Transcript Christians in favour of Capital Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Christian and Buddhist ethics
Introduction
• Remember that Kantian and Utilitarian approaches can (and are) used by people who hold religious beliefs. You may find that as we learn about Christian and Buddhist viewpoints you will see elements of Kantian and Utilitarian philosophy. • Generally speaking: Christians are split in their response to the issues surrounding Crime and Punishment due to interpretation of Biblical teachings; whereas Buddhists have a more defined moral stance.
Learning intentions
After today’s lesson you will be able to:
• Consider the relationship between Christian and Buddhist ethics and Crime and Punishment.
• Apply Christian and Buddhist ethics to moral issues found in Crime and Punishment.
• (Hopefully) see some aspects of Kantian and/or Utilitarian approaches within Christian and Buddhist viewpoints.
Sin
Life is sacred
Christianity God
The Bible
Forgiveness through Jesus as saviour
Crime and Punishment
The Christian views
It would be wrong to assume that ‘all’ Christians (or for that matter any group) will react to issues relating to Crime and Punishment in the same way. However, it is clear that there
remains a divide in Christian support for capital punishment interpretation
of the Bible.
and other punishment related issues. So much of this depends on a Christians tradition, community and • • • Christians would be wary of punishing for the purpose of
deterrence
this
may lead to people being used as scapegoats
.
as A central idea in Christianity is that
the strong should protect the weak
.
Christians would support reformation because
they believe everyone can change for the better
.
Christians in favour of Capital Punishment
• • • • • • Many Christians (an example being those of the South US) would argue that
capital punishment is the best way to protect and deter
.
There are
parts of the Bible (OT mostly) that clearly advocate
capital punishment and therefore
it is allowed by God
.
the use of The
Roman Catholic Church
, for example, have not retracted statements which permit the use of capital punishment.
The
Christian church itself has used capital punishment
as a punishment since the Bible was compiled. Heresy (holding beliefs that differ from the church) was and in some cases still is punishable by death e.g. Witch hunts.
Using this argument,
how can capital punishment be un-Christian?
Christian thinkers such as
Thomas Aquinas argued that the peace of society is more important than the reform of the sinner
.
Useful Biblical quotes (FOR)
•
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand...
Exodus 21:24 BRIDGE ARGUMENT
•
If a man hates his neighbour and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.
Show him no pity
.
Deuteronomy 19:
11-
12
Christians in favour of Capital Punishment
• • • • • • Despite the arguments mentioned, many Christians feel
capital punishment is unjustified
.
It is
impossible to reform a sinner when they are dead
.
Many Christians will point to where
stories of Jesus
in the Bible and look to his example when making a decision on capital punishment. There are times
he expressly condemns the use of capital punishment
e.g. ‘He who has not sinned may cast the first stone.’ The
teachings of the Old Testament should be replaced
with those from the New Testament.
Life is sacred
- only God has the right to decide to end a life (though this could go the other way).
BRIDGE ARGUMENT
Today,
most churches condemn
the use of capital punishment. They believe the teachings of Jesus rule out revenge as a possible motive.
Useful Biblical quotes (AGAINST)
•
Do not repay anyone evil for evil
. Be careful to do what is right in the sight of everybody…Do not take revenge, my friends, be leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “It is mine to revenge, I will repay.”
Romans 12:17
-19 •
You have heard that is was said , “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” But I tell you . Do not resist an evil person.
If someone strikes you on the right cheek turn to him the other also
.
Matthew 5:
3-
8 BRIDGE ARGUMENT
OK SO FAR?
Kamma Enlightenment BUDDHISM Suffering due to ignorance Compassion Non-violence
Crime and Punishment
•
Buddhist view
For Buddhists
the fundamental reason for all suffering is ignorance
(including suffering resulting in, or caused by, crime). For Buddhists we should be encouraging the person to detach from the attractions of material goods – to stop the craving and wanting. • Buddhists are not against punishment, in principle, in the form of fines, community service and prison
as long as there is the chance of reform and the indivudual and society are protected
.
• Punishment may act as a
deterrent creating further bad kamma
which will in turn for themselves.
protect criminals from
• We should be helping offenders to work towards generating positive kamma. All beings are equally worthy of comparison – all wish to be happy. For this reason
Buddhists do not agree with punishment that inflicts further unnecessary suffering
.
Buddhist view continued…
• • • • • Buddhists aim to keep 5 Precepts which are guidelines for living a skilful life. The first of the 5 Precepts Buddhists are expected to keep is:
to abstain from taking life.
Ahimsa or
non-violence
is a principle that means that all life should be treasured. All sentient beings are fundamentally good and all life is important and has the potential to attain enlightenment.
Buddhists hold a
strong position against Capital Punishment
. Any violence leads to
bad kamma for all
, the results of which may be seen in a next life.
Executed criminals are
not given the chance to reform
their mistakes.
and learn from With any revenge or retaliation,
the intention behind the action is to harm
and this therefore incurs negative kammic consequences. This goes against the Buddhist teachings of
compassion
(karuna).
Crime and Punishment
Buddhist quotes from scripture
In the
Dhammapada
Buddha said:
If a man does something wrong, let him not do it again and again. Let him not find pleasure in his sin. Painful is the accumulation of wrongdoings.
Dh. 117 Who hurts not any living being, whether feeble or strong, Who neither kills nor causes to kill – him I call a Brahmin.
Dh. 405
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
FOR
• Christians (OT)
AGAINST
• Buddhists • Christians (NT)
Learning check…
Crime and Punishment