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Commentary: Death penalty law follows spirit of ’56

Posted: April 02, 2008
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A UMNS Commentary
By John C. Goodwin*
March 28, 2008

"You have women clergy in The United Methodist Church?" The question was posed to me several years ago by Sister Dorothy Briggs, a new friend in the movement to abolish the death penalty.

Acknowledging that she knew very little about the Protestant church, she was delighted to learn that most Protestant churches ordain women. She was especially pleased to learn that The United Methodist Church has female bishops.

ARKANSAS: Convention backs death penalty abolition; bishop offers new vision for diocese

Posted: February 28, 2008
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February 28, 2008

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, meeting February 22-23 for its 136th Diocesan Convention hosted by the state's Northeast Convocation and St. Mark's Church, Jonesboro, heard Bishop Larry R. Benfield offer a new vision for the diocese.

Capital Doubts

Posted: February 19, 2008
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Supreme Court mulls lethal injections as Christian support for the death penalty drops.
by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
Christianity Today
2/19/2008

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments against Kentucky's lethal injection procedure in January, as attorneys for two death row inmates contended that when done incorrectly, the procedure—which involves three shots to numb, paralyze, and kill—can cause extreme pain to the prisoner.

RELIGIOUS VIEWS: Christians Concerned about Execution of Innocent People

Posted: February 19, 2008
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A recent poll by NationalChristianPoll.com found that two-thirds of active Christians who oppose the death penalty are concerned about judicial error that could lead to an innocent person being executed.  The poll also found that of Christians who do support the death penalty, 60% do so because of biblical teachings.  According to a Pew Forum poll from 2007, the strongest supporters of the death penalty are white evangelicals, with 74% approval.  However, John W

Religion News and Developments - Previous Years

Posted: January 09, 2008
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Religion News and Developments: 2007

Posted: January 09, 2008
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PUBLIC OPINION: Support for Death Penalty Weak Among Blacks and Hispanics According to new polling analysis from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, support for the death penalty among the general public has dropped to 62% (August 2007), down from a high of 80% support in the mid-1990s.  Among black respondents, 51% opposed the death penalty and only 40% were in favor.  Hispanics were about evenly split with 48% in favor of the death penalty and 47% opposed.  Eighty-two (82%) percent of conservative Republicans support the death penalty, but only 41% of liberal D

Uganda: Bishop Wants Death Penalty Abolished

Posted: January 02, 2008
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New Vision (Kampala)
27 December 2007
Geresom Musamali

A Church of Uganda bishop has asked Christians to join him in his crusade against the death penalty.

The Kampala Diocese assistant bishop, Dr. Zac Niringiye, said he recently met John Katuramu on death row in Luzira Prison and became convinced that people can reform.

PUBLIC OPINION: Support for Death Penalty Weak Among Blacks and Hispanics

Posted: December 21, 2007
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According to new polling analysis from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, support for the death penalty among the general public has dropped to 62% (August 2007), down from a high of 80% support in the mid-1990s.  Among black respondents, 51% opposed the death penalty and only 40% were in favor.  Hispanics were about evenly split with 48% in favor of the death penalty and 47% opposed.  Eighty-two (82%) percent of conservative Republicans support the death penalty, but only 41% of liberal Democrats.  Among religious groups, white evangelical Protestants had the highest support-

Jews join struggle against NJ death penalty

Posted: December 14, 2007
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by Michal Lando
December 13, 2007
Jerusalem Post

New Jersey is on its way to becoming the first state to repeal the death penalty since 1976, when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment, and Jews are using tradition to weigh in on the process.

Death Penalty Tests a Church as It Mourns

Posted: November 28, 2007
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By ALISON LEIGH COWAN October 28, 2007
New York Times
 

CHESHIRE, Conn., Oct. 25 — The United Methodist Church here is the kind of politically active place where parishioners take to the pulpit to discuss poverty in El Salvador and refugees living in Meriden. But few issues engage its passions as much as the death penalty.

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