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Death penalty

“‘Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?’ asks the Sovereign Lord. ‘No, I would rather see them repent and live.’”
— John 19:16

The Death Penalty Law

The effort of Congress to abolish the Death Penalty Law (R.A. 7659) is a welcomed move. Perhaps, those in the executive and legislative branches of our government have finally realized that death penalty is not after all a deterrent to crime. As we have been saying since the restoration of death penalty in 1999 under President Joseph Estrada, it is not death penalty that deters crime, but rather the efficient and effective administration of justice.

As long as there is inequality before the law – the innocent poor are put to jail while the criminal rich are exonerated or even appointed to higher government positions – death penalty would only become the problem rather than the solution. In short, death penalty is effective only if and when there is genuine equality before the law.

God as Anti-Death Penalty

But there is a deeper theological reason for opposing the death penalty. Life is God’s gift to us; we don’t own it. The Genesis Writer says that God breathed in us the breath of life and we have become a living soul (cf. Gen. 2:7). Hence, no one has the right to take the life of others or even deprive others of their own life.

Prophet Ezekiel believes that God is not happy seeing evil people die (cf. Eze. 18:23). God created human beings good, but because of human pride, selfishness, and greed, they have sinned against God, their fellow human beings, and the rest of God’s creation (cf.Gen.1-11). But God is a forgiving God. God restores and renews God’s creation marred by sinfulness. When Cain killed his brother Abel, God did not execute him although God has the right to do so being the giver of life, but rather God made him suffer the consequences of his evil deed, and put a mark on him so that no one would ever kill him (cf. Gen.4).

Repent and Live

However, God is not simply opposed to death penalty. Prophet Ezekiel goes on to say that God would like to see evil people repent and live (cf. Eze. 18:23b). To repent and live would mean to have a genuine change, a real human transformation, a new life. This would mean therefore that it is not enough for Congress to abolish the Death Penalty Law; it should make extra efforts to see to it that criminals would be given the opportunity to change and have a new life. In short, our prisons should be transformed into genuine rehabilitation centers. Programs should be designed to help inmates overcome their evil deeds and enhance what is good in them.

With the present state of our prisons, it is quite difficult for convicted criminals to be transformed into new persons and have a new life. As a matter of fact, instead of being changed, they would rather become even more hardened criminals.  

But what is even more important for us to focus on is crime prevention. We have to look into the root causes of crimes and address them seriously. Unless we face criminality in this manner, with or without death penalty crimes would still persist. #

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