National Weekend of Faith in Action on the Death Penalty
Faith communities speaking out against the death penalty
American Baptist Churches in the USA
“…it is more important than ever that the religious community speak to the moral, religious and ethical implications of killing by the state.”
American Jewish Committee“…[the death penalty] is cruel, unjust, and incompatible with the dignity and self-respect of man…”
Buddhist Peace Fellowship“Society is like a dense fabric, made of many intertwined threads. Murder is like a violent tear in the fabric. The death penalty is like trying to repair the tear by cutting away at the fabric when we should take care to weave the many split threads back into the fabric.”
Catholic Bishops of the United States“We oppose capital punishment not just for what it does to those guilty of horrible crimes but for what it does to all of us as a society. We cannot overcome crime by simply executing criminals, nor can we restore the lives of the innocent by ending the lives of those convicted of their murders.”
Central Conference of American Rabbis“Both in concept and in practice, Jewish tradition found capital punishment repugnant, despite Biblical sanctions for it. For the past 2,000 years, with the rarest of exceptions, Jewish courts have refused to punish criminals by depriving them of their lives.”
Church of the Brethren“There is an element of God in each of us, and so we must hold all human life as sacred.”
Community of ChristAt the April 2000 World Conference an approximate two-thirds majority voted to “stand in opposition to the use of the death penalty; and…that as a peace church we seek ways to achieve healing and restorative justice.”
Conservative JudaismRabbi Harold S. Kushner has written, “capital punishment is not about deterrence. That is a fig leaf we attach to our desire to punish. Capital punishment, like all acts of revenge, is about control, about the need to reclaim control from someone who has taken it from us.”
Episcopal Church“Abolishing capital punishment requires education, conversion and action.”
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America“The ongoing controversy surrounding the death penalty shows the weaknesses of its justifications. We would be a better society by joining the many countries that have already abolished capital punishment.”
Friends United Meeting“capital punishment...promotes the evils of vengeance and injustice through the agencies of government intended to advance righteousness and justice.”
IslamMuslim scholar Dr. Azizah Y. al-Hibri provides one perspective: “…it is an established fact that the burden of capital punishment in the United States falls disproportionately on minorities… This bias is not only racial, but economic as well.”
Mennonite Central Committee US“The taking of human life is far too serious an act to contemplate when there is any possibility of error.”
Mennonite Church USA“Violence does not overcome violence.”
Mormons for Equality and Social Justice“…we are mindful of the suffering and grief caused by violent crime. We are also mindful of the suffering and grief capital punishment inflicts. We therefore believe capital punishment compounds, rather than alleviates, the suffering caused by the crime.”
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA“…economically poor defendants, particularly members of racial minorities, are more likely to be executed than others because they cannot afford exhaustive legal defenses.”
Union of Orthodox Judaism“In recent months, too many questions have been raised as to whether in America’s courts the demand for accuracy is being met. These questions must be answered and appropriate corrective measures must be put in place before we can proceed with additional executions in this country.”
Presbyterian Church (USA)“The use of the death penalty tends to brutalize the society that condones it…”
Reformed Church of America“As an agency of society, the state should not become an avenger for individuals; it should not presume the authority to satisfy divine justice by vengeful methods.”
Union of Reform Judaismhttp://uahc.org/orlando/areso/justice.shtml
http://www.rac.org//issues/issuedp.html
“We believe that there is no crime for which the taking of human life by society is justified, and that other methods of punishment, deterrence and prevention are preferable.”
Unitarian Universalists Association“…the act of execution of the death penalty by government sets an example of violence…”
United Church of Christ“…opposition [to the death penalty] is based on our understanding of the Christian Faith and the New Testament call to redemptive love, mercy, and sanctity of life…”
United Methodist Church“The United Methodist Church cannot accept retribution or social vengeance as a reason for taking human life. It violates our deepest belief in God as the creator and the redeemer of humankind. In this respect, there can be no assertion that human life can be taken humanely by the state. “
Zen Buddhism“I am reverential and mindful of all life, I am not violent and I do not kill”
What does your community say?
Your group can pass a resolution opposing the death penalty Equal Justice USA’s Moratorium
Now! campaign offers resources and campaigning materials to help your faith community join hundreds of other organizations and city councils in calling for a national moratorium on all US executions.
http://www.quixote.org/ej/
Contact the Interfaith Network
Please email links to any statements from faith-based organizations that may be missing from this list.