Christianity
Although some interpret that
John 8:7 of the Bible condemns the death penalty, Christian positions, as on many social issues, vary. The promulgator of Christianity,
Jesus of Nazareth, was executed by
crucifixion, and that method of execution became a symbol for Christianity (see
Passion (Christianity)). Furthermore, numerous
Catholic saints have been
martyred by usage of the death penalty.
The
Roman Catholic Church traditionally accepted capital punishment as per the theology of
Thomas Aquinas (who accepted the death penalty as a necessary
deterrent and prevention method, but not as the means of vengeance). Under the pontificate of
Pope John Paul II, this position was refined. His encyclical
Evangelium Vitae denounced abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia as murder (see
Consistent Life Ethic). The Roman Catholic Church holds that the death penalty is no longer necessary if it can be replaced by
incarceration.
[15] The
Catechism of the Catholic Church says "If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person".
The
Lambeth Conference of Anglican and Episcopalian bishops condemned the death penalty in 1988. In
Protestantism, both
Martin Luther and
John Calvin followed the traditional reasoning in favor of capital punishment, and the
Augsburg Confession explicitly defends it; the
Mennonites and
Friends, among other, smaller groups, opposed it. Some Protestant groups have cited
Genesis 9:5-6,
Romans 13:3-4, and
Leviticus 20:1-27 as the basis for permitting the death penalty
[7][8]. Both proponents and opponents derive their own stance from the Bible itself. Until recently, however, the retentionist position was held by all but a relatively few groups.
The
United Methodist Church, along with other
Methodist churches, also condemns capital punishment, saying that it cannot accept retribution or social vengeance as a reason for taking human life.
[16] The Church also holds that the death penalty falls unfairly and unequally upon marginalized persons including the poor, the uneducated, ethnic and religious minorities, and persons with mental and emotional illnesses.
[17] The
General Conference of the United Methodist Church calls for its
bishops to uphold opposition to capital punishment and for governments to enact an immediate moratorium on carrying out the death penalty sentence.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (colloquially known as
Mormons) hold a neutral position on the death penalty.
The
Rosicrucian Fellowship and many other Christian esoteric schools condemns the capital punishment in all circumstances.
