In light of Florida's decision regarding court procedure we have an opportunity to open a conversation about capitol punishment and its role in modern day. Here is my brief opinion and some resources for consideration to get the brain gears turning.
The question being asked is "Should the death penalty be abolished rather than amended?"
No. I maintain that the death penalty is warranted in certain instances by law, the constitution, christian morality, and cultural preservation.
Instances of Law- http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-laws-providing-death-penalty
The Constitution- http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment8.html
Christian Morality- http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/01/why-christians-should-support-the-death-penaltyMorality- http://academic.regis.edu/jriley/capunish.htm
Cultural Preservation- (here i found a parallel argument on societal retribution) http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001004
If the threat of death has, in fact, stayed the hand of many a would be murderer, and we abolish the death penalty, we will sacrifice the lives of many innocent victims whose murders could have been deterred. But if, in fact, the death penalty does not deter, and we continue to impose it, we have only sacrificed the lives of convicted murderers. Surely it's better for society to take a gamble that the death penalty deters in order to protect the lives of innocent people than to take a gamble that it doesn't deter and thereby protect the lives of those who are willing to fulfill thier own desires regardless of the cost, thereby risking the lives of innocents. If grave risks are to be run, it's better that they be run by those judged guilty by a jury of thier peers, not the innocent. - from "Capitol Punishment: Our duty or Our Doom?"
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