Charlie Kirk, the conservative political commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, made several remarks in early 2024 about public punishments and executions, including the following comments:

“Death penalties should be public—should be quick. It should be televised. You could have like ‘Brought to you by Coca Cola.’ I’m not kidding. I would totally tune in to see someone get their head chopped off. I want to watch that execution. That would make my day better. I think at a certain age, it’s an initiation … What age should you start to see public executions?”

These statements raise ethical, legal, psychological, and theological concerns. The critiques that follow focus on empirical evidence, Christian tradition, and moral reasoning.

One of the gravest consequences of advocating for more public and frequent death penalties is the irreversible nature of execution, especially when wrongful convictions occur. Data suggests that wrongful sentencing in the U.S. death penalty system is not rare.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, since 1973, 200 for­mer death-row pris­on­ers have been exon­er­at­ed of all charges relat­ed to the wrong­ful con­vic­tions that had put them on death row. The risk is not just in sentencing; threats of the death penalty in prosecutorial or interrogation settings have also been implicated in false confessions or coerced pleas. A landmark 2014 study by the National Academy of Sciences found that approximately 4% of executed death row inmates were innocent. Given that execution is final, any system that increases the scope or frequency of capital punishment magnifies the risk of irreversible injustice.

The suggestion that children (or the general public) watch executions raises serious concerns about the psychological harm caused by exposure to state-sanctioned violence. Studies of children who witness community violence show elevated rates of stress, emotional disturbance, and later aggressive behavior. One study of 7–14‑year‑olds found a strong correlation between exposure to violence and symptoms like anxiety, nightmares, and poor sleep. Exposure to graphic violence can desensitize individuals, reducing empathy and increasing tolerance for cruelty. Over time, this erodes societal norms that protect the vulnerable and uphold shared humanity.

Even for convicted individuals, a society that endorses public executions risks undermining the principle that all humans retain some measure of dignity and worth. While Kirk suggested televised executions might deter crime, research is inconclusive, and the pursuit of deterrence cannot justify spectacle or state cruelty. Violence as public performance does not cultivate justice—it cultivates fear, vengeance, and dehumanization.

Perhaps most notably, Kirk’s comments stand in sharp tension with the teachings of historic Christianity—a tradition he frequently appealed to in his political commentary. The Christian faith, from its earliest centuries, has emphasized mercy, human dignity, and the rejection of bloodlust or vengeance. Public executions as a spectacle were associated with the Roman Empire’s pagan culture—not with Christian ethics.

Christian doctrine holds that every person, even a criminal, is made in the Imago Dei—the image of God (Genesis 1:27). That foundational belief has historically tempered Christian perspectives on punishment, urging humility and mercy.

In John 8:7, Jesus challenges a mob ready to execute an adulterous woman, saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” It is a direct condemnation of punitive mob violence. The Church Fathers, such as Augustine and Ambrose, warned against vengeful punishment and emphasized the possibility of repentance—even for the worst offenders.

Early Christians refused to attend Roman executions or gladiatorial events because they understood such spectacles as antithetical to the gospel of peace and the sanctity of life. Tertullian, writing in the 2nd century, denounced public killings and mockery of the condemned as “inhuman,” saying, “The innocent always shudder at the executioner’s sword.” Theologians like Thomas Aquinas allowed for capital punishment under strict justice but emphasized that it must be carried out not with hatred, but sorrow—and never as a spectacle or for entertainment.

Contemporary Christian leaders and institutions—across denominations—have increasingly spoken against the death penalty, and certainly against its public or televised use. Pope Francis called the death penalty “inadmissible,” emphasizing human dignity and the risk of irreparable error. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes capital punishment and has emphasized the need for restorative justice. Protestant leaders across the political spectrum, including Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and Mainline Protestants, have also expressed serious reservations about executions, especially in light of wrongful convictions and the Christian call to forgiveness.

Kirk’s comment on the topic—“I wanna watch that execution. That’ll make my day better”—reflects a spirit of vengeance and desensitization that conflicts deeply with the Christian call to mercy, justice, and repentance. Christianity has never glorified watching another human die, and certainly not with glee.

Some proponents argue that public executions might serve as a deterrent or reinforce moral order. But even if deterrence could be proven effective (which remains heavily debated), Christian tradition—and democratic values—insist that how we pursue justice matters.

Means that brutalize the soul, desensitize society, or risk executing the innocent violate both moral law and civic responsibility. Justice without mercy ceases to be justice—it becomes vengeance.

Charlie Kirk’s comments about televising executions and exposing children to them raise serious ethical and theological red flags. The suggestion is not only inconsistent with democratic principles and psychological evidence—it also collides with the Christian values Kirk suggested he championed.

We would also be well served to remember that many death row individuals also have people who love them—family and friends who played no role in their actions. Their grief and the pain of losing someone they love should never be a source of joy for the public.

In a just society, capital punishment—if it is to be allowed at all—should be administered with caution, humility, and sorrow. To turn it into a public spectacle is to betray our shared humanity and, for Christians, the heart of their teachings.

Justice, especially when it involves life and death, must never become entertainment.

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Andrew Kirschner is the founder of Epic Walking Tours in New York City. He leads tours that explore the history of the civil rights, immigration, animal rights, women’s suffrage, labor rights, and LGBTQ+ movements.