I. CRIMINAL JUSTICE & CHRISTIANITY
We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.
With a ritual studies framework in place, this section excavates what has been designated as a “primal connection between religion and criminal justice.” It supports this Article's thesis by establishing religion's influence on criminal law, procedure, and punishment. Christian ideas and rituals informed the common law in general, and ancient ecclesiastical courts produced the basis of criminal laws. However, some argue that all the major justifications for punishment can be found in older models of Protestant ecclesiastical law. In America, Christians continued the tradition by passing legislation against behavior offensive to Christian sensibilities and establishing criminal law based on the Bible, as well as instituting penitentiary houses across the country.
