February 7-13, 2011
Editorial
Editorial: What the wrong sentencing of an air force private says about crime and punishment
Translated by Lydia Ma
New evidence suggesting that Chiang Kuo-ching was wrongfully executed for the murder of a girl 15 years ago surfaced recently when another suspect confessed to the crime, prompting public outcry. Though President Ma and National Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu apologized to the Chiang family due to public pressure, the incident prompted re-examination of whether capital punishment ought to be abolished.
Though the death penalty remains a divisive issue, religious and humanitarian organizations in Taiwan both claim that it’s a cruel and unusual punishment that shouldn’t exist in a civilized society. They claim the purpose of any punishment should be rehabilitative in nature. However, supporters of capital punishment assert the death penalty shouldn’t be abolished because it serves both a corrective measure and a retributive measure.
The Bible contains many teachings and stories about “crime and punishment”. When Cain murdered his brother Abel and committed the first homicide in the history of humankind, what God did in response is worth revisiting. We note in Genesis that since humans are made in God’s image, therefore, their lives are in God’s hands.
If we keep reading, we’ll notice that in New Testament times, God’s “righteousness” and “justice” remain unchanged, but something greater – Jesus’ “love” – overshadows them. Hence, many laws of the Old Testament are no longer applied in the New Testament or in modern times, though all three address the price of wrongful actions.
The major difference between New Testament times and Old Testament times is that whereas the former emphasizes restitution, sacrifice, repentance, and restoration, the latter puts the onus on prevention of sins beforehand rather than restitution for sins afterwards. New Testament writers emphasize that humans can be freed from sin’s bondage if they’re willing to be reconciled with God through the cross of Jesus, which offers salvation and transformation.
God is both loving and just and the Bible’s principles on “crime and punishment” will never change. We believe that those who commit crimes must pay for their actions, but the power to take away the life of a criminal should not rest in the hands of mere mortals. If murderers don’t repent, God will eventually avenge, for the Bible clearly states, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
From the wrong sentencing of air-force Private Chiang Kuo-ching and from the love of Christ, we sincerely hope for the abolition of capital punishment!
