🎁 Life is God's gift
You met this in Sanctity of Life and Abortion: Sikh Views. Life comes from God, so only God should decide when it ends. An execution takes that decision into human hands.
Sikh Beliefs about Peace and Conflict » Sikhism and Capital Punishment
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 3.6 (Sikhism)
- The nature and purpose of capital punishment, recalled in a line
- Why there is no single Sikh ruling on the death penalty
- Why many Sikhs oppose it: God's gift of life, the divine spark, change, forgiveness, the innocent and the Gurus' martyrdom
- Why some Sikhs accept it for the worst crimes, and how atheist and Humanist views compare
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Unlock This CourseCapital punishment: a quick recall
In Capital Punishment: Arguments For and Against you learned that capital punishment is the death penalty: a person is executed by the state as punishment for a very serious crime. Its purposes include retribution, deterrence and protecting society. In Sikh Attitudes to Punishment and Its Aims you saw that Sikhs accept fair punishment but reject revenge. Now we ask what Sikhs believe about the ultimate punishment.
Is there one Sikh view?
No. There is no single ruling on the death penalty in Sikhism. Sikhs use their core teachings to reach a view, and they do not all reach the same one. In an exam, write "many Sikhs" and "some Sikhs", never "all Sikhs". Many Sikhs oppose the death penalty, but some accept it for the very worst crimes.
Key terms:
- Martyr: a person who dies, or is put to death, for their faith or for standing up for what is right.
Why many Sikhs oppose capital punishment
✨ The divine spark
Every person carries the divine spark, so even a murderer has God's light inside them. Many Sikhs say that to kill a person is to try to put out something that belongs to God.
🌱 Everyone can change
Sikhs teach that every person can turn away from the self and return to God. An execution ends that chance. A prison sentence leaves time to say sorry and change.
💖 Forgiveness
You learned in Forgiveness and Restorative Justice in Sikhism that revenge feeds haumai, the ego. Many Sikhs say the death penalty is too close to revenge, and that forgiveness is the better Sikh path.
❌ The risk of executing the innocent
Courts can make mistakes. A miscarriage of justice can be put right with a prison sentence, but not after an execution. Sikhs are taught to defend the weak and to seek justice, so this risk worries many of them.
🙏 Sikh memory of unjust executions
Sikh history includes rulers who put Sikhs to death for their faith. Guru Arjan was executed in 1606 under the emperor Jahangir and Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675 under the emperor Aurangzeb, and Sikhs remember them as martyrs. The Gurus were killed by rulers who held state power, which makes many Sikhs wary of giving any state this power.
Why some Sikhs accept it
Other Sikhs argue that the death penalty can be right for the worst crimes, such as multiple murder or terrorism. Their reasons are:
- Justice for victims. Sikhs believe God is just. A very serious crime deserves a very serious penalty, and victims and their families should see justice done.
- Protecting society. Sikhs are taught to protect the weak. A person who is certain to go on killing may have to be stopped for good.
- Force as a last resort. As you saw in Sikh Attitudes to Conflict: The Saint-Soldier and Zafarnama 22, Sikhs teach that force may be used when all other means have failed. Some apply the same thinking to the worst criminals.
Even these Sikhs usually add conditions: the crime must be one of the very worst, the person must be clearly guilty, and the aim must be justice and not hatred or revenge.
Other views for comparison
An atheist does not believe in God, so cannot base a view on God's gift of life. Atheists and Humanists decide using reason and evidence, such as human rights, whether the penalty deters crime and the risk of executing the innocent. Humanists generally oppose the death penalty. They agree with many Sikhs on the risk of killing the innocent, but they disagree about why life is valuable.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes
- Saying "Sikhs are against the death penalty" with no qualification. There is no single ruling, so show both views.
- Only giving general arguments, such as cost or deterrence. Name a Sikh idea in each paragraph: the divine spark, God's gift of life, forgiveness, or the martyrdom of the Gurus.
- Mixing up the two Gurus. Guru Arjan was executed in 1606 and Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675.
- Forgetting that Sikhs who accept the penalty still reject revenge.
Exam-style question
Paper 1 (a) [3 marks, AO1]: Identify three arguments used in favour of capital punishment.
Model answer
1. Retribution (1). 2. Deterrence (1). 3. Protecting society (1). (Justice for victims is also accepted.)
Paper 1 (b) [4 marks, AO1]: Choose one religion. Outline two reasons why many Sikhs are against capital punishment.
Model answer
Many Sikhs believe life is a gift from God (1), so only God should decide when it ends (1). Many Sikhs also believe everyone can change and return to God (1), and an execution ends that chance (1).
Paper 1 (c) [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]: Choose one religion. Explain why there are different attitudes to capital punishment in this religion.
Model answer
There is no single ruling on capital punishment in Sikhism, so Sikhs use their teachings to reach different views. Many Sikhs oppose it. They believe life is God's gift and that every person has the divine spark, so no state should destroy it. They also believe everyone can change and return to God, and they value forgiveness. They fear executing an innocent person, and they remember that Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur were executed by Mughal emperors. Other Sikhs accept it for the worst crimes. They believe God is just, that victims deserve justice, and that society must be protected. They also point to the teaching that force may be used as a last resort. So the difference comes from which teachings Sikhs put first: mercy and the chance to change, or justice and protection.
Paper 1 (d) [12 marks, AO1 and AO2]: "Capital punishment can never be justified." Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion.
Plan for (d)
For: life is God's gift and only God should end it; the divine spark is in everyone; people can change; forgiveness is better than revenge; the innocent may be executed and it cannot be undone; the Gurus were unjustly executed; Humanists also stress the risk of error.
Against: some Sikhs accept it for the worst crimes to bring justice for victims and protect society; force is allowed as a last resort; some people think it deters others.
Possible conclusion: judge the strongest argument on each side, notice the word "never", and pick a side with a deciding reason. For example, the risk of executing the innocent may be decisive because it cannot be put right. Cover both sides before you decide.
Exam tip
In a Sikh answer on capital punishment, start by saying there is no single ruling. It shows the examiner you know the views differ, and lets you give both sides.