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Year 11 - Religious education

Christianity and the death penalty

Issues of Good and Evil

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils will study ideas of crime and how Christians and Muslims may view crime is caused. From that, they will examine different ideas of punishing crime and treating criminals focussing especially on a case study of the death penalty and ideas of forgiveness.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain different Christian and non-religious views on the death penalty.

Key Notes

  • The death penalty is state execution. It is banned in the UK but used in China, Iran and some US states.
  • Some non-religious people support it to deter crime, others reject it as inhumane.
  • Most Christians oppose it, citing "Do not kill" (Exodus 20:13) and Jesus' message of mercy.
  • Jesus taught love and forgiveness, not revenge (Matthew 5:43–45, 5:39).
  • A very small minority of Christians support it, using "Eye for eye" (Exodus 21:24) to justify justice through punishment

Vocabulary To Learn

  • death penalty: capital punishment; the execution of a criminal which is sanctioned by the state
  • forgiveness: letting go of blame against a person for wrongs they have done; moving on
  • justice: what is right and fair

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Most Christians support the death penalty because the Bible says "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth."

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

The death penalty is state execution. It is banned in the UK but used in China, Iran and some US states. Some non-religious people support it to deter crime, others reject it as inhumane.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'death penalty'

capital punishment; the execution of a criminal which is sanctioned by the state.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Most Christians support the death penalty because the Bible says "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.". Correction: Most Christians reject the death penalty because they agree with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:38–39 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.".

More Lessons In This Unit

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