From Advisory Board Member Sam. L Sullins June 20, 2014 Senator Cam Ward Dear Senator Ward, The United Methodist Church, as an integral part of the Alabama Christian community, strongly opposes capital punishment. Our Book of Discipline which is the book of law of the United Methodist Church states, the mistreatment or torture of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian teachings and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians and churches wherever and whenever it occurs. For the same reason, we oppose capital punishment and urge its elimination from all criminal codes. This is not a recent description of our opposition to capital punishment, but a position of our church for well over 40 years. The Discipline as the instrument for setting forth the laws, plan, polity, and process by which United Methodists govern themselves remains constant. Also in our Discipline is a section on restorative justice. It states, Most criminal justice systems around the world are retributive. These retributive justice systems profess to hold the offender accountable to the state and use punishment as the equalizing tool for accountability. In contrast, restorative justice seeks to hold the offender accountable to the victimized person, and to the disrupted community. Through God’s transforming power, restorative justice seeks to repair the damage, right the wrong, and bring healing to all involved, including the victim, the offender, the families, and the community. Rather than kill offenders, let’s eliminate capital punishment from all criminal codes and assign them all to LWOP as a restorative process for everyone. This can be done and your Blue Ribbon Committee can do it now. Encourage them to move to abolish capital punishment as part of their agenda. Thank you for your efforts to be fair and do what is right. Justice will arrive – someday. Sincerely, Sam L. Sullins . Huntsville, AL 35802
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 22:07:43 +0000
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