In the view of life sanctity, is the death penalty a moral way of retribution? Is the death of a criminal something to be celebrated? Can death justify death?
One of the bases of moral retribution is written in the holy scripture, Matthew 5:37 states “You have heard that it was said, ‘eye for eye and tooth for a tooth’.” For a long time, this passage was viewed in a way that a punishment for a crime must be of the same weight as the crime committed, in a way that a crime of killing can only be justified through the death of the criminal or through the so-called death penalty.
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On the other hand, it is enlisted in the 10 commandments of God that we should not kill and it is also written that we should not take revenge for the repay, and avenge belongs to God (Romans 12:19).
In the case of Ted Bundy wherein the moral retribution or justice is imposed through the death penalty, I think that it is something that’s not right or moral. It is for this reason that death cannot justify death, because for me “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” didn’t mean to be practiced as something equal in the same manner but instead something equal even if it is not in the same manner or medium, in a way like a killer must not be sentenced a death penalty to equate it with his sin, but instead be punished of life imprisonment since being imprisoned for the whole life equates with death because being imprisoned for a lifetime is a loss of freedom and such a death in another form.
I think the death of Ted Bundy is something not to be called as justice but just another form of murder, a murder not just of one but all of the people who witnessed and supported his death. If we look at it from another other point of view, it can be discerned that all of the people who supported the death of Ted Bundy were no different from Ted. It is because it is directed to us by God that we shall not kill and this commandment was disobeyed by Ted, but if we look at it deeply, the death of Ted is not an accident whatsoever but instead a form of sin and also a form of disobedience to God’s commandment about killing. Thus, all the people who supported the death of Ted were no different from Ted, they were all killers. Although the persons behind Ted’s death is not a murderer or a killer in the eye of justice, but they are all the same in the eyes of God – they are all killers. Just like what Ted said “They call me crazy, but look at them”, This means that the people celebrating his execution were no different from him, they are calling him crazy but they can also be classified as crazy because a normal person would not celebrate or be pleasured with death of someone.
In support, the death penalty is a form of revenge, an act that was directed to us as something not to be committed since God promised us that the repayment and avenge are for Him. If God is superior, then who are we to go beyond Him? To go beyond His promises. Only we can ask and seek justice, a fair and moral justice, and not personal revenge to ease our pains in the meantime.
From the other point of view, upon assessing the attitude and personality of Ted Bundy it can be discerned that there is something wrong with him because a normal person with good mental health would not do such things. It is stated in multiple articles about the mental health analysis of Ted Bundy and also in the said documentary that Ted is mentally ill. Some of the mental illness associated with Ted was psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, narcissism, bipolar disorder, sadism, and addiction. But one of the disorders to be highly emphasized was the diagnosis of Dr. Al Carlisle that Ted has a maniac depressive disorder, therefore he is mentally ill. It is really arguable that maybe this diagnosis was fabricated and was just made as an instrument so that Ted can be saved from the execution, but using our own common sense and through observation we can really deduce that he is insane since a normal person would not be able to sexually abuse and kill multiple of innocent persons to the point of necrophilia.
This mental disorder can be rooted in the childhood of Ted Bundy, wherein he found out that he was an illegitimate son and experienced bullying, abuse, and pornographic addiction since pornography is easily accessed. His illegitimacy might have led him to his trust issues. Bullying might have caused him to be violent and the abuse might have him the idea that violence is acceptable. Meanwhile, the pornographic addiction might have caused his sadistic and perverted behavior since the environment that surrounds us is the strongest influencer that shapes us not just in our actions but also in our beliefs and behavior.
Given that Ted Bundy is mentally ill we can presume that the court hearing of Ted Bundy’s case is invalid since he is incompetent to undergo trial. In this manner, the death of Ted Bundy was not justice but just a way of pleasing the desire of the majority and on the other way around was a crime against Ted Bundy.
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