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==An argument against capital punishment==
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Capital punishment is a topic of much debate among many in the modern world. This practice however has had a long history and has often been accepted in many countries. The most common form of capital punishment is the death penalty. Moses Maimonides, wrote of capital punishment, "It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent man to death." The ancient Babylonian culture lived by the code of Hammurabi, which called for the violent punishment or death of an offender. In today’s world there are many nations such as The United States, China, Russia, Algeria, Mongolia, Egypt, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Indonesia which have capital punishment.
The Old Testament presents us with a violent world. God gave the people of Israel a law in order to prepare them for the coming messiah. Very often this law had strict consequences. "Whoever strikes a man a mortal blow must be put to death. Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death” (Exodus 21:12, 15). The LXX uses the word ''pataxh'' (coming from ''patasso'' meaning to strike) in verse 12 and ''typtei'' (coming from typto meaning to strike) in verse 15. The Hebrew text makes use of the word ''nakah'' also meaning to hit or to strike. One can see that the words used are not meaning to kill but to strike. Do we believe that striking is a penalty worthy of death?
*[http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0104/articles/dulles.html Catholicism & Capital Punishment] by Avery Cardinal Dulles, ''First Things'' 112 (April 2001): 30-35 (one Roman Catholic viewpoint)
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment Capital punishment on Wikipedia]
*[http://web.mac.com/zkincaid/EkklesiaProject/publications_files/Christian%20Worship%20and%20Capital%20Punishment.pdf Christian Worship and Capital Punishment] by Allyne Smith and Tobias Winright
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/ethics/seraphim_capital_punishment.htm A Bishop's Opposition to Capital Punishment] From a letter by Bishop [[Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa]]
*[http://www.suscopts.org/q&a/index.php?qid=32&catid=61 A View of Capital Punishment from the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States] (for)
