CONTINUING OPPOSITION TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Whereas, the 171st General Assembly (United Presbyterian Church-1959) declared that "capital punishment cannot be condoned by an interpretation of the Bible based upon the revelation of God’s love in Jesus Christ . . ." and "The use of the death penalty tends to brutalize the society that condones it"; the 177th General Assembly (UPC-1965) called for the abolition of the death penalty; the 106th General Assembly (Presbyterian Church U.S.-1966) proclaimed itself against the death penalty; and the 189th General Assembly (UPC-1977) called upon members to work to prevent executions of persons under sentence of death, to work against efforts to reinstate death penalty statutes, and to work for alternatives to capital punishment; and

Whereas, we believe that the government’s use of death as an instrument of justice places the state in the role of God, who alone is sovereign; and

Whereas, the use of the death penalty in a representative democracy places citizens in the role of executioner: "Christians cannot isolate themselves from corporate responsibility, including responsibility for every execution, as well as for every victim" (UPC-1977); and

Whereas, since between July 2, 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gregg v. Georgia that capital punishment "does not invariably violate the Constitution," and September 30, 1984, 38 states have approved death penalty statutes and have executed 26 persons; and

Whereas, there are presently over 1,400 persons on death row in the U.S., many of whose rights of appeal are rapidly running out:

Therefore, the 197th General Assembly (1985):

1. Reaffirms the positions of the General Assemblies of the United Presbyterian Church of 1959, 1965, and 1977, and of the Presbyterian Church U.S. of 1966, and declares its continuing opposition to capital punishment.

2. Calls upon governing bodies and members to work for the abolition of the death penalty in those states which currently have capital punishment statutes, and against efforts to reinstate such statutes in those which do not.

3. Urges continuing study of issues related to capital punishment and commends the use of resources available from the Presbyterian Criminal Justice Program.

4. Requests the Stated Clerk to notify the President and the Congress of the United States, and all the state governors and legislatures, of the action taken.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

100 Witherspoon Street

Louisville, KY 40202