Seattle University A.A. Lemieux Library Academic Day 2002   Dead Man Walking

Religion and the Death Penalty

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"I tell people to go back to the gospel. Look at who Jesus hung out with: lepers, prostitutes, thieves - the throwaways of his day. If we call ourselves Jesus' disciples, we too have to keep ministering to the marginated, the throwaways, the lepers of today. And there are no more marginated, thrown-away, and leprous people in our society than death-row inmates." -- Helen Prejean

What is the general debate surrounding religion and the death penalty?

websites

• A Call for Reckoning: Religion and the Death Penalty: Conference sponsored by the Pew Forum held at the University of Chicago Divinity School, January 2002
• Theology Library: The Death Penalty: Direct references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Vatican passages from papal and curiel documents, as well as statements from Protestant Churches.
• God and the Death Penalty
• Religious Groups Policies About the Death Penalty

books in Lemieux Library

• Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II Question 64.
  Nature and Grace: Selections
  1978
  BX1749 .T515 1978
• Bedeau, Hugo Adam
  The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies
  New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
  HV8699 .U5 D37 1997
• Camus, Albert
  Resistance, Rebellion and Death
  See: Camus' essay, "Reflections on the Guillotine"
  New York: Knopf, 1961.
  PQ2605 .A3734 A25 1961
• Marshall, Christopher D.
  Beyond Retribution: A New Testament Vision for Justice, Crime and Punishment
  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001.
  HV7419 .M36 2001
• Megivern, James J.
  Death Penalty: An Historical and Theological Survey
  Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1997.
  K5104 .M44 1997
• Mello, Michael
  Dead Wrong: A Death Row Lawyer Speaks Out Against Capital Punishment
  Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997.
  KF9227 .C2 M383 1997
• Schroth, Raymond A.
  Dante to Dead Man Walking: One Reader's Journey Through the Christian Classics
  Chicago : Loyola Press, c2001.
  PN49 .S3248 2001
• Skotnicki, Andrew
  Religion and the Development of the American Penal System
  Blue Ridge Summit, PA: University of America Press, 2002.
  (On order at Lemieux)
• Snyder, T. Richard
  Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Punishment
  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000.
  BT769 .S63 2001

What does the Catholic Church say about the death penalty?

"Abolition of the death penalty is most consonant with the example of Jesus, who both taught and practiced the forgiveness of injustice." -- US Bishops, Statement on Capital Punishment, Article 13

• Capital Punishment and the Catholic Church: Resources for Catholic educators - links to articles on: Catholic Teaching/Organizations/Ethics and Capital Punishment
• The Death Penalty and the Catholic Church: Death penalty resources from the Catholic Church. Note the Catholic Update Newsletter article from Kenneth Overburg, S.J.: "The Death Penalty: Why the Church Speaks a Countercultural Message"
• U.S. Catholic Bishop's Statement on Capital Punishment: Approved by the U.S. Bishops in November 1980; includes references to the works of Thomas Aquinas, Tertulliam, and the Code of Canon Law.
• The Pope's Statement on Capital Punishment: Abbreviated text of Pope John Paul II papal encyclical "Evangelicum Vitae"
• On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life: Evangelicum Vitae: This is the text of a full length book by Pope John Paul II, which expresses the official Catholic viewpoint on abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty. "The electronic form of this document is copyrighted. Copyright Trinity Communications 1994."
• The Death Penalty: Web access to the periodical "Catholic Dossier" (9-10-98) with pertinent articles on the revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church relating to the death penalty; and Thomas Aquinas on Homicidal Self-Defense
• Catholics Against Capital Punishment: Official website of Catholics Against Capital Punishment founded in 1992 to promote awareness of Catholic Church teachings that characterize capital punishment as unnecessary, inappropriate and unacceptable in today's world.
• Should Christians Reject Capital Punishment? Peter Henriot, S.J. Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection examines capital punishment in light of Scriptures and Catholic teachings.
• A Call for the Abolition of the Death Penalty: A Statement by the Washington State Catholic Conference (Archbishop Brunett and Bishops Skylstad and Sevilla) published on the web by the Catholic Diocese of Spokane
• Choose Life: Catholic Teaching and the Death Penalty (Indiana Catholic Conference)
• "Is the Death Death Penalty Wrong?" by Fr. William Saunders
• "Scalia vs. the Pope: Should Catholic Judges Resign?"
• "Scalia's Dissenting Opinion"
• "Letter to the Editor" by Justice Antonin Scalia
• "Fault Theology, Strange Jurisprudence" by Robert F. Drinan, S.J.
• "Religious Reflections on the Death Penalty": The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life presents a discussion of religious perspectives on the death penalty in light of recent events.
• "Current Catholic Thought on the Death Penalty: A Conversation with Joseph Bottum, Russell Hittinger, and Keith Pavlischek": Sponsored by the Ethics and Public Policy Center

What do other religions say about the death penalty?

Protestant Denominations: General

• Focus on the Death Penalty: Introducing the Debate. See: Religious Positions: A selection of resources indicating positions on the death penalty from a religious perspective including links to biblical citations and statements of officials, organizations, and individual adherents of different religious traditions, including Roman Catholicism, Protestanism and Islam.
• Religious Organizing Against the Death Penalty Project: Created to galvanize and empower the religious community in the United States to work against capital punishment.
• People of Faith Against the Death Penalty: An interfaith group dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty.
• Presbyterian, Lutheran (ELCA), Episcopal, United Methodist: Call to End the Death Penalty
• "New Episcopal Bishop (Chicago) Decries the Death Penalty"
• "Quaker View on the Death Penalty"
• Commentary on Religious Views of the Death Penalty
• Commentary on "Would Jesus Pull the Switch?"
• John Stuart Mill: Speech in Favor of Capital Punishment

Protestant Denominations: Official Statements

• American Baptist Churches
• Disciples of Christ
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
• Lutheran Church. Missouri Synod
• Moravian Church
• National Council of Churches
• Orthodox Church in America
• Presbyterian Church
• Reformed Church in America
• Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Southern Baptist Convention
• Unitarian Universalist
• United Church of Christ
• United Methodist Church

Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism

"If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love them in return for hatred." -- Bhagavad Gita

• Religions and the Death Penalty: All religions uphold the sanctity of life and seek to restrict the use of violence. Within each faith there are different faith traditions. Where capital punishment has been allowed, it has been subject to strict control and to enforce respect for human life. Increasingly many religious people feel that for the state to sanction the taking of life reduces respect for the dignity and sacredness of life.
• The Qur'an and the Sunnah provides the law of retaliation for murder.
• Islam and the Death Penalty by William Schabas from The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
• Capital Punishment: A Faith Issue in an Islamic Perspective
• Islamic Law: Myths and Realities by Wiechman, Kendall, & Azarian. Provided online by The Canadian Society of Muslims
• Buddhism & Capital Punishment by Damien P. Horigan, Esq. from The Engaged Zen Foundation
• Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
• Central Conference of American Rabbis
• Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations

tip of the iceberg...

Dig deeper into these topics by exploring additional resources available both in the library and through the Library Homepage. Additional books & videos can be located through the "Library Catalog" link. Articles (including full-text) can be located in many general and specialized journal databases through the "Databases" link. Reference staff is also available to assist you in finding materials.

© 2002 Lemieux Library