Return of death penalty would be sad day for the UK, say Churches

Churches have come out firmly against the return of the death penalty following the launch of an e-petition.

The call for the return of capital punishment is made in an e-petition on the Government’s new website which asks for legislation to be introduced that would see the murderers of children and police officers face execution.

There is the possibility that MPs will debate the issue in the House of Commons if the e-petition gains at least 100,000 signatures.

There are around 40 e-petitions on the website related to capital punishment, gaining more than 6,000 signatures.

The most signed e-petition on capital punishment, however, is one calling for it not to be reinstated.

That call resonates with two of Britain’s main Churches, the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) and the Methodist Church.

The BUGB has never adopted a formal position on capital punishment but BUGB General Secretary the Rev Jonathan Edwards said yesterday that member churches should be “very cautious” in approving any change to the law.

He said many Baptists would be “fervently opposed” to such a move.

“Capital punishment fails to take account of the frailty of judicial systems and of the ever present possibility of a miscarriage of justice,” he said.

“Furthermore, capital punishment does not allow for the possibility of repentance and reform. Moses was a murderer and King David was guilty of conspiracy to murder and yet God was able to use them both to lead his people.

“I believe that it would be a sad day if we were to revert to capital punishment in this country.”

Steve Hucklesby, Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church, said that reinstating capital punishment was a step in the wrong direction for the UK.

“In the 1950s the Methodist Church called for the abolition of the death penalty, and has since opposed its re-introduction," he said.

“The UN General Assembly has called for a global moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

“It seems inconceivable that, when more countries are moving to towards the abolition of the death penalty, the UK would wish to go in the opposite direction.”