- Capital punishment/Death penalty: legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime.
- The most common forms of capital punishment include electrocution, gas, firing squads, lethal injections and hanging.
- Australia abolished the death penalty in 1975, but since then there have been many debates about whether it should be re-introduced.
- Most Christians are against capital punishment, but a few Christians support it.
ONLY GOD HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE A LIFE
- We are all human; so we don’t have the right to determine who lives and who dies. There is nothing in the world that gives another human being the right to kill another, when it’s don’t out of revenge it’s worse. Job 1:21 – The Lord gave me everything I have, and they are His to take away.
- Human life is sacred, as God created it. God made criminals, too. Man is made in God’s own image so they have special value and dignity. Therefore, human life should be protected and preserved no matter what happens.
- God has a plan for everyone; we should not interfere with this plan by shortening someone’s life. We are only stewards of our bodies; God gave us responsibility to take care of them so God is the final authority over our lives.
- The Bible clearly states that killing a person is wrong. Exodus 20:13, one of the 10 commandments is ‘thou shalt not kill’. Killing another person is wrong; “he did it first” is not a valid excuse.
REPRESENTS ONLY REVENGE
- Killing offenders only lowers us to their standard; stooping to the level of the criminal
- Capital punishment is technically murdering a murderer Government breaking it’s own laws
- Is it right to punish violence with more violence?
- Important: the Bible teaches not to seek revenge: Matthew 5:39 - If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek. This verse is Jesus saying to avoid retribution and not to try and right a wrong with another wrong.
UNCIVILISED AND BARBARIC
- Brutalises