'Capital punishment is always wrong?' Do you agree?

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Advantages

  • Capital punishment goes against the sixth of the ten commandments 'Do not kill' and so many Christians would agree that it is wrong.
  • Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies and to turn the other cheek.  This means that those who do wrong should have an opportunity to reform.

Disadvantages

  • The Old Testament teaching ' An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' suggests that a punishment should fit the crime and so taking someone's life maybe seen as acceptable.
  • Sometimes it might be acceptable to take someone's life as a form of deterrence and to protect the safety of others.

Evaluation

In conclusion, I agree that capital punishment is always wrong because I do not believe that there can ever be a justification for taking someone's life.  If life is sacred then all life must be sacred and to take someone's life as a form of punishment is inhumane and makes the executor a murderer.

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