Brethren Witness/Washington Office calls for signatures of death penalty letter.

The Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board is calling for church leaders to sign a letter regarding capital punishment.

"Open Letter from Faith Leaders Regarding the 1,000th Execution in the United States since the Reinstatement of Capital Punishment" says in part: "We, the undersigned faith leaders, reflecting the rich diversity of faith traditions and spiritual practices observed in the United States, stand together in expressing our deep concern that nearly 1,000 executions have occurred in this country since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976. We join with many Americans in questioning the need for the death penalty in our modern society and in challenging the effectiveness of this punishment, which has consistently been shown to be ineffective, unfair, and inaccurate," the letter continues. Contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office for a copy of the letter, call 800-785-3246 or e-mail pjones_gb@brethren.org.

Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, will join other faith leaders on Nov. 28 to hold a press conference on Capitol Hill announcing a "united voice of the religious community" on the death penalty. The Church of the Brethren most recently expressed a position on the death penalty in a 1987 Annual Conference statement. For the statement visit www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/87DeathPenalty.htm.

Sign on to the letter by Nov. 27 by sending an e-mail with full name, church title, name of faith community, and home town and state to Kristin Houle at khoule@aiusa.org. A copy of the signed letter may be faxed to 202-546-7142. Copy your intent to sign to the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at pjones_gb@brethren.org.

Source: 11/18/2005 Newsline
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