The Christian Perspective on Capital Punishment and Rehabilitation Ess

AbstractChristians triumph three distinct perspectives on capital penalisation, namely Rehabilitationism, Reconstructionism and Retributionism. Rehabilitationism is the view that finale sentence should not be allowed for any wickedness Reconstructionism holds that death penalty should be allowed for any serious crime Retributionism recommends death sentence for approximately capital crimes. The last two positions share a somewhat mistakable view. This paper focuses on rehabilitationism. Proponents of this view comprise those who appeal to the Bible for apology and those who do not. The paper presents the arguments of those in the former group. Contrary to the view of the rehabilitationalists that the involve of punishment is reformatory or remedial, the paper argues that the aim of capital punishment is justice and a good society.Conceptualization of cap Punishment and RehabilitationismCapital punishment is the taking of an offenders life for a crime which he has committed and found guilty of by a address or tribunal under law. For Etuk, capital punishment is the death penalty when it is executed after a due process of law carried break by a societys duly constituted apparatus (2000, 6). It is distinguished from other forms of extra-legal killings such as shooting on draw of suspected criminals, assassinations, disappearance of persons carried out by state agents, among others.Capital punishment thus defined has existed in almost all civilizations and the modes of its execution hold varied from country to country. Amnesty International in 1989 listed out the sideline modes of execution in current use hanging, shooting, electrocution, lethal injection, gassing, beheading and lapidate (Etuk, 6). In Nigeria, the most prominent me... ...ence. SOPHIA An African Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 2 No 1, 2000, pp 1 18.Geisler, N. L. Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids Baker Book House, 1989. Ige, E. Death penalty in the Dock Seminar that Explores its Retention or Abolition. Vanguard, November 1, 2002.Iwe, N. S. S. Socio-Ethical Issues in Nigeria. Oruowulu Obosi Pacific Publishers, 1991. Stamps, D. C. (ed.) The Full Life Bible Study. Grand Rapids Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.Walvoord, J. F. & Zuck, R. B. The Bible noesis input (Old Testament). USA Cook communications Ministries, 1983.Walvoord, J. F. & Zuck, R. B. The Bible Knowledge Commentary (New Testament). USA Cook communications Ministries, 1983.