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Capital Punishment
They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said,
“All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning
with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd
with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman,
“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,”
she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” –
John 8:7-11
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Recent events such as the hanging of Ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein or for that
matter the pending death sentence of Mohammed Afzal, who masterminded the dastardly
attack on the Indian parliament has brought the issue of Capital punishment
under sharper focus, than ever before.
Several opinions have been voiced on the relevance or irrelevance of Capital punishment,
in recent times. Before having a look at the Biblical mandate on the issue,
which is, all for death sentence giving way to a “Lifer”, let’s look at the death sentence,
as any neutral observer would view it. Broadly speaking, it has to be said that the Laws of
the State based on the principles of equity and fairness aimed at the universal good
of the society have been framed keeping in view factors such as
a) Punishment to be meted out to the guilty as per the gravity of the crime in order
that the aggrieved party or its near and dear ones’ feels/feel mentally, financially,
emotionally compensated for having unjustly suffered at the hands of the guilty
b) Punishment to act as a deterrent to other potential criminals
Death penalty levied has mostly these causes factored into it. Also, when it comes to
the issue of Death penalty (which is an extreme case in itself), the matter –quite justifiably
so- can be examined from this angle too.
In a way the competent authorities who have granted the license to individuals or
firms to ply a specific trade (after being satisfied that such an activity wouldn’t
bring any social harm), hold the right to cancel the said license at any time,
if the concerned business morphs into a social threat, they I.e.. Competent authorities by
the same token have been endowed the right also to cancel the license of certain individuals to
live, as it were, if the latter’s presence starts endangering the society. Prima facie,
there is nothing wrong with the larger goal, the State aims to achieve by handing out the
death sentence, for it is a step taken to preserve peace and stability in the society,
which can be imperiled by anti-social or anti-national elements. While the death sentence
one one-hand aims to weed out the undesirable elements from the society, its existence
(as mentioned earlier) acts as a deterrent too to those who may seek a violent way of life.
While the Laws of the State are no doubt well intentioned, what however goes beyond the
scope of any State-framed law is the possibilities of the guilty party genuinely repenting
at some stage and sincerely intending to take a U turn in life for the better.
Are there not umpteen cases of even the “incorrigible” seeking their Creator with a contrite
heart and changing for the better? Their transformation had come about on account of
proper counseling or even by a Divine intervention by a way of a life-changing vision or dream.
However, if the lives of those considered “too dangerous for society” are snuffed out
prematurely by way of a death sentence, are they not being deprived an opportunity to make
amends for good in life? This of course would doubtless lead to a logical question…what,
if they do not change at all? Is it worthwhile to wait for their ultimate transformation?
I would aim to answer this question and other allied ones’ at the end.
Coming back to the approach of the State…if the intention of the State is to take the
“threats to the society” away from it for the universal good of all concerned, cannot
the same be achieved by confining these “threats” to the prison, thereby depriving
them of any chance to wreck havoc in the society, even while hoping for their
eventual transformation for the better? This would lead to an argument…at whose cost,
should they be lodged in the jail? At the cost of State exchequer or innocent Taxpayers’ money?
Whilst answering the above 2 questions…should we not reflect on the precious blood of the Saviour
shed for the sinners in anticipation of their transformation
(I Peter 1:18,19)? Can anything in
this world be costlier than that? Is not this blood of infinite value worth the time
expended or the taxpayers’ money spent in expectation of change of heart of the condemned lot?
Then what about those, who have unjustly suffered at the hands of the aggressors?
Speaking individually about Christians, it would take some doing –all on the basis of
strength of character of having walked with their gracious Lord-to let go off all the
natural bitterness sprouting from within. This is where our relationship with our
Lord would be put to test, when we forgive those who trespass against us much in
the manner our Heavenly Father forgives us. The magnanimous gesture of Mrs Graham
Staines the wife of the slain missionary (now who in India doesn’t know this case?) towards her husband’s killers is the best
sermon, anyone could have preached on Christianity. Right?
Now at the general level, we also need to consider the positive fall-out of even the “incorrigible” ones’ changing for
the better. By virtue of their own lives as a role model, would they not influence
their other prison inmates for good more than any jailer or prison supervisor would? Yes, indeed!
Then again, in this scientific era, is it rational to commute death sentence to a
lifer purely from spiritual viewpoints, expressed above? Ideally, Why not? Especially, when there is an
overwhelming weight of evidence borne out of surfeit of cases of hardened criminals
finding salvation in Jesus’ name, their lives now marked by consistency of
character and good deeds, over a long period of time. An impartial study of such
cases would tell a tale of their own of the Saviour’s grace besides making a
strong case for the rehab of such transformed individuals in the society. However,
not all of the aggrieved parties, may feel towards the guilty, the way Christians have been
instructed to feel about them. So in those cases, the Law of the Land ought to take its course.
Jesus’ ministry had always revolved around the principle of “hating sin but loving
the sinners in hope of their eventual transformation” as the above-captioned Scripture
portion bears out. Can a Christian's stand vis-à-vis the perceived “ human threats to society” be any different?
Suresh Manoharan
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The list of essays to follow
- Environmental issues
- Social drinking?
- What about "Capitation fees"?
- Should we Indianize Christmas celebration?
- Lavish Christian weddings?
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