When I was younger, I was all for the death penalty for murderers. In some cases, I didn’t think that death was a harsh enough punishment. I thought they should suffer some themselves, before they were put to death. Over the years my feelings and beliefs about the death penalty has drastically changed.
Far too many times in my lifetime, I have heard stories about people sentenced to prison for life, that were later proved to be innocent. Recently a man was executed for a murder that many say was convicted on purely circumstantial evidence. It makes me wonder, just how many innocent men and women have been executed in the United States that were innocent? If an innocent person gets executed, they lose the opportunity to possibly someday be cleared and released.
The Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill.” I don’t think God could have made it any clearer than that. He didn’t say, “except for certain people who have committed certain crimes.” There is nothing moral about capital punishment, regardless of who it is, what they did, or what the laws of the country say.
Some will use the “..an eye for an eye” argument. Jesus said not to practice that. He said to turn your cheek, and to pray for your enemies. You can find this in the New Testament, Matthew 5:28. It is only natural for a murder victim’s family to want to avenge the death of their loved one. The Bible states “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 20:19. The Bible seems to be pretty clear on the immorality of the death penalty.
I believe that in some murder cases, that the convicted murderer should get life in prison, without possibility of parole. That way he or she can never be loose in the world to repeat their crime. I don’t believe anyone should be allowed to take away their life. As long as they are allowed to live, they have the opportunity to repent of their sins, and have God’s forgiveness. I believe anyone that takes that away, will themselves have to answer to God.
The victim’s family suffers a terrible loss. An execution won’t bring their loved one back. Nobody ever thinks about the murderer’s family. The murderer’s family suffers a terrible loss, too. I’m a mother, and I don’t think I would stop loving my children, no matter what they did. I would be shocked, horrified, sad, and angry. I would still love my child, and I would not want them to die.