Religion Crime and Punishment

Section 8.4 Religion: crime and punishment 8.4

This section MUST be based on a study of Christianity and ONE other religion.

addiction a recurring compulsion to engage in an activity regardless of its badeffects

capital punishment the death penalty for a crime or offence

crime an act against the law

deterrence the idea that punishments should be of such a nature that they will put

people off (deter) committing crimes

judgement the act of judging people and their actions

justice due allocation of reward and punishment/the maintenance of what is right

law rules made by Parliament and enforceable by the courts

reform the idea that punishments should try to change criminals so that they will

not commit crimes again

rehabilitation restore to normal life

responsibility being responsible for one’s actions

retribution the idea that punishments should make criminals pay for what they have

done wrong

sin an act against the will of God

The difference between Sin and Crime.

A sin is an act against the will of God or when God’s teaching is disobeyed, but it will not necessarily be a crime, though it will often be unjust. E.g. it is not a crime for a millionaire to refuse to give food to a starving person, but it is a sin and it is not just. Abortion is not a crime but some will see it as a sin. Adultery is a sin but not a crime.

A crime is an activity that breaks the law of the land & which is subject to official punishment, but it is not necessarily a sin and will not necessarily be unjust. E.g. Martin Luther King committed crimes in his civil disobedience campaign to gain human rights for black Americans in the 1960’s. It was a crime to sit on a seat reserved for white people, but it was not a sin and the law itself was unjust.

(You will need to give examples in the exam.)

1. The need for law and justice.

Laws are rules about how to behave whilst justice is about rewarding the good and punishing the bad and making sure that what is right is what happens in society. In the U.K laws are passed by parliament and justice is given by the courts.

Human beings need rules to organise the behaviour of individuals and to protect the weak from the strong. Society needs laws so that

People know what sort of behaviour to expect from each other

People can work and be involved in business without someone taking away all the rewards of their work.

People are protected from violence.

The connection between law and justice.

St. Thomas Aquinas said that an unjust law is not a proper law. This is because

If a law is unjust people will feel that it is right to break the law.

If some laws are unjust, people may start to think that all laws are unjust.

If a law does not give justice to people, people will take the law into their own hands.

How laws are made in the United Kingdom.

1. Theories of punishment and the arguments for and against them.

If a society has laws, it must have punishments for those who break the laws. The main aim of punishment is to try and make sure that everyone obeys the law. However there are several other theories about what punishment should do. (You should be able to give an example of each.)

Retribution - The idea that victims have the right to make criminals pay for the harm they have done. (This could mean like for like or simply that they should suffer.)

Deterrence-The idea that if people are punished severely they should think twice about repeating their crime.Hopefully it will also deter others from following the same path.

Reform-The idea that punishment should be positive and constructive so that criminals have the opportunity of learning to change for the better, and make a useful contribution to society.

Protection-The idea that society must be protected from criminals.

Most forms of punishment are a mixture of these theories.

Arguments against theories of punishment.

All of theories have arguments against them and debates about them.

Deterrence – Doesn’t work because in the UK prisons are crammed to bursting point and nearly half of all prisoners commit crime again. If deterrence did work, this would suggest that those countries that have very severe punishments would have low levels of crime, which is not the case.

Retribution – In many cases this doesn’t work, victims of crime often feel that the criminal has not been punished enough.

Reform – some would say this goes against the idea of punishing. They would say that educating prisoners is not punishing them.

Protection – only works for the period that criminals are locked away.

Some would say that all these theories are wrong because they do not tackle the root causes of many crimes.

3. Why justice is important for Christians.

Christians believe that God is just and will reward the good and punish the evil, if not in this life then in the world to come. As part of this belief Christians believe that they should work for a fairer sharing of the earth’s resources, the removal of poor countries debts to richer countries governments and banks, and the guarantee of basic human rights.

Christianity is involved in many fights for justice throughout the world. E.g. sharing the world’s resources equally, giving to charity, working in areas of hardship, campaigning for people’s rights where people are oppressed or treated unjustly.

Christians believe in justice (righteousness) because:

The Bible says that God is a God of justice

The Bible says that people should be treated fairly and not cheated.

Jesus said that the rich should share with the poor.

There are many statements in the NT. about how we should treat people fairly and equally.

The Churches have made many statements about the need for Christians to work for justice and fairness in the world.

Christian AidandCAFOD. (The Catholic Fund for Overseas Development) works in areas of poverty around the world helping those in need and campaigning against injustice and oppression of the poor. They seek to change the policies of governments in rich countries by campaigning for an end to the unjust debts that have been imposed on poorer nations.

4. Why justice is important for the followers of Islam.

Muslims believe that God is a just God who will reward the good and punish the bad on the Last Day. Muslims believe that it is their role as vice-gerents of Gods creation to behave justly to other people and to ensure that the world is governed in a fair way.

For Islam, the way to do this is to follow the Shar’iah (straight path) and so Islam has always had a system of justice based on courts with strict rules about how everyone should be treated fairly by the courts.

As part of their belief in justice, Muslims refuse to be involved in the charging of interest. They believe that interest is unjust because it takes money away from the poor and gives it to the rich, whereas the just thing would be to take money from the rich and give it to the poor.

Muslims believe that all people should have equal rights before the law, and that Muslims should work for a fairer sharing of the earth’s resources. The pillar of Zakah and the work of groups such as Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief are all trying to bring justice into the world.

Muslims believe in justice because:

The Qur’an describes God as just.

The Qur’an says that God wants people to treat each other fairly and to establish justice.

There are many Hadith in which Muhammad is shown as acting justly &/or telling Muslims to treat everyone justly.

The Shari’ah is based on justice for everyone,

Everyone is equal before Islamic law.

The pillar of Zakah is based on the concept of justice. Muslims are expected to give money to charity and act in a charitable way.

Islamic teaching on the Last Day is concerned with the need for the good to be rewarded and the evil punished, which is the basis for justice.

Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief work to relieve poverty and secure justice for the poor and oppressed. Islamic Relief provides emergency food and medical relief as well as providing long term solutions to basic needs.

5. The nature of capital punishment and non-religious arguments about capital punishment.

Capital punishment is punishment which takes away the criminal’s life. This process of judicial killing is called execution or the death penalty. A crime which can be punished by the death penalty is called a capital offence. The death penalty was abolished for murder in the UK in 1969, and was abolished completely in 1998. Under the European Convention on human rights execution was abolished throughout the European Union. Other areas of the world, including some states of the USA still have the death penalty. It is estimated that there is one legal execution nearly every day somewhere in the world. Methods include hanging, lethal injection, the electric chair, beheading and firing squad.

6. Different attitudes to capital punishment among Christians and the reasons for them.

7. Different attitudes to capital punishment in Islam.

Islam allows capital punishment for three offences, murder, adultery, and apostasy (a Muslim denying Islam and working against Islam.)

WHY? ‘Take not life – which God has made sacred – except for just cause.’ Surah 17. 33

The shedding of the blood of a Muslim is not lawful except for one of three reasons; a life for a life, a married person who commits adultery and one who turns aside from religion and abandons the community. Hadith.

The victim (or the victim’s family in the case of murder) has to agree to the sentence. If they do not want the criminal to be executed, then they cannot be and another sentence such as compensation will be given.

8. Laws on drugs and alcohol and the reasons for them.

What is a drug?

Although the word ‘drug’ is often used to talk about illegal substances, a drug is actually any chemical that you take into your body which changes your mood or the way you feel. Most people use some sort of drugs every day, for example, by drinking tea or coffee which contains the drug caffeine. Tea of course, is fairly harmless but there are other, more powerful drugs which are controlled by UK law in order to protect people.

• Some drugs such as alcohol and tobacco can be very damaging to a person’s health.
• People can become addicted to some drugs, making it very difficult to give them up, and ruining lives.
• Children need to be protected from some drugs for as long as possible because of the harm they can cause.
• Some drugs cause considerable social problems.

Penalties for possession and dealing of illegal drugs.

Parliament has passed several laws to prevent the misuse of drugs:

• The police have the power to stop and search anyone or their vehicle if the possession of drugs is suspected. The police can seize anything that appears to be illegal and they can arrest anyone who is suspected of committing an offence.
• It is illegal to be in possession of a controlled drug, but if it can be proved that a drug was put in someone’s pocket without their knowledge it is not an offence. (However this is hard to prove.)
• It is a serious offence to supply drugs or intend to supply them. This includes giving as well as selling drugs to someone.
• Growing cannabis is a serious offence, especially if it is proved that the drug was intended to supply others.
• Importing and exporting drugs carries heavy penalties.

At What Age Can You Drink Alcohol?

Under Five - If you give any form of alcoholic drink to a child under five, you are breaking the law, unless the drink is given under medical supervision and in an emergency. Under Sixteen - Children under 16 are allowed to enter pubs and other licensed premises as long as they are being supervised by an adult – however they are not allowed to have any alcohol. Sixteen or Seventeen - Those aged 16 or 17 are allowed into licensed premises and can consume beer, wine or cider with a meal as long as two conditions are met: they must be accompanied by an adult and the alcohol must be purchased by an adult. However it is illegal for them to drink any form of spirits in pubs or nightclubs, even if they are eating a meal. Under Eighteen - Anybody under 18 is breaking the law if they buy or attempt to buy alcohol in a pub, off-licence or shop. It is also illegal for anyone to buy alcohol for someone else who is under 18 except when they purchase wine, beer or cider for consumption with a meal. This law extends to people under 18 drinking wine, beer or cider in a public place.

9. Social and health problems caused by drugs and alcohol.

Addiction - a recurring compulsion to engage in an activity regardless of its bad effects.

Drugs and alcohol can cause some of the following problems – violence, debt, overdose, crime, disorderly behaviour, homelessness, unemployment, serious illness, family and relationship breakdown, mental illness. Many of these will affect not just the person taking the drugs or alcohol, but their families, colleagues and the community.

The health problems associated with alcohol use include heart disease, stroke, liver disease and cancer. Psychological and emotional breakdown are also higher among heavy drinkers.

Smoking leads to a range of health problems, including cancer, lung disease, and high blood pressure. Since smoking has been banned in public places it is seen as far less socially acceptable.

Drug taking has a serious effect on the health of addicts in all sorts of ways, both physical and psychological. They have a serious affect on the brain, leading to mental illness and loss of brain function.

10. Different attitudes to drugs and alcohol in Christianity and the reasons for them.

The Bible teaches that God created our bodies and that we should not abuse them. Although there are different Christian attitudes to alcohol, the vast majority of Christians believe that taking any drugs excessively damages the body that God created and is therefore wrong.

All Christians in the UK believe that taking illegal drugs is wrong because:

The Bible teaches that Christians must obey the law of the land in which they are living, which includes the law on drugs.

They are illegal because they are damaging, and Christians should not harm their bodies.

Many illegal drug users end up turning to crime.

Drug abuse can break down marriages and families and make people anti-social.

Drug abuse can make people behave in ways that Christians should not.

However alcohol and smoking is not illegal and so some Christians think that alcohol in moderation is acceptable because;

The Bible does not forbid the drinking of alcohol.

Jesus drank wine and even performed a miracle that turned water into wine at a wedding.

During the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples wine during the first Holy Communion.

St Paul told his friend Timothy to drink wine to help with digestion.

Many ChristianChurches do not forbid the drinking of alcohol; it is used during Holy Communion today.

Some choose never to drink alcohol particularly the evangelicals and The Salvation Army because:

Drinking alcohol can affect a person’s judgement and may make them behave less like a Christian should.

There are now many non alcoholic drinks available unlike in Biblical times.

Today alcohol is much stronger.

Drinking alcohol may offend others.

11. Attitudes to drugs and alcohol in Islam.

All Muslims see alcohol and illegal drugs as intoxicants that should not be taken by Muslims because:

All Muslims believe that their bodies were created by Allah and should be looked after until Judgement Day.

The Qur’an says that intoxicants are haram (forbidden)

Muhammad said they should not be taken and he taught about the danger of using them.

The effects of drugs would mean that a Muslim would not be able to pray or perform their religious duties properly. This would affect their relationship with Allah.

The effects of drugs would mean that a Muslim would be more likely to commit other sins.

All Muslims must obey the law of the land in which they are living, which includes the law on drugs. In many Muslim countries alcohol is illegal and processing drugs carries severe penalties.

Some Muslims do smoke tobacco and this is seen as a personal choice, although many Muslims do not agree with smoking because of the harm that it can do to the body. Many Muslim will not sell alcohol as part of their business or work for a company that sells alcohol. Other Muslims believe that this is ok as long as non Muslims will be buying the alcohol.

1