Compare Christian And Islamic Views On Capital Punishment

A Deserved Death? : A Christian and Islamic Perspective on Capital Punishment

The position of various religions of the world concerning the issue of capital punishment has varied through the centuries. Christianity and Islam have taken positions that are not completely contradictory to one another. The presumption in Christian doctrine appears to be that while capital punishment is not rightly condemned, it is not wholeheartedly endorsed either. The Roman Catholic Church is the one segment of the Christian world that seems to come out most forcefully against capital punishment. Ultimately, the Christian world advocates the death penalty when it is called for, and the teachings of Islam largely do not contradict this view. In fact, the Christian and Islamic philosophies of capital punishment are very much the same. The Islamic world follows the written Sharia, which has existed since the seventh century A.D. From an examination of the Koranic texts, it can be concluded that Islam as a whole allows for the execution of offenders, particularly murderers, traitors and adulterers. While an advocacy for mercy and

The Law of Moses, the concept of retaliation for a wrong done, was not challenged. How should a Christian view the death penalty? When people study the nature of God they might see that He Himself has instituted capital punishment in His holy word. God holds the highest standard. He balances justice with mercy, but the Bible speaks on occasion of His wrath and of the rightness of retribution. Therefore, there is a biblical authority for capital punishment. In Protestant Christianity, Martin Luther wrote that “the hand that wields the sword is no longer man’s hand but God’s” (Oussani 65). This quote seems to indicate that the death penalty is divinely ordained and that the punishments that human society deal out are actually in some way a reflection