Is there a consequence of murder which transcends the death of the murderer?

Answer 1

Greetings to you. I am Buddhist and would like to answer this very good question from a Buddhist perspective if I may be so permitted. It may give some insight for comparison to other responses.

To Buddhists all Actions no matter how insignificant have Consequence. Actions include but are not limited to thoughts, words and deeds and also include inaction.

Death of any being is abhorrent to all Buddhists of whatever sect. We are taught that we are to refrain from violence and killing in particular any being or life form.

All Actions then have Consequence in either a positive, negative or neutral sense according to the Laws of what is termed Karma. This is often misinterpreted as a verb and as some esoteric cosmic dispenser of justice, when in fact it is a noun and is the Universal Law of Consequence as a result of Action. Forgive me this from a Buddhist perspective of course and in no way implies other's are to believe it as a Law....

Considering murder then as an Action there are several consequences both for the murderer and the victim. Consequences for this are far reaching however and all negative and are so negative and profound that they act upon all involved and even to those not involved such is the power of this destructive and meaningless Action. The death of the murderer is also negative and will have negative consequence, and in the end what has it done to dispense justice..? To a Buddhist it has done nothing but provided another death to add to the death caused by the murderer.

Is there A consequence of murder...no...there are MANY and they are profound and very far reaching indeed. One I've noticed is the profound sincere lack of compassion for the murderer, who to my mind is in sore need of it. The sheer scale of negative feeling that the murderer has inside that caused such a negative action should be examined and dealt with by our justice system...by us in effect...but we show such cowardice and sheer indifference to its sadness, look at Saddam Hussein's death, did anyone show the slightest compassion for this sad little man, I did but was shouted down for my 'stupidity'. This is the consequence to society...indifference to death...and it's just one negative consequence....and it is very profound is it not...there are many others .....

Death is not the answer, the true answer is compassion.

Peace from a Buddhist.

Answer 2

2267 Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically non-existent." Please read the ENTIRE paragraph 2267, as well as the ENTIRE SECTION on Legitimate Defense that the paragraph is in before passing judgement. Clearly the Catechism teaches that there are circumstances in which captial punishment is permissible - BUT - that doesn't mean all Catholics 'have to' endorse the death penatly. It seems to me that your beef is with the Supreme Court; that is to say this is more a LEGAL issue.

Answer 3

A murder affects those around the victim AND the murderer. It can result in a murderous desire for revenge on the part of a relative or friend of the murdered, or it can result in the ostracism by society of the murderer's family, thus causing repercussions that can go on for generations. Even if the murderer is dead, the murder is done and its damage plays out in various ways.

Answer 4

In almost every belief thats ever existed, it was believed that if a murderer died before giving himself over to what ever deity the belief served then he would go to the opposite of whatever the paradise is. Perfect example is Christianity. They believe that even if you were a modern day Jack The Ripper as long as you begged for forgivness from God and pledged to serve him before they executed you then you would go to heaven. If not straight to hell.

What ever your belief system is there is always a hellish place for murderers.

Answer 5

No there is not. That's why I object to the death penalty for murder. The death penalty in my opinion is not punishment. Especially lethal injection. Who was the wuss who came up with that. Trying to show mercy to a murder is no punishment at all. I believe there should be punishment for crime not mercy.

Answer 6

Romans 6:23; "For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord."

Death is the price of sin. Think what God told Adam in the Garden of Eden...

Genesis 2:17: "But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

Adam was created a perfect human. Had he not disobeyed God, he would have lived forever, so the punishment for disobedience was death...Adam lost the ability to live forever in paradise on earth. He could not pass on perfect genes, because of the curse of sin that he brought upon himself and all humans...

Romans 5:12; "That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned"

Romans 5: 18,19: "So, then, as through one trespass the result to men of all sorts was condemnation, likewise also through one act of justification the result to men of all sorts is a declaring of them righteous for life. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners, likewise also through the obedience of the one [person] many will be constituted righteous. . ."

Answer 7

The murderer doesn't just die & that's it. The other consequence is that the murderer's soul goes to hell, providing he/she doesn't make their peace with God before dying.

Answer 8

Well the family of the victim might still be affected.

Answer 9

No. Death is simply the end of us all. We cease to exist.

Why?