According to the United States Catholic Bishops (Winsor B5), "the question for judgment and decision is whether capital punishment is justifiable

penalty, according to surveys cited by Christianity Today magazine in 1995,

under present circumstances.” The Church goes on to say that it “believes that in the conditions of contemporary American society, the legitimate purposes of punishment do not justify the imposition of the death penalty." The Church envisions a legal system abolished of capital punishment and empowered with more constructive forms of retribution and rehabilitation. "Abolition sends a message that we can break the cycle of violence, that we need not take life for life, that we can envisage more humane and more hopeful and effective responses to the growth of violent crime." In the eyes of the Catholics, these principles are exemplified by Jesus, “who both taught and practiced the forgiveness of injustice."

punishment are products of social-action committees rather than votes by

Ironically, 81 percent of mainline Christians in the pews support the death

Not all religious leaders agree wholeheartedly on the issue, however. The Rev. Whitney West, pastor of Lincoln Park Baptist Church, said he would support the death penalty if it were administered in accordance with Scripture: swiftly and only in cases where there are eyewitnesses (Winsor B5). "The only way for life to have value is to follow the Scripture: 'A life for a life,'" he said. "But under our current system, where it's not a matter of justice but a matter of money and lawyers, it's difficult to support it now.” West maintained that “it should be done and done properly, but if it isn't done properly, fairly and justly, then it shouldn't be done at all."

Some topics in this essay:
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