CHURCH ATTITUDE TO DEATH PENALTY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29523, 26 May 1961, Page 20

CHURCH ATTITUDE TO DEATH PENALTY

(New Zealand Press Association)

WANGANUI. May 25

Understanding that a Government caucus will today discuss the possible insertion of an amended Crimes Bill of definitions of murder which will be punishable by death, the Rev. B. M. Chrystall. president of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, today made this statement:— “The Methodist Church has for many years opposed capital punishment, and has urged that toe death penalty should be abolished from the statutes. It has taken this position because it believes that human life is sacred, and it fails to see that this principle is enhanced in the community when the State punishes murder by taking another life in exchange for the one wantonly destroyed On the contrary, it believes that such action lessens the respect for human life in the communitv. and leads some irresponsibly to take the law into their own hands.

“It believes that punishment inflicted by the State should have a four-fold uurpose—it should protect society, it should act as a deterrent, it should lead to the reformation of the offender, and enable expiation to be made. All these purposes can be served if capital punishment is abolished. But there is no chance of reformation if the death penalty is retained.

“The statistical evidence of capital punishment being a deterrent is most unreliable —and this has led many modern States to abolish the death penalty for murder. “There is no evidence that the incidence of homicide is now greater in those countries because of the abolition of the extreme penalty. “The Methodist Church

urges that in N«w Zealand we should bring our laws into harmony with modem research on the question and abolish the death penalty. It believes that no man is beyond redemption or reformation: and while it does not in any way minimise the gravity of the awful crime of murder it does not believe that the State should terminate a man's life and thus prevent the possibility of reformation,” the statement said.