Catholics view on Death Penalty

[puppylove]

I need some help with some other Christians who want the death penalty for a case in Texas. What is the Catholic stance on this?

 

[davidv]

I need some help with some other Christians who want the death penalty for a case in Texas. What is the Catholic stance on this?

Please read article 2267 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

 

[CapIV]

There is a sticky for the death penalty at the top of the social justice subforum.

 

[Mayo]

Fifth Commandment. Thou Shalt not kill.
No matter how heines the crime by the law of the fifth commandment we can not put that person to death. God will deal with the Perpetrator when HE/She dies. Revenge is mine says The Lord. We understand that is what is meant by that saying.

A catholic and or christian Governer that is obeying the Fifth Commandment will not sign a Death Warrent no matter what because when they die they will have to answer to God just the same as the Perprtrator.if they sign a Death Warrent because the persons life is in their hands.

Mayo

 

[Resurrexi]

Fifth Commandment. Thou Shalt not kill.
No matter how heines the crime by the law of the fifth commandment we can not put that person to death. God will deal with the Perpetrator when HE/She dies. Revenge is mine says The Lord. We understand that is what is meant by that saying.

A catholic and or christian Governer that is obeying the Fifth Commandment will not sign a Death Warrent no matter what because when they die they will have to answer to God just the same as the Perprtrator.if they sign a Death Warrent because the persons life is in their hands.

Mayo

That is not quite 100% correct. In America and the western world this may be true because we have the means to contain people for their entire lives. However, in less advanced cultures (for the most part, nomadic and some village cultures) they are unable to contain a person as we can. So, if the person continues to murder or whatnot, the society can put that person do death morally since they are not able to stop the harm any other way.

CCC 2267 Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty,** if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.**

 

[pnewton]

Fifth Commandment. Thou Shalt not kill.
No matter how heines the crime by the law of the fifth commandment we can not put that person to death. God will deal with the Perpetrator when HE/She dies. Revenge is mine says The Lord. We understand that is what is meant by that saying.

A catholic and or christian Governer that is obeying the Fifth Commandment will not sign a Death Warrent no matter what because when they die they will have to answer to God just the same as the Perprtrator.if they sign a Death Warrent because the persons life is in their hands.

You are mistaken to apply this scripture as evidence that we are not allowed to execute someone. First, that word for “kill” would be better translated murder. Second, there is absolutely no way this verse is a prohibition of the death penalty because when one reads more than one verse in the Bible, they find this same law has the death penalty attached to its violation. In fact, the same law that says “thou shalt not kill” had many acts that justified putting one to death.

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

I need some help with some other Christians who want the death penalty for a case in Texas. What is the Catholic stance on this?

Check the catechism.

My own opinion. The death penalty sucks and should be the last resort, as I’m of the opinion that we need more “devil’s islands” as opposed to killing people.

Many “bad guys” should be sentenced to 3’x3’ metal boxes in the jail courtyard with no chance of getting out of it, but I have been told I can be rather harsh at times.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Fifth Commandment. Thou Shalt not kill.
No matter how heines the crime by the law of the fifth commandment we can not put that person to death. God will deal with the Perpetrator when HE/She dies. Revenge is mine says The Lord. We understand that is what is meant by that saying.

A catholic and or christian Governer that is obeying the Fifth Commandment will not sign a Death Warrent no matter what because when they die they will have to answer to God just the same as the Perprtrator.if they sign a Death Warrent because the persons life is in their hands.

Mayo

How do you reconcile that with God’s command in Exodus 35:2

Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death;

Is God ordering them to violate the commandment He just gave them?

 

[MH84]

I dont get how any Christian can support the death penalty. You cant really be pro-life and support the death penalty. It even sounds strange.

In this regard, the US is behind the rest of the western world in my opinion.

 

[Resurrexi]

I dont get how any Christian can support the death penalty. You cant really be pro-life and support the death penalty. It even sounds strange.

In this regard, the US is behind the rest of the western world in my opinion.

If it is needed to actually protect life, sure you can.

But as John Paul II said, in Western culture it isn’t really needed anymore. So at least in the US we should do away with it.

 

[Tietjen]

Fifth Commandment. Thou Shalt not kill.
No matter how heines the crime by the law of the fifth commandment we can not put that person to death. God will deal with the Perpetrator when HE/She dies. Revenge is mine says The Lord. We understand that is what is meant by that saying.

A catholic and or christian Governer that is obeying the Fifth Commandment will not sign a Death Warrent no matter what because when they die they will have to answer to God just the same as the Perprtrator.if they sign a Death Warrent because the persons life is in their hands.

Mayo

With all due respect, your opinion on this matter is incorrect. The proper translation for the commandment is “thou shalt not kill in stealth” if I remember correctly (IE - Unlawfully murder). This commandment therefore does not apply to lawful executions nor does it apply to soldiers fighting in battle. Having said that, governments, which have another means to protect their innocent from further harm, are called to employee that means rather than impose a death sentence. It is arguable as to whether the current system in the US can do that, given our judicial branch of government and all the “rights” granted the perpetrator (IE - the parole system, early release, good time, appeals, cases being thrown out on technical loopholes instead of guilt & innocence, prison overcrowding, etc). A single life sentence in the US does by no means mean that the guilty person will remain behind bars until his/her death. My personal stance on the subject is I wish it were not part of the US justice system. However, I wish too, that life really meant LIFE because I get sick of seeing murders and other heinous criminals getting out only to hurt or kill someone else.

 

[MH84]

With all due respect, your opinion on this matter is incorrect. The proper translation for the commandment is “thou shalt not kill in stealth” if I remember correctly (IE - Unlawfully murder). This commandment therefore does not apply to lawful executions nor does it apply to soldiers fighting in battle. Having said that, governments, which have another means to protect their innocent from further harm, are called to employee that means rather than impose a death sentence. It is arguable as to whether the current system in the US can do that, given our judicial branch of government and all the “rights” granted the perpetrator (IE - the parole system, early release, good time, appeals, cases being thrown out on technical loopholes instead of guilt & innocence, prison overcrowding, etc). A single life sentence in the US does by no means mean that the guilty person will remain behind bars until his/her death. My personal stance on the subject is I wish it were not part of the US justice system. However, I wish too, that life really meant LIFE because I get sick of seeing murders and other heinous criminals getting out only to hurt or kill someone else.

I’m not going to touch the rest of your post, but only to say that we can’t just accept “lawful executions” because it is legal to do so. I mean abortions and most uses of contraception is “legal”, but immorally wrong according to Catholic standards.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

I need some help with some other Christians who want the death penalty for a case in Texas. What is the Catholic stance on this?

The key is imminent danger that is what JPII was talking about. Only when imminent danger is present should capital punishment be an option. That is a summation of what the catechism is explaining. Is there imminent danger in this Texas case?

 

[Tietjen]

I’m not going to touch the rest of your post, but only to say that we can’t just accept “lawful executions” because it is legal to do so. I mean abortions and most uses of contraception is “legal”, but immorally wrong according to Catholic standards.

I’m not suggesting that we should “accept” execution simply because it is lawful (in most states of the US). I am saying that it is acceptable if no other means exsists to ensure that the public remains safe from harm (IE - If the only way to stop this person from killing another human being is to execute him/her, then it is acceptable). And this is the position of the Church as well.
Catechism of the Catholic Church para 2267:

Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”

 

[pnewton]

I dont get how any Christian can support the death penalty. You cant really be pro-life and support the death penalty. It even sounds strange.
.

Sure you can. In fact, it is because I place such a high value on life that I deem the taking of innocent life as the most henious of crimes. Likewise, when it appears that a know murderer is likely to murder again, putting him to death to stop him, if that is truly what it takes is a prudent action. Besides, I always prefer to call my postition anti-abortion as opposed to pro-life.

 

[latinmasslover]

Our prisons aren’t places of punishment anymore. We need to get rid of all the activities and comforts in the prison and keep the death penalty.

 

[MH84]

Our prisons aren’t places of punishment anymore. We need to get rid of all the activities and comforts in the prison and keep the death penalty.

How do you know? How can you be all anti-abortion (I read on another post) but now want the death penalty imposed to punish criminals? Not even as a “defense” mechanism for the community as some have argued, but to punish…remember we are all sinners.

 

[latinmasslover]

How do you know? How can you be all anti-abortion (I read on another post) but now want the death penalty imposed to punish criminals? Not even as a “defense” mechanism for the community as some have argued, but to punish…remember we are all sinners.

Tearing an innocent child limb by limb, scalding him/her with saline, or shoving scissors up through the back of his/her neck is a lot different than execution.

The Scriptures and the Church condemn murder, not execution, when necessary.

 

[MH84]

Both result in death thats decided by man. If the death penalty is not necessary, then in my opinion it is wrong.

What happens if the person was innocent of the crime?

 

[latinmasslover]

Both result in death thats decided by man. If the death penalty is not necessary, then in my opinion it is wrong.

What happens if the person was innocent of the crime?

These days, that isn’t likely. When there is reasonable doubt, and I mean reasonable, then of course the death penalty shouldn’t be used. Then we have to decide what is “necessary.”

Do you believe soldiers sin when they kill in war? Police officers? What if a woman is about to be raped, does she have the right to kill her attacker? Capital punishment and abortion are very different, it’s really a bad comparison.