CAN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT BE FIXED?
The Long Island Council of Churches, like nearly all the major Christian denominations, has long opposed capital punishment, a position that pleases most clergy and angers many lay people. While there is certainly an ecumenical consensus on this issue, there is also room to disagree: the Old Testament restricted the imposition of capital punishment but allowed execution in rare circumstances; the Gospels remind us that government often executes innocent people. It has never made any sense to me to kill people to show that killing people is wrong, but you may well disagree, and I’d be glad to hear from you if you do. Because clergy know that those in the pews often disagree with denominational pronouncements, many pastors avoid preaching about this issue, but it seems to me that people of faith are willing to think anew about the questions that surround retribution. We certainly want to be rid of terrorists, for example, but capital punishment makes many nations reluctant to extradite t
