Religion and the Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

This paper studies the influence religion has over critical justice issues, such as capital punishment, because of the importance religion holds in the development of social values systems. The author discusses the Buddhist and Catholic faith and their opposition to capital punishment and also the Judaic, Islamic and Protestant beliefs that offenses can be punished by death. The paper also looks at the impact these beliefs have on politics.

Outline:
Buddhism and Catholicism: A Straightforward approach
Judaism, Islam and Protestantism: A tricky question
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"This practice is often employed in Muslim nations. In fact, despite the fact that Islam does sanction the death penalty in some instances, there are wide differences in how it is used by Muslim nations. Some nations with large Muslim populations, such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, have abolished the death penalty, while other Islamic nations, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Algeria, use the practice more liberally. In short, while the Koran clearly permits capital punishment, it leaves open for some degree of interpretation how aggressively it should be applied -- and the interpretation has differed among nations."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Alarid, L.F. and Wang, H.M. (2001). "Mercy and punishment: Buddhism and the death penalty." Social Justice, Vol. 28.
• Athar, S. (2006). "Capital punishment: A faith issue in an Islamic perspective." Islam USA Web site. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://islam-usa.com/e106.htm.
• Bureau of Justice Statistics (2008). "Capital punishment statistics." Bureau of Prison Statistics Web site. Retrieved April 26, 2008 from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cp.htm.
• Davidman, M. (2003). "The God-given human rights, social laws and social system." Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.solhaam.org/articles/laws.html.
• Dulles, A. (2001). "Catholicism and capital punishment." Catholic Culture Web site. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?id=4099.

More papers on Religion and the Death Penalty:

• Article Review # 100591 : "Statistics on the Death Penalty"
• Analytical Essay # 130809 : "Scientific Validity of Statistical Papers on the Death Penalty"
• Argumentative Essay # 94221 : "Abolishing the Death Penalty"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: