Question
first appeared on November14, 1999
In Charleston recently the court system was choosing a jury for a case
that might carry the death penalty. What is the Orthodox Church's stand on the
death penalty and would it be a sin for an Orthodox Christian to sentence
someone to death, even if they felt they were guilty of the crime?
I believe that the record of Orthodox Christianity's position regarding human
life has been consistent throughout the centuries, and in modem terminology it
would be characterized as "pro-life." In short, Orthodox Christians
believe that human life begins at conception and the length of that life lies
wholly within the providence of God. For that reason we would argue against
abortion and capital punishment.
Unfortunately, capital punishment has not proven over the years to be a
deterrent for violent crime, while at the same time it has not been uniformly
enforced in our society. Criminals who can afford the expensive legal fees
almost always avoid capital punishment, while the poor and the minorities are
the majority being executed.
Orthodox Christians would do well to argue and push for a major overhaul of
the criminal justice system including alternative sentencing and rehabilitation
for minor offenses instead of incarceration in prisons.
If I was called to jury duty in a potential capital punishment case, I would
probably tell the court system that I was against capital punishment and ask to
be excused.
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