length: 686 words 2 double spaced pages religious perspectives on capital punishment travelling around the world, this paper presents the various religious perspectives evidenced in recent actions taken regarding the death penalty. Lucia, regional roman catholic bishops, at the antilles episcopal conference held as part of the antilles eucharist congress held in st lucia in may, publicly stated their wish to see the abolition of the death penalty. The president of the conference, edgerton clarke, archbishop of kingston, jamaica, said that while he and his colleagues were mindful of the support for capital punishment in the region they saw life as being of tremendous value, and hoped for the abolition of the death penalty. Capital punishment was one of several issues discussed at the episcopal conference which is a forum through which caribbean bishops examine what is happening in the church and society.

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The congress was attended by some 20,0 catholics from the regional and international community. In italy, at a papal mass celebrated by pope john paul ii at rome's regina coeli prison on 9 july, prayers were offered for prisoners on death row who were awaiting the end of their existence, and for those kept in inhuman conditions. ''may the death penalty, an unworthy punishment still used in some countries, be abolished throughout the world'' the pope said. During the year 20, the jubilee year of the roman catholic church, the coliseum in rome has been lit up with a bright white light every time a country abolished the death penalty or announced a moratorium on executions. It was also illuminated if a death sentence was commuted or a prisoner sentenced to death was found to be innocent and released. In the russian federation, meeting in moscow, the council of bishops of the russian orthodox church on 16 august called for an end to the death penalty.

The church gave as its reasons for opposing the death penalty the fact that it can make a judicial error irreparable and also because the penalty causes controversy in society. In the usa, in february the pastor of the white house, the reverend philip wogaman, senior minister at washington's foundry methodist church, called for a review of the death penalty, adding his voice to those concerned that innocent people have been condemned and that sentencing is prone to racial bias. I'm not sure there are anymore,'' the reverend said in a sermon attended by the president, ``i hope we will be in for a season of serious re examination of that issue.'' in may in california cardinal roger mahony, the roman catholic archbishop of los angeles which is the largest catholic archdiocese in the united states, urged the state governor to issue a moratorium on executions. He said that the california authorities had an obligation to thoroughly review the operation of the death penalty in the light of growing evidence that innocent people may have been condemned to death in error.

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In a letter the cardinal stated that he believed that an objective study would provide substantial factual data to support moral and ethical questions raised by the catholic bishops of california and the united states regarding the death penalty. On 20 november a letter was delivered to the white house signed by 40 religious and political leaders asking the president to declare a moratorium on federal executions. A similar letter, circulated by the religious action center of reform judaism and signed by more than 50 religious leaders, was sent to the president on 28 november. In pakistan, mohammad yousuf ali, aged about 50 years and a member of a small sufi order, was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death on 5 august in lahore, pakistan. He was convicted of blasphemy under section 295c of the pakistani penal code which carries a mandatory death sentence for allegedly defiling the holy name of the prophet mohammad. He was also convicted on related charges and sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment with hard labour and fined to be served and paid before his execution.

Capital punishment has been occurring within the united states for over two centuries. An idea first created in ancient egyptian times, the topic is continually used in today's society of crime and punishment. Although enforced for so many years, the topic was not morally debated until recent times. Records of ancient egypt indicate acts of criminal condemning by different methods of execution classical judaism вќ 142.

Even though biblical references state executions of crucifixions and stoning of criminals, the catholic church, in addition to an array of various other faiths, still has plead politicians in america to end this form of punishment. Denominations and groups opposed to capital punishment include the roman catholic church, united methodist church, united church of christ, presbyterian church u.s.a. , episcopal church, disciples of christ, and american friends service committee zorn 1. Judaism and islam allow for capital punishment in some very narrow circumstances, although the american jewish committee is officially against it.

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According to the united states catholic bishops winsor b5 , the question for judgment and decision is whether capital punishment is justifiable under present circumstances. вќ 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. Our writers can help get your essay back on track, take a look at our services to learn more about how we can help.

Essay writing service essay marking service place an order the catechism of the catholic church clearly defines the conditions under which a life can be taken and highlights thereby the reasons that support the church's convictions. For example, the catechism specifically states that: if bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person congressional records 16751. This passionate defense of the sanctity of life, even a criminal's, is mainly related to the catholic belief that all humans are created in the image of god and therefore possess a certain amount of value, dignity and worth which ought to be protected and uphold at any time.

In other words, the catholic church today regards every individual as a sacred being and strongly affirms that every human life is precious, including the life of those individuals who violated the rights of others. The church currently defends this position by pointing out that human dignity is not qualified by the individual's actions as it is inherent and can therefore neither be earned nor forfeited. In the catechism of the catholic church, the conditions under which a life can be taken, even for the purpose of protecting others, have been significantly narrowed over time. Today the church passionately argues against the death penalty and justifies the stance through a reference to a variety of biblical scriptures and religious and moral/ethical concepts. However it is interesting to note that church approached the dilemma from a different perspective for many centuries. According to the excerpts 2266 from the catechism of the catholic church, the efforts of the state to curb the spread of harmful social behavior ought to be recognized and supported for the common good.

In this context, the church supported the right of the state to inflict any suitably deemed punishment including the death penalty, as long as it was proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Excerpt 2267, issued by the vatican on september 9, 1997, suggests at first glance a continuity in the church's point of view. The excerpt namely asserts that non lethal means are preferable to lethal ones but that recourse to the death penalty was nevertheless not opposed by the church if it was in the defense and protection of a human life.