Chapter 8 Question # 2

In Perspectives on Death Penalty, Sister Helen Prejean maintains that the death penalty is a violation of human dignity and is contrary to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, “who taught us to not return hate for hate and evil for evil”. From this quote, I believe that this passage prohibits the use of the death penalty. This is because the death penalty is pretty much giving back evil for evil. Having someone’s life taken away from him or her is evil. The death penalty is taking away the persons life as a punishment for a serious crime that was committed. Therefore, the death penalty is evil. From the scriptural passage the quote with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, “who taught us to not return hate for hate and evil for evil,” I placed the meaning of the death penalty, and the fact that having someone’s life taken away is evil which is based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth to make my point a valid deductive argument.