary. You can use the listed resources to further explore the topic. Just let me know via the feedback section if you need further clarification. Also, you should use information and discussion points highlighted in your course materials. All the best with your studies.

Sincerely,
AE 105878/Xenia Jones

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Capital Punishment and the Bible
"Religion vs. death penalty: Is it morally acceptable to execute people under certain circumstances?"

Abstract: The paper discusses the topic of Capital punishment based on the American criminal justice system and proceeds to explore the Christian position based on Biblical authority with reference to Baptist views.

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Table of Contents

Title Page Number
Introduction
What is Capital Punishment?
The Bible on Capital Punishment
Opinion
Bibliography
Addendum

--------------------------------

Introduction

The idea of 'a life for a life' is purported to be related to the Hebrew phrase 'Ain takhat ain' (Bible Gateway 2016) which meant 'an eye for an eye', an idea that expresses the position of reciprocal justice. Justice which is measure for measure is found in the moral perspectives of some of the oldest civilizations as showcased in the code of Hammurabi which expressed this reciprocal position as follows (Mr. Dowling 2018) -
"If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out."
This position later became interpreted as
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

With ancient Israel being in the direct sphere of influence of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia , it is not a surprise that the idea of reciprocal justice was also held as a moral position by its' people. When the Romans came and made Israel a territory of Rome, they also implemented the law of 'lex talionis' or the Law of retaliation. This is very similar to reciprocal justice in that it purports for a person to be punished in the same way the victim person's victim was harmed or injured. Thus, if the accused is proven to have beaten the other, then the just punishment, per 'lex talionis' would be for the perpetrator to be beaten in a similar manner. And if the perpetrator is proven to have killed the victim, then that perpetrator ought to also pay for the crime with his or her life. These ideas - reciprocal justice, mirror punishment, an eye for an eye - bring us to the topic of this discussion - Capital Punishment. In modern justice systems, the idea of capital punishment or death penalty refers to a state-sanctioned killing of a person as that person's punishment for a crime . A crime is an unlawful act that goes against the state's codified legal system and is punishable thus by the state or a related authority. In the US what is defined as a crime is as follows (Cornell Law School 2022) -
"Behavior that the law makes punishable as a public offense. The elements of a crime typically come from statutes, but may also be supplied by the common law in states where the criminal common law still carries force."

And explained further in their classification and gravity of impact as follows (Cornell Law School 2022) -
"Crime is behavior, either by act or omission, defined by statutory or common law as deserving of punishment. Although most crimes require the element of intent, certain minor crimes may be committed on the basis of strict liability even if the defendant had no specific mindset with regard to the criminal action. ...

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