Most of the current thinking about the death penalty in the U.S. is based on Jewish and Christian law, which is based on the writings of several authors over the millennia. Other cultures and religions suffer from this same mental constipation, in my opinion. But for now, I will focus on the good old U.S.of.A.
The Old Testament
The Lord instructed Moses to administer the death penalty to at least sixteen capital crimes or offenses: premeditated murder, kidnapping, striking one’s parents, rebelliousness, false gods, violating the Sabbath, Blasphemy, false prophets, human sacrifice, divination (the occult), adultery, bestiality, incest, homosexuality, premarital sex, and rape. Amazingly, we survived as a species with a list like that.
The Old Testament was written over approximately a thousand years, with its earliest texts dating back to around 1500-1400 BC and the latest writings completed around 450 BC. That means it embraces the thinking, limited knowledge, and morality from some 3,500 years ago. It consists of various books authored by multiple writers throughout this extensive timeframe.
Some disputed books, included in most canons but not in others, are often called the Biblical Apocrypha. This term is sometimes used specifically to describe the books in the Catholic and Orthodox canons that are absent from the Jewish Masoretic Text and most modern Protestant Bibles. Catholics, following the Canon of Trent (1546), describe these books as deuterocanonical, while Greek Orthodox Christians, following the Synod of Jerusalem (1672), use the traditional name of anagignoskomena, meaning “that which is to be read.” They are in a few historic Protestant versions; the German Luther Bible included such books as the English 1611 King James Version.
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The New Testament
The New Testament presents a more nuanced view of capital punishment than the Old Testament. For instance, in John 8, Jesus challenges the practice. When the Pharisees brought the adulteress to Jesus, quoting the law that commanded stoning, Jesus replied, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Peter also echoed these sentiments. In 1 Peter 3:9, he instructed, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing because to this, you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
The only substantial sources for the life and message of Jesus are the Gospels of the New Testament, the earliest of which was Mark (written 60–80 CE), followed by Matthew, Luke, and John (75–90 CE). Some additional evidence can be found in the letters of Paul, which were written beginning in 50 CE and are the earliest surviving Christian texts. There are, however, other sources that may have further information. Noncanonical sources, especially the apocryphal gospels, contain many sayings attributed to Jesus and stories about him that are occasionally held to be “authentic.”
Notwithstanding some disputes over when the books of the New Testament were written, the thinking contained therein is roughly 2,000 years old.
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Going Forward
I’ve tried to apply some critical thinking here, a technique that is noticeably out of favor with Trump and the MAGA/P2025 crowd today.
It is the year 2025, almost exactly 2,000 years after Jesus was killed, and close to 5,000 years since Moses and his clan recorded the “word of God” as they heard, interpreted, or divined his intent.
We know the world is round, that we live in an immense universe, and that we can travel away from the Earth into space. We now understand things like bacteria and viruses that ravage our species. Furthermore, we also understand things about the human body and mind that the ancients could never have understood.
Civilizations over all these thousands of years have butchered, maimed, stoned, hanged, beheaded, shot, electrocuted, and poisoned millions of violators of both religious and civil law. And yet, here we are in the 21st century, arguing whether the death penalty is a deterrent to future violators. It must be clear that it has not had the desired effect.
The only thing we have taught the next generation of angry, confused, and perhaps mentally challenged boys and girls is that we believe in revenge and retribution as a species. In their angry or confused state, what might they do to right the perceived wrongs against them? Hey, if the highest powers in the land believe in death to right their perceived wrongs, that's good enough for me.
Do we need to remove people from society for a prolonged period for major crimes until we can either correct their mental state or allow them to die in prison? It would seem to be the best solution for now. It seems apparent that the mass killing of millions over the millennia has done little to address the problem of human behavior.
Just as we have learned to reduce death from viruses and bacteria, we may well find a solution to the mental state that drives people to commit horrible crimes. Until then, maybe lessons in humanity, tolerance, and forgiveness might sway a few children watching our behavior.
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