Presbyterian View Of Death Penalty

Grey River Argus, 15 November 1949, Page 5

Presbyterian View Of Death Penalty

TIMARU, November 13. The General Assembly of _ the Presbyterian Church, after ■ a short debate, approved 'the report of its Public Questions Committee, on capital punishment. The convenor of 'the committee, the Rev. J. S. Somerville, said the church should look aeepex' than the acts, and ask itself why such things happened. He quoted statistics which he said were of such a nature that it was wise to accept them with great caution before making any positive deductions.

The report stated.—“ From a theologcal, or religious standpoint, it should be remembered that there is a retributive or expiatory element in punishmnt, the ultimate nature ol which was the Lex Talionis. That the harsher elements of this have been repudiated, does not obviate the need for the expiation of crime. It has to be paid for, and society itself has to pay its share of the price, part of which is the duty to society, to face up to and deal with the immediate causes or otherwise of crime such as homicide, part of which is the reformative element in punishment. Capital punishment does not deal wtih causes or pa v society’s share of the price, and may easily breed self-righteousness in a society. “In the Christian ethic, the Lex Talionis must ultimately be superseded, and in the true Christian fellowship, it is already so,” the report concluded. , “Any liberalising of enlightened policy'given effect to in society must not, therefore, be too summarily dismissed, or repudiated”, said Mr Sommerville. “We should build up a society in which such things as murder cannot happen.” He warned the Assembly that the issue was becoming political.