Christianity & the Aims of Punishment (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Christian attitudes towards protection

The purpose of punishment in Christianity

• Christians believe that punishment can have a many different aims such as protection, retribution, deterrence and reformation

  • There are religious arguments and counter-arguments to support each of these aims of punishment

Christianity and punishment as protection

• Some Christians may feel that it is their duty to protect the weak and vulnerable in society, as this is what Jesus himself tried to do

  • This involves punishing those who commit crimes and hurt other people by placing them in prison so that they cannot hurt others any more

  • It may also be that criminals themselves need protection from those who are angry about their crimes

• Other Christians might argue that punishment should not be about removing people from society by placing them in prison for the protection of others

  • Punishment should be about reform so that criminals can change their ways and make up for their wrongdoings

  • They might argue that overcrowded prisons without focus on education and counselling actually cause more harm than good as criminals come across other criminals who encourage them to pursue a life of crime

Christian attitudes towards retribution

Christianity and punishment as retribution

• The Old Testament tells Christians that they should seek revenge when someone hurts them

• Christians therefore may feel that people who commit crimes need to be punished as they deserve such punishment

• Many Christians argue that we should not seek revenge against those who hurt us by committing crimes, but should forgive them instead

  • Jesus rejected the idea of taking ‘an eye for an eye’, arguing instead that ‘If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also’ (Matthew 5: 39) 

  • Punishing criminals by sending them to jail is not helpful as it does not give them a chance to make up for what they have done or make changes to their lives to stop them from committing further crimes in the future

Christian attitudes towards deterrence

Christianity and punishment as deterrence

• Some Christians might argue that the main aim of punishment is to deter people from breaking the law in the first place

  • Without punishments, people would not follow the law and people in society would be at risk

  • God is very clear about the consequences of poor moral behaviour (hell) and this acts to stop people being bad. In the same way, the law is clear that those who commit crimes will be fined or sent to prison, and that makes people think twice before committing a crime

• Other Christians might argue that punishment does not work as a deterrent as people who are sent to prison are extremely likely to reoffend

  • Their time in prison does not teach them to be good so that they don’t go back to prison again, and so it is clearly not a deterrent

  • Punishment, they argue, should be about reform, education and counselling so that they can learn to be better members of society

  • We should follow the example of Jesus and forgive those who commit crimes if they are truly sorry for what they have done, ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them’ (Luke 7: 13)

Christian attitudes towards reformation

Christianity and punishment as reformation

• Some Christians argue that those who commit crimes are often victims of poverty and poor upbringing

  • The purpose of punishment should be to enable those who become involved in crime to reform and become better citizens

  • Jesus taught us to forgive and “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5: 39) and so we must make allowances for those who walk down the wrong path and the purpose of punishment should be to bring them back to goodness and God

  • Education and counselling should therefore form a major part of any punishment in prison, for example

• Other Christians might argue that the purpose of punishment should be to take something away from the person who has committed the crime (their liberty, their money etc) in the same way as they have taken something away from someone with their crimes 

  • They may point to God’s rule in the Bible that we should take ‘an eye for an eye’ (Exodus 21:24)

The nature and meaning of Biblical teachings on punishment

Biblical teachings on punishment

• The Bible contains many passages that are used by Christians in relation to punishment

  • For example, Jesus taught that we should forgive those who are truly sorry for what they have done and make an effort to make up for their sins

• He said, ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them’ (Luke 17:3) 

• Some Christians might see this as a soft option

• People who break the law should be punished and have things taken from them, as it is not enough to simply give back what was taken or be involved with community service

• They might say we need real deterrents to stop people from committing crimes, such as jail time and capital punishment, otherwise society will not be safe, especially for the weak and vulnerable, who are the members of society Jesus told all Christians to protect

• Jesus provides us with a good example for reparation as the aim of punishment

  • For example, Jesus took the time to get to know Zacchaeus, a tax collector who cheated the people of Jericho 

  • Jesus forgave Zacchaeus and as a result, Zacchaeus paid back double to all the people he had cheated

• Other Christians might argue that the aim of punishment should not be about upholding the authority of the law

  • Instead, it should be about treating the criminal and those wronged with love, support and forgiveness

  • The aim of punishment should be to allow the criminal to make up for the wrong they have done and learn how to be a better person