While I believe strongly in the dignity of human beings and in the sanctity of human life, I also very strongly believe in the death penalty. Some people see that as a contradiction. My answer to that is that human life is so important that if someone takes it unlawfully they should pay for it with their own life. That’s recognition of the sanctity of human life, not a contradiction.
I am always surprised to see Jewish and Christian clergy among those gathered at death penalty protests. Judaism and Christianity are based on the Bible. They should be true to the teachings of it. The Bible is Gods revelation to mankind. It says that the death penalty is necessary for justice and for a stable society. The first five books of the scriptures, the ‘Torah’ in Hebrew, are the books laying down God’s law. The one law that is found in all five books is the injunction to take the life of someone who has taken human life unlawfully.
While the legal system laid out in the Torah bears little resemblance to our form of government, there are some aspects of it that our founding fathers incorporated into our law. A study of the history of our founding fathers will reveal that they believed in the moral code laid down in the Bible. They considered it so final that they didn’t feel the need to reiterate it in our law. Our constitutional law nowhere says: “You will not commit murder”, like the sixth commandment, what it says is: ‘If you do commit murder, the government has the right to try you and to punish you’.
The principles of justice in the Bible are clear. Justice should be universally applied, there is to be no special treatment for those with rank or position. The penalties should be applied swiftly and with full knowledge, and in many cases the participation, of the public.
Unfortunately the death penalty is not universally or swiftly applied in our system. It has often unfairly been administered along racial or other lines. And, perhaps worst of all, it only happens after years of legal wrangling. It seems like every year there is some new legal defense that allows someone to get away with murder. The length of time between the crime and the punishment is usually so long that the death penalty is often, correctly, cited as not being an effective deterrent to murder. For it to be an effective deterrent it must be applied swiftly, and to all murderers.
People should be held responsible for their own actions. Provisions are made in the law for negligence, accidental killing and self-defense where they are appropriate. But, if anyone commits murder…they should be put to death. The issue is not about rehabilitation, as some would have us believe. And it’s not about revenge. That's why the death penalty isn't carried out by vigilantes...it's only carried out by lawfully constituted governments. It’s about punishment and about justice. The issue is about the sanctity of human life.
It is never a joyous occasion for the government to exercise its authority and take a human life. The death penalty should never be carried out in a carnival-like, or lighthearted fashion. It should be carried out with the appropriate amount of sobriety. The issues of justice and punishment should always give us pause. They are issues that are important to every member of society. They apply to us all. The death penalty reminds us all that to find justice we have to apply a firm, and unwavering, hand.
That's how important human life is…
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