Capital Punishment Essay Research Paper Capital PunishmentIntroduction 2

Capital Punishment Essay, Research Paper Capital Punishment Introduction: Think for a moment about the fall into sin. Think about the people in Noah?s day. Sodom and Gomorrah. What is the punishment inflicted upon all of them by God? Death. The death penalty, or capital punishment, is the first and harshest penalty for sin. Although it has evolved and changed form over the years, and is now decided upon by men playing God, it is still an acceptable, God pleasing form of punishment. I am going to tell you what capital punishment is, its history, its current role in the justice of criminals, and why I believe that it pleases God. Body: Capital punishment, simply put, is killing someone for a crime that they have committed. This crime is murder. In some countries and states, it is considered acceptable to kill the person who has taken the life of another. The methods of execution have varied since the beginning of time, but three current popular ways include the gas chamber, lethal injection, and the electric chair. My overhead shows the different ways that states used for execution in 1994. In addition to the three most popular choices, a hanging and a firing squad are also used in a few states. According to the book ?Should We Have Capital Punishment? by JoAnn Bren Guernsey, these choices were made with the goal of a more humane murder in mind. The gas chamber is a small, sealed room in which the prisoner sits strapped to a chair. A lethal gas is sent through the floor of the room, and death usually takes about five minutes. Lethal injections simply involve the insertion of a needle filled with poison into a vein and injected. This procedure can be effective, but also takes long amounts of time quite often. The electric chair was invented as a way to quickly and painlessly kill the prisoner, but has proven to not be as effective as thought. It has taken up to three 2000 volt shocks to kill someone, with fire, sparks, and smoke reported to be seen coming from their head. None the less, the electric chair is currently the most popular method of execution. The history of capital punishment goes back to the beginning of time. The punishment for the fall into sin was death. God first punished Adam and Eve by banishing them from the Garden of Eden, and forcing them to endure pain and conflict as a reminder of their sin. After they had endured this, they were to die. Since this incident, death has been used as punishment for sins. God chose who to punish the people in Biblical times. Since then, men have taken on the role of ?playing God.? In times long passed, this punishment was delivered in much harsher ways than would ever be permitted in this day and age. These ways included burning at the stake, cruxificion, and being boiled alive. These punishments were also delivered to people who broke what would now be considered petty crimes, and to children as young as age ten. These crimes included stealing, adultery, and even gossiping. In the book ?Dark Justice: A History of Punishment and Torture? by Karen Farrington, it is stated, ?Some deserved to suffer. But many were innocent…? Capital punishment?s current role in the justice of criminals differs depending on where you live. Some countries as a whole forbid the act, using the defense that the punishment is cruel and inhumane. The book ?Criminal Justice: Opposing Viewpoints? points out that some people use the death penalty as a way to make themselves feel good, and to get a revenge on murderers. Other countries divide themselves and let their states and subdivisions decide for themselves whether or not the death penalty is right for them or not. In Wisconsin, the death penalty is not considered acceptable. My overhead here shows which states have abolished the death penalty. They are, North Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, West Virginia, New York, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetss, and Rhode Island. As you can see, the majority of states permit capital punishment. Allowing these criminals that would otherwise be sentenced to death to sit in jails until they die is acceptable, however. The jail system would be much more efficient and less crowded if criminals were sentenced to serve a period of about three months in jail, reflecting on their sin and being given time to repent and to make right with their Heavenly Father. After this time is given, I believe that they should be executed as ruled by the judge. Conclusion: I believe that capital punishment is God pleasing because of the fact that he sentenced Adam and Eve and the rest of the world?s population to death because of sin. He also punished other sins with immediate death. The tenth plague is also a unfortunate example of God?s wrath to sinners. He killed the first born of each unbelieving household as a punishment for their sins. He even felt it acceptable to kill His own Son for our sins. In my opinion, God obviously approved of death as a punishment. If He had not, he would never have sentenced His creation to certain death after the fall into sin. And He certainly would not have used death as a method of salvation. Due to these reasons, I believe that capital punishment should be allowed in each and every state and country. 3 sources included in paper