This is a very interesting discussion. It never occurred to me that an atheist would be against the death penalty... I always assumed that people against the death penalty were misguided Christan's who were interpreting the bible improperly.
I respect your thoughts and appreciate your civil attitude. Although we obviously disagree. :)
It seems to me that an athiest would be more likely to be against the death penalty than a Christian. A belief in God typically means a belief in a better place than this. An innocent soul will be judged rightly by their Creator. A damned soul will be damned.
If you believe that all there is to life is this life, then it should become far more precious to you, as this is all there is. Death is the absolute extinction of your consciousness in that regard.
"This is a very interesting discussion. It never occurred to me that an atheist would be against the death penalty... I always assumed that people against the death penalty were misguided Christan's who were interpreting the bible improperly."
Thanks for following the discussion. Despite many folks' opinions, atheists very often have very strong ethical foundations, based on thoughtful study.
The Bible is difficult to interpret in cases like capital punishment. You can find clear arguments to make on either side in the Scriptures. Hence, we have a Roman Catholic Church, among other denominations, with the opinion that capital punishment is not a good thing. Other denominations have exactly the opposite position.
There really isn't any unified "Christian" point of view regarding capital punishment. It's a difficult question.