Foreword by Jean Bethke Elshtain
This important book is sure to foster informed public discussion about the death penalty by deepening readers' understanding of how religious beliefs and perspectives shape this contentious issue. Featuring a fair, balanced appraisal of its topic, Religion and the Death Penalty brings thoughtful religious reflection to bear on current challenges facing the capital justice system.
One look at the list of contributors reveals the significance of this book. Here are recognized leaders from the academy, government, and public life who also represent a wide range of faith commitments, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. Like many people of faith and goodwill, the authors disagree with one another, variously supporting retention, reform, or abolition of capital punishment. As a result, the book presents the most comprehensive and well-rounded religiously oriented discussion of the death penalty available.
Contributors
Religion and Capital Punishment: An Introduction
Erik C. Owens and Eric P. Elshtain
Faith Traditions and the Death Penalty
Catholic Teaching on the Death Penalty: Has It Changed?
Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.
Can Capital Punishment Ever Be Justified in the Jewish Tradition?
David Novak
The Death Penalty: A Protestant Perspective
Gilbert Meilaender
Punishing Christians: A Pacifist Approach to the Issue of Capital Punishment
Stanley Hauerwas
The Death Penalty, Mercy, and Islam: A Call for Retrospection
Khaled Abou El Fadl
Theological Reflections on the Death Penalty
Categorical Pardon: On the Argument for Abolishing Capital Punishment
J. Budziszewski
Biblical Perspectives on the Death Penalty
Michael L. Westmoreland-White and Glen H. Stassen
Christian Witness, Moral Anthropology, and the Death Penalty
Richard W. Garnett
Human Nature, Limited Justice, and the Irony of Capital Punishment
John D. Carlson
Responsibility, Vengeance, and the Death Penalty
Victor Anderson
Personal Commitments and Public Responsibilities
The Death Penalty: What's All the Debate About?
Frank Keating
Reflections on the Death Penalty and the Moratorium
George H. Ryan
God's Justice and Ours: The Morality of Judicial Participation in the Death Penalty
Antonin Scalia
Why I Oppose Capital Punishment
Mario M. Cuomo
Capital Punishment: Is It Wise?
Paul Simon
Facing the Jury: The Moral Trials of a Prosecutor in a Capital Case
Beth Wilkinson
The Problem of Forgiveness: Reflections of a Public Defender and a Murder Victim's Family Member
Jeanne Bishop
Afterword: Lifting New Voices against the Death Penalty: Religious Americans and the Debate on Capital Punishment
E. J. Dionne Jr.
Index