In the Old Testament, God himself used capital punishment either directly or indirectly. Take the flood of Noah, where God destroyed all life on Earth, except for the survivors of the

Ark. He destroyed two cities, Soddon and Gornorrah because of the sins of the people residing there. In the time of Moses, he took the lives of Egyptian’s firsts born sons and destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.

Capital punishment even precedes the Old Testament law code. In Genesis, Capital punishment is based on the belief in the sanctity of life. It says, “Whoever sheds man’s blood by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God, He made man.

Some Christians say the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was arguing against capital punishment. What he was actually saying was not to replace the power and responsibility of the government in taking vengeance our selves. Jesus does not deny the authority of government when he tells people to love their enemies and turn the

Opponents of the death penalty argue that it is not a deterrent, due to the fact that in some states where capital punishment is the law, crime rates continue to go up. This does not mean that the death penalty is not a threat.

In a Washington Post article, on the morning of July 5, 1978 Michael Baker, left home with John Mayecki, also 16, one of his closest friends, drove to a fast food restaurant for lunch. There in the parking lot, they were kidnapped at gun point by two men identified as Robert Alton Harris, then 25 a paroled murderer, and his brother Daniel then 18 years old. They forced Barker and Mayecki to drive into a near by canyon. According to the court testimony by Daniel Harris the following occurred. “Robert Harris promised not to harm the boys, and then shot Mayceki in the head and back, killing him. Baker bolted, trying to find cover in the bushes, but Robert Harris chased him. Baker pleaded for his life, but Harris proceeded to shoot him in his back and abdomen, killing him. Then Harris ate the boys’ hamburgers, while laughing to the amount of blood that gushed from Mayceki’s fatal head wound. The brothers then drove back to town in the boys’ car and robbed a bank. Hours later the police apprehended them at their house, three blocks from Mayceki’s home,

These situations demonstrate how capital punishment is a just punishment. It balances the scales of justice. It brings closure to the loved ones who have suffered from these tragedies. It alleviates fear of future attacks. That is why God in his wisdom declared, “a life for a life.”

Capital punishment will not deter all c

Some topics in this essay:
Hyman Borshay, Mosaic Law, Robert Harris, Mount Jesus, Wayne Robert, Daniel Harris, Henry Abbott, Watertown NY, Soddon Gornorrah, John Mayecki, capital punishment, death penalty, stone broken, convicted manslaughter, roman law, mosaic law, convicted murder, murder released, crime rates,