Which religions justify capital punishment for major offenses?

• A. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism
• B. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism
• C. Sikhism and Jainism
• D. Islam and Judaism only

Answer: (A)

The question tests whether capital punishment has been part of the ethical or legal frameworks in major world religions. In Islam, Sharia law outlines capital penalties for certain major offenses, such as murder and adultery, under strict evidentiary rules. In Judaism, Torah law occasions capital punishment for specific severe offenses, with rabbinic interpretation over centuries introducing stringent safeguards, and in practice modern states rarely enact it. Christianity has historical precedents in the Old Testament and in early Christian governance for state-imposed executions, though contemporary Christian ethics often question or oppose capital punishment, acknowledging its historical presence. Zoroastrianism, tied to ancient Persian law, also contains provisions seen as upholding severe penalties for grave crimes within a framework of social and cosmic order. By contrast, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism center on nonviolence and moral restraint, generally not endorsing capital punishment as a religious principle, which is why those traditions are not grouped with the others in this context.